Banner: Shashiraj Films & Canam Movie Production
Producers: MIke Verma & Shashi Pal (Shashi Raaj)
Director; Shashi Pal (Shashi Raaj)
Star Cast: Gurtej Teji, Tina Rathod, Komal Dillon, Pooja Thakur, Shakti Kapoor, Dinesh Hingoo, Vikram Jhakar, Amritpal Kaur, Gurmail Gill, Santosh Kumari, Pallu, Aman Soni, Vicky, Anju, Ravi Sarin et al
Music: W. G. Records

The scripted scenario of Delhi Mere Baap Ki kick starts with the introduction of a rich spoilt brat (Gurtej Teji ) of a leading business man from Delhi (Shakti Kapoor) who befriends a young model (Tina Rathod) and ends up raping her. He is not afraid of the consequences as he feels that his influential father will bail him out of the mess he has created with his life. But a press reporter (Komal Dhillon) who was her best friend finds the incident fishy as she thinks the reported suicide of her friend could not be true and she does a sting operation. She is helped by her friend (Pooja Thakur) in this mission. Komal Dhillon manages to trap the guy who now tries to rape her but she makes a great escape from his clutches and her honor is saved. Ultimately, the father (Shakti Kapoor) shoots his own son.

It seems like director Shashi Raaj has made Delhi Mere Baap Ki on a shoestring budget. The film has been well – scripted, based on a true incident & interestingly directed by him. Musically, the dance number is very enjoyable. A word of praise also goes for Pali & Ravi for action, Rajesh Kanoujia for cinematography & Amit Raj for editing.

Performance wise surprisingly it is Komal Dhillon who steals the limelight with an extremely sensitive enactment of a great friend who solves her dead friend’s case. Next in line Pooja Thakur is perfect in the role alloted to her. But on the other hand Tina Rathod disappoints big time and the same can be said about Gurtej Teji. While the supporting cast comprising of veterans like Shakti Kapoor, Dinesh Hingoo, Vikram Jhakar et al and debtant actors like Amritpal Kaur, Gurmail Gill, Santosh Kumari, Pallu, Aman Soni, Vicky, Anju, Ravi Sarin et al who are mostly new talents from Mike Verma’s Canam Film Institute (Chandigarh) are just about ok.

Tail Piece: At the Box Office turnstiles Delhi Mere Baap Ki has its own merits but will attract the masses mainly from the B & the C centres, especially from the North.

Producers: Kethan Mehta, Deepa Sahi & Anish J S Menta.
Director: Suhus D. Kadav.
Narrator: Niraj Vikram, Suhab S. Kadav & Dheeraj Berry.
Genre: Animaton Comedy
Rating***

The title of the movie Motu Patlu King of Kings is taken from the kids cartoon show Motu Patlu, which is on air since the year 2008 on Tamil channel. It has now been converted into a movie story and the makers have made it more unique by animating the movie. Besides adding a tagline to the movie as well namely, “Yaaron Ki Yaari…. Action Safari”.

This is a story of 2 friends Motu & Patlu hailing from Furfuri Nagar. Their 1st enconter is with a Circus lion, who wants to leave the Circus. So Motu & Patlu offer to take him to the forest. Once they reach the forest the lion runs away on his own. Motu & Patlu now come across another lookalike lion who rules the jungle as a king. There is also an evil man who cuts down the forest in his quest for a hidden goldmine. From this point onwards there is an uproar in the jungle, literally!!! There are situation and how Motu & Patlu land on them is hilarious. In the end they always rescue themselves with their ideas & their unique thinking.

Director Suhus D. Kadav has done full justice to this Children’s entertainment but with a slight hangover of Hollywood film The Jungle Book. The main message of the film “Save The Forest” is perfectly driven home. Technically also the film is far more superior than previous such films especially the voice overs which are perfectly in sync.

An ideal entertainment for one and all during this festive season of Diwali.

Producer: Vinay Waman Ganu
Director: Shailesh Shankar Kale
Star Cast: Aroh Velankar, Amey Wagh, Saksham Kulkarni, Shivani Surve, Anuja Sathe, Kishor Kadam, Pushkar Shrotri, Viju Khote, Murli Sharma, Bhau Kadam, Kanchan Pagare, Vijay kadam, Ganesh Mayekar, Mayur Khandge etc
Genre: Comedy
Rating One and a half

Ghanta is a story about 3 friends, who have just passed out from college and try their hands in betting to earn money. Further on the film showcases about how the trio of them get into big time trouble because of betting and also comes across 3 Villains in their life and from there on they constantly struggle to get out of this uncalled for situation.

Director Shailesh Shankar Kale has presented a very far fetched and totally confused story and moreover the title Ghanta has no relevance at all to the main plot.

Performance wise most of the debutant actors have tried their level best to live up to their alloted roles. Besides even the veteran actors have failed to salvage the film.

Even at the Box Office turnstiles the prospects of Ghanta seems nil.

Producers: Manindra Jain, Shobhit Kumar,
Shekhar Kumar, Uddipt Jain & Aniruddha Gaikar
Director: Shashank Udapurkar
Star Cast: Shashank Udapurkar, Tanishaa Mukerji, Govind Namdeo, Rajit Kapur, Sharat Saxena, Kishor Kadam etc
Genre: Biopic
Rating***

Anna: Kisan Baburao Hazare is a biographical film based on the life of an extremely popular Indian social activist namely Anna Hazare (Shashank Udapurkar). It encompasses Anna’s life right from his childhood till recently. Anna was a crusader par excellence and followed Mahatma Gandhi’s idealogy. Like Bapu he also chose the path of “Fast Unto Death” to win many social causes. He not only fought for the upliftment of his village in general but also for the betterment of the nation in particular. His fight against “Brashtar” is still going strong.

Director Shashank Udapurkar has brilliantly sketched the life of Anna Hazare. Besides he has done a perfect job by also enacting the role of Anna Hazare. But the lapses are seen in his writing with many loopholes which is evident in the slowly dragging pace of the movie. A special worthy mention should also go for the musical score by the Late Ravindra Jain which is apt for such biographical film. The rest of the cast is also good by lending an able support in carrying the narrative of the film forward.

But sadly enough one can’t expect the film to create wonders at the Box Office tunrstiles. Having said that it will certainly earn rave reviews & critical acclaim in the Indian as well as the global film festival circuit.

Producer: Diksha Yuvraj Surwade
Director: Datta Mirkutte
Star Cast : Raj Surwade, Monalisa Bagal, Rahul Bhise, Ankita Parmar, Damini Dolas, Rajendra Shisatkar, Yatin Karyekar, Latika Gore, Rohini, Satish Pulekar, Nishigandha Wad
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Rating**

The story of Prem Sankat kick starts with Raj (debutant Raj Surwade) painting the town red with his friends. On the other hand Mona (Monalisa Bagal) gets kidnapped by the goons of a pimp to be drawn into flesh trade. Raj has seen her being kidnapped! So one fine day he ends up rescuing her from the clutches of the pimp and keeps her hidden in a farm house and gradually falls in love with her.

First of all a word of praise for the Debutant director for presenting the love story in a daringly different mileu but his directorial treatment of the same leaves much to be desired. Debutant Raj Surwade & Monalisa Bagal show just a little spark of histrionics but both have miles to go before they can even succeed in making a place for themselves in Marathi Cinema.

Whereas veteran actors like Rajendra Shisatkar, Yatin Karyekar, Latika Gore, Rohini, Satish Pulekar, Nishigandha Wad lend them an able support.

At the ticket window Prem Sankat will have to struggle hard with not much help coming in even from the word of mouth publicity.

Kangana Ranaut along with the Board of Trustees – Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Rohan Sippy, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Manish Mundra, Vishal Bhardwaj & Dibakar Banerjee joined Jio MAMI with Star Co-chairperson, Kiran Rao & Festival Director Anupama Chopra.

Over 180 films from 54 countries including features, documentaries & short films to be showcased at the festival.

The Film Festival will honour director & screenwriter Sai Paranjpye & acclaimed filmmaker, Jia Zhangke with “Excellence in Cinema” Award

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star is less than a month away from offering the city a movie extravaganza unlike any other. In its 18th edition, the festival announced its stellar line-up for the year at its annual press conference held on Thurs, 29th Sept, in Mumbai. The festival is set to kick off on 20th Oct, 2016. The press conference began with the announcement of the festival’s new brand identity.

Jio MAMI with Star, Festival Co-Chairperson, Kiran Rao averred, “It’s been a very exciting year for the Academy. Firstly, we are now a year around presence. We launched the MAMI Film Club in May, 2016 with a conversation between Sir Ian McKellen & Aamir Khan. We’ve followed that up with Indian premieres of films such as Brahman Naman and India in A Day. The Academy is committed to bringing you great film content & conversations not just in Oct, 2016 but throughout the year. We’ve also got a new identity. Mumbai is a mosaic of islands & communities, of over 16 million people, their hopes & dreams. We wanted to find an identity that reflects this great city and the festival. If you look closely at our new logo, you will see 2 fish creating a geometric pattern that forms the Devnagri representation of MAMI. This identity also works well for us because we are always fishing for talent!!!”

Mrs. Nita M. Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation & Co-Chair, MAMI Board of Trustees averred, “Welcome to Jio MAMI – the 18th Mumbai Film Festival. Cinema acts as a game changer, inspiring & influencing lives and making a positive contribution to the society. The advent of digital technology is taking filmmaking to a higher level, with innovative opportunities & techniques for creative expression & viewership. I have no doubt that this digital way of life will help the world of content creation in a big way. Let this edition of the much-awaited Jio MAMI festival continue to add value to the film fraternity & audiences in India.”

Uday Shankar, CEO, STAR India averred, “I have always believed that the media & entertainment industry has a very important role in shaping society & cultural consciousness. We at Star believe in the potential of stories to stimulate imagination & influence societal change moving the nation forward. MAMI brings such exemplary stories to life with world class cinema especially curated for the festival. This will be our 3rd year of association with MAMI and together we hope to connect the city to world-class content & provide an amazing platform for young & creative talent.”

Gayatri Yadav, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications, STAR India averred, “This is our 3rd year and it’s really something we strongly believe in. We strongly believe in the vision, the brand & the people behind it. Star’s vision is to inspire a billion imaginations and there is nothing more central to inspiring imaginations to shape our nation’s cultural consciousness toward films.”

Actor & Director Dibakar Banerjee averred, “Each year, the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star gives 2 “Excellence in Cinema awards”. This year, our international award goes to Chinese director Jia Zhangke. Jia Zhangke belongs to the 6th generation of Chinese filmmakers. His work has offered a unique perspective on a transitional generation. He combines this with a humane concern for the working class & poor. Jia Zhangke has directed 13 films in 21 years. His works continue to break boundaries and move the world.”

Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj avered, “Our “Indian Excellence in Cinema award” goes to filmmaker Sai Paranjpye. Sai Paranjpye’s career has spanned over 4 decades. Her films are milestones in Indian cinema. Sai’s cinema is defined by certain humanity. Her films didn’t have oversized heroes & villains. She told slice of life stories about common people. Her work continues to inspire generations of filmmakers.”

Director Zoya Akhtar announced the jury for the Jio MAMI with Star’s competition category, India Gold. She averred, “One of the primary functions of the festival is to serve as a gateway to the best of Indian cinema. Here’s our India Gold jury. This section also carries award money of 45 lakhs. Joining the jury this year is composer Mychael Danna who won both the Oscar & the Golden Globe for Life of Pi. Time magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek, Taiwanese film director & photographer Yonfan and the head of the jury is Turkish film director Reha Erdem, who has been called Turkey’s most philosophical & contemplative filmmaker.”

Director & scriptwriter Vikramaditya Motwane announced the jury for the International Competition and averred, “This section also carries award money of 45 lakhs and the jury are: Film maker Anurag Kashyap, one of Hindi cinema’s most compelling creators, Producer Christine Vachon whose films include Carol, Still Alice & Boys Don’t Cry, Chris McDonald, President of Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America, Writer Director & photographer Tala Hadid. Her short film Tes Cheveux Noirs Ihsan, won an Academy Award. And the Head of the Jury is Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes. Miguel’s last film The Arabian Nights Trilogy had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. His earlier film Tabu won the Fipresci prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2012.”

Introducing a new programme at the festival that brings films from one, select country every year, Director Anurag Kashyap averred, “This year, the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star will include a new programme, Country Focus. This year the country in focus is Turkey. The festival will screen 10 films from Turkey, which represents the different strains of cinema in the country. The selection will include films of the Turkish New Wave & directors like Zeki Demirkubuz & Nuri Bilge Ceylan. It will also have classics like The Bride from 1973.”

This year, the festival also acknowledges the contribution of women in the film industry and in order to strengthen its efforts to ensure that these women get the recognition they deserve, the festival introduces new awards.

Announcing the new award at the festival this year, Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Disney India averred, “This year, Oxfam India in partnership with the festival has instituted an award for 10 lakhs rupees for “Best Film” on Gender Equality. The award category focuses on films that challenge gender based social norms, which lead to gender inequality and hence to the global pandemic of violence against women & girls. The Indian film industry is one of the most significant influencers in Indian society. Oxfam India aims to encourage & recognize professional filmmakers who make cinema, which promotes positive gender norms and inspires people for a future where violence against women & girls no longer exists. This is only open to Indian films programmed at the festival.”

Filmmaker Karan Johar averred, “We are also thrilled to announce a special award this year called the MAMI MasterCard “Best Indian Female Filmmaker 2016 award”. This award for 15 lakhs rupees is also for Indian films only. This award aims to strengthen the female voice in Indian cinema. Over the last 5 years, we’ve made some progress here but it’s much too little. The representation of both genders onscreen can only benefit with the inclusion of more female voices. This award is a step towards that.”

Announcing the few names from the international films line-up that will be screened at the festival this year, Director & Producer, Rohan Sippy said, “Few of the exciting titles in our International Selection are: I, Daniel Blake by Ken Loach, Swiss Army Man by Daniels, Certain Women by Kelly Reichardt, Graduation by Cristian Mungiu, Things To Come by Mia Hansen-Love, Elle by Paul Verhoeven, Neruda by Pablo Larrain, Mostly Sunny – A Documentary on Sunny Leone by Dilip Mehta & Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait by Khyentse Norbu from Bhutan.”

Also Present at the press conference, Film Producer, Manisha Mundra averred, “Some of our Indian titles are: A Death in the Gunj By Konkona Sen Sharma, Lady Of The Lake by Haobam Paban Kumar, Loev by Sudhanshu Saria, Autohead by Rohit Mittal, The Cinema Travellers by Shirley Abraham & Amit Madheshiya, Lipstick Under My Burkha by Alankrita Shrivastav.”

Jio MAMI with Star, Festival Director, Anupama Chopra averred, “This year, the JIO MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star will also be bigger and hopefully better. The MAMI Movie Mela will now be 2 days. Our section for children Half Ticket will be open to the public on certain days. Our experimental film section is now called The New Medium. It includes some very exciting titles that offer new ways of seeing film. We also have a Word to Screen Market, which puts book publishers & content creators into the same room. And our book award now includes books on cinema in Hindi also. The festival will screen over 175 films from 54 countries. The festival is going to be a movie feast. This is an inclusive film festival so no matter what your taste is – there will be a film for you.”

Jio MAMI with Star, Creative Director, Smriti Kiran averred, “With every passing year, we at Jio MAMI with Star strive to bring exciting programmes that will appeal to everyone; from filmgoers to aspiring filmmakers. To continue this tradition, the festival will introduce new programmes & screenings that will bring the best of cinema around the world to Mumbai. We have some of the greatest minds in the global film industry joining us in championing the festival. While the film screenings remain at the heart of the festival, the roster this year will also feature programmes that will touch upon varied aspects of the entertainment industry. We are thrilled to announce Jio MAMI with Star 2016 programming line-up with you and we look forward to putting up a spectacular show!”

Starting 19th August, when the call for entries was announced, the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star received an unprecedented number of entries for the movies this time. The jury members selected the best films and have taken a decision to screen nearly 180 films in feature/documentary/short films categories.

The festival, as it does every year, identifies the contribution of great minds in the world of cinema. The “Excellence in Cinema Award” provides a great opportunity to highlight, applaud & promote works of such individuals. This year, the Indian “Excellence in Cinema Award” will be conferred to the noted director & screenwriter of several award winning movies like Sparsh & Chashme Baddoor, Sai Paranjpye. The Government of India awarded Sai with the Padma Bhushan title in 2006 in recognition of her artistic talents. Jia Zhangke, known as the leading figure of the “Sixth Generation” movement in Chinese Cinema and one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers working today will be the recipient of the “International Excellence in Cinema Award”.

What’s new at Jio MAMI Film Festival with Star this year: After receiving an overwhelming response last year, Jio MAMI with Star brings back Movie Mela for 2 days!
A special program curated for young audiences, Half Ticket opens to public this year. The festival introduces New Medium, a special category dedicated to art house cinema. Jio MAMI’s 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star launches a “Word to Screen” Market. Other Important Announcements made: Opening Ceremony of the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star to be held at the Royal Opera House. Jio MAMI with Star to Open with Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj. Jio MAMI with Star to screen yesteryear film directors & legends, Bimal Roy & P. K. Nair’s films. Actress Sonam Kapoor joins Jio MAMI with Star as Word to Screen Brand Ambassador. Campaign film of Jio MAMI with Star directed by Vasan Bala

The Competition Categories are India Gold,
International Competition & Dimensions Mumbai. Non-Competition Categories: Country Focus (Turkey), Rendezvous, World Cinema, India Story, Discovering India, MAMI Tribute (International & India) & Restored Classics

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star is an inclusive movie feast. We showcase the latest cutting-edge, independent cinema – art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood & Hollywood & also cult international movies. We offer the best of world cinema to the people of Mumbai and we offer the best of Indian cinema to the world. The festival is run by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image popularly known as MAMI. This is a space where we revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema, the joy it gives us and how much it enhances our lives. The goal is to nurture and ignite a passion for movies. We want Jio MAMI to be shorthand for excellence in cinema.

The financial capital of India is also the epicentre of the Indian film industry. The city plays such a major role in production & dissemination of Indian films & television programs that it is widely known by its acronym “Bollywood”. In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) as a not-for-profit Trust. Their main objective was to organise an annual International Film Festival which the film industry and the country could be proud of. MAMI has been organising the festival for the last 16 years and aims to foster a climate of good cinema. MAMI engages people from all walks of life across the city & country that enjoy & love good cinema. It is Mumbai’s only film festival that is entirely created and run by film professionals and a group of members from corporate India. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped off all the limiting labels of art & commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The Festival is the 1st step in that direction.

In their Mission Statement in 1997, the MAMI Board of Trustees had averred, “We feel it is the need of the hour to disseminate & inculcate good cinema amongst the Indian audiences. The only way to achieve this is to celebrate cinema by hosting an International Film Festival in Mumbai, India’s film & entertainment capital. MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) is committed to start Mumbai’s 1st independent international film festival organized by practicing film makers.”

Jio MAMI with Star is glad to reach movie lovers through JioChat. Follow our official channel “Jio MAMI” on JioChat for regular updates & exclusive content.

For more information on Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star scheduled to be held from 20th October- 27th October 2016, do visit the official website.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra, the fitness conscious nay fitness freak diva of Bollywood had recently participated in the Saffolalife event on the eve of World Heart day Celebration in lieu with Chef Kunal Kapoor and VJ Cyrus Sahukar at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz, Mumbai.

What is your take on being a part of the celebration of Saffolalife’s event on the eve of World Heart Day?

I feel great and really excited to be a part of the Saffolalife endeavor that is inspiring people towards a better heart which in turn encourages them to live a healthy life through simple and small steps which are very enjoyable yet effective. Besides I personally believe that the most important thing is to choose a physical activity that works for you and your routine and one which can also lead you to make it a regular habit.

What was the turn of event that lead you to be a total conciseness of fitness?

The birth of my son Viaan Raj Kundra. That is when my disciplined approach towards fitness began. Prior to his birth I was hardly conscious of keeping myself fit & fine. At that time my fitness routine was limited to my profession as an actor. In fact I just used to love to gorge on junk food and eat about anything and everything. I often used to put on weight and then take refuge in workouts to loose my excess weight. But now its reverse. I have turned a total fitness freak and I also take great care of my dietary regime.

What kind of dietary habits one should adopt to always have a healthy heart?

First of all one should believe in the saying, one which is also backed by Saffolalife, “Eat your way to a healthy heart” which is not difficult to put into practise in our day to day life. I would say that the dietary habits are having more food comprising of fibre. Then one should also not skip a meal, no matter what, one should at least have small portions at the right and prescribed time and one should also not forget to drink a lot of water from time to time to ensure that our body remains fit and fine and our heart remains healthy. One more thing is that one should eat one’s food, no matter what you eat, by chewing it properly. One should not just eat in a hurry just to fill one’s tummy. But one should take enough time to chew the food so much so that our saliva gets properly mixed with the food we eat and which in turn will help in proper digestion. All said and done I am most happy that at least Saffolalife is inspiring people to take such small steps towards a healthier lifestyle.

What are the 3 Saffolalife mantras to have a healthy heart?

They are very simple and could always be adopted very easily. The mantras are 1) Eating Better 2) Staying Active and 3) Being Happy.

What is your personal mantra to have a healthy heart?

The following is not my mantra but something that I have come across and I also believe in it, “Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise you have to
eat medicines as your food. And the 5 Best Doctors in the World are 1.Sunlight 2.Rest 3.Exercise 4.Diet and 5.Self Confidence

So all these proper fitness regime had inspired you to pen down your dietary rules and regime in “The Great Indian Diet”?

At one point of my life I had thought that something was going wrong and a lot of it has to do with what we eat. I was always meditating regularly and even used to practice yoga at least 5 time a week and I have also come out with a Yoga CD. I had started practising yoga since I was in the Big Brother’s house. So I thought why not a book on the Indian Diet and its rules and regime and the result was the book titled “The Great Indian Diet” and believe me both my Yoga CD and the book was really well received and they sold like hot cakes. But incidentally speaking I had co-written the book with a lifestyle coach and health expert Luke Coutinho. Oh My God!!! I feel as if I am promoting our book “The Great Indian Diet” once again and that too on the Saffolalife’s platform!!!

You had also taken part in Saffolalife’s other campaigns namely “Walk Together” & “Protect Her Heart” along with your better half Raj Kundra. How was your experience then?

The experience was no doubt superb and enlightening. You see every year Saffolalife comes up with newer campaigns to coincide with the World Heart Day. I just love to be a part of these campaigns which always urges people to take “Small Steps To Healthy Heart”. That apart these campaigns also helps us to know the benefits of being active and above all being happy. You see with our over demanding lifestyles these days, the one thing we can really do for ourselves is to choose our reactions to the things around us. I for myself think that it is all about finding joy in little things. Besides the Saffolalife campaigns, held every year, enlightens us how the simple act of being happy, laughing or simply spending quality time with your family can help in having a healthier heart and healthier life as well.

Nowadays you are seen as a small screen judge in Sony TV Channel’s Super Dancer. So what else is happening on your professional front.

Frankly speaking nothing much to speak about at the moment. I can’t even say that I am waiting for the right break with a meaty role, either on the big screen or the small screen. All that I am being offered these days are to judge reality shows. But honestly speaking how many such offers can one take on. But nevertheless I am happy doing what I am doing and I am really enjoying every moment of it. At the moment I am very happy judging Super Dancer along with Geeta Kapoor and Anurag Basu. Even the participating kids, even as small as 6 years, are phenomenal. They are just terrific and extremely talented. At the moment we are passing through the show’s newly attempted phase of “Grand Premiere”. But sadly enough this show will also come to an end soon with its “Grand Finale”.

Viacom18’s Rishtey Cineplex Now In Europe & North America

Viacom18 had announced its plans to launch its Hindi movie channel, Rishtey Cineplex in the international markets. Kicking off with high-impact launches in Europe & North America (US & Canada), the channel is an extension of the well-established Rishtey brand, and will be targeted at global film enthusiasts. It was launched in Europe on 29th Sept, 2016 and in North America in Oct, 2016. Rishtey Cineplex will appeal to the sensibilities of global film enthusiasts with its blockbuster content. The channel will showcase the best from Viacom18’s wide library of films as well as newly acquired movies from across genres. The channel will air audience favourites like, Bajirao Mastani, Airlift, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, Kapoor And Sons, Ki & Ka and upcoming films like, Force 2, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil amongst others.

Zee Classic Refreshes To Attract Mass Audiences

The Punit Goenka-led Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has got into a hyper-refresh mood, revamping its channels, one after the other. 1st, it announced the relaunch of Zindagi, and now it’s the turn of Zee Classic. Known for showcasing movies from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s & 90’s era, the channel is being revamped on 3rd Oct, 2016 with a new positioning & programming line-up. The reason: it has ambitious plans to expand its target audience, and thus its viewership. The management says it has come up with a disruptive programming idea: catalogue movies from each era into a separate time band. The channel claims that the Zee Classic is the 1st Indian Hindi movie channel to initiate this, and has roped in the Bollywood heartthrob Arjun Kapoor to be the channel’s ambassador.

Zeel Relaunches Zindagi With New Shows

Zeel relaunches Zindagi Channel with new shows; dual audio feedZee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s alternative Hindi GEC Zindagi, as announced earlier, is going in for a refresh. And in its new avatar Zindagi is rolling out a programming line-up consisting of South Korean, Latin American, Spanish Italian, Turkish and more home grown Indian shows from 3rd Oct, 2016. For the 1st time, it will be available with a dual audio feed – in English & Hindi. In another innovation, the channel will be streamed live on Periscope, along with the live television feed. The channel has garbaged the Pakistani shows for which it has been known. The new programs include a light-hearted Turkish drama, Little Lord at 7.30 pm, which is an endearing tale of a parent-child relationship seen through the lens of a 6 year old, Mehmet. And, the Turkish blockbuster Fatmagul is the story of an innocent girl whose fairytale life is turned into a nightmare when she is raped and is forced to marry the accused will continue to entertain viewers at 9.00 pm.

BARC India Ropes In Jamie Kenny

BARC India has appointed Jamie Kenny as the business head of its digital arm. The move is a part of BARC India’s plan of launching digital audience measurement in the country. Jamie has a distinguished career in digital measurement product rollouts from 18 countries spanning from New Zealand, Japan, China, India, Singapore and many more throughout Asia, EU, Latin & South America. Prior to joining BARC India, Kenny was working with Nielsen in America where he was responsible for strategic digital initiatives, new digital products, expansion & global digital rollouts, training technical client facing teams to support the rollouts on the ground in 10 countries around the world. He is an expert in the area of Digital Audience Measurement system and has diverse experience in multicultural markets.

NDTV 24 x7 Expands Its Presence

New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) on 26 Sept, 2016 announced the launch of its flagship channel, NDTV 24×7, on Singtel in Singapore. The company formally released the information of the launch of its Hindi news channel in Singapore to the BSE today. NDTV India is the other NDTV channel already available on Singtel. With this launch, the channel is expanding its presence in Singapore. NDTV’s 3rd channel in the portfolio is India’s 1st ever 2-in-1 channel NDTV Profit-NDTV Prime (business news & infotainment). The 3 channels target Indians across the global with news. NDTV has had a roller-coaster ride as a media company-turned-broadcaster in the last 25 years.

DD Allocates Rs 4.5 Lakhs For Handloom Programmes

6 kendras of Doordarshan will receive a total amount of Rs 4.5 lakhs for telecast of programmes relating to National Handloom Day celebrated by the Textiles Ministry last month. The decision to reimburse the 6 stations for varying amounts was taken on 22nd Sept, 2016. The ministry has already remitted a sum of Rs 16.38 lakh. The additional sanction follows a note sent by additional director-general (development communication division) Ranjan Mukherjee to director-general Supriya Sahu. The kendras & the amounts each will receive are: Mumbai & Hyderabad (Rs 1 lakh for 2 locations by each kendra); Varanasi (Rs 1 lakh for one local, studio & set); Chennai & Bhubaneshwar (Rs 50,000 each ); and Delhi (studio & set).

Venkatramani New NBA President

ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani has been elected as the new president of News Broadcasters Association (NBA). Venkatramani was earlier the vice-president & director on the board of NBA India.
Venkatramani has replaced India TV chairman & editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma. Sharma will however continue to be a board member. Venkatramani also chairs the sales & HR committee of NBA and has been with ABP since 2008. Prior to that, he was the vice-president & business head for the consumer goods firm Unilever in India for 18 years. The board has also elected India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga as the vice president & Times Network MD & CEO M. K. Anand as the honorary treasurer.

NDTV Gets Slapped With Higher Tax Dues Notice

NDTV India’s tax woes continue. The news network which has been under the taxman’s scanner, received another order from the department raising the alleged tax dues from it. The income tax department had issued an order earlier this year claiming Rs 47.27 crore in unpaid taxes on an investment by Fuse + Media Holding (in the assessment year 2007-2008), calling it a sham transaction. On 20th Sept, NDTV received a revised order from the tax folks saying that it had mistakenly under-computed tax to the tune of Rs 12.71 crore under section 234 B for a lesser period for the same financial year and transaction. Hence, the dues claimable by the tax department stand enhanced by that amount, it says. NDTV today informed the Bombay stock exchange about this development but added that it strongly believes that the Order under section 147/143(3) is untenable & misconceived and it has already filed an appeal against it before Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals).

Zindagi Expands Programming Duration

Zee Le Zindagi. Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel), Zindagi, positioned itself as a premium Hindi-Urdu channel. Launched in 2014 as the channel for broadcasting short-run programming, it is now expanding the duration of programmes from 26 episodes to 96 episodes. The channel has also changed its slogan from “Jode Dilo ko.” to “Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi.”

Eiffel Tower in Paris is the most iconic locale in Paris, the city that stands as a testimonial to romance, affection & memories. And for the 1st time ever, the Eiffel Tower, a monument that had 7 million people flocking to it every year, will host a truly unique film event.

On 10th Oct, 2016, Yash Raj Films will launch the trailer of Aditya Chopra’s Befikre at the Eiffel tower, creating cinema history. For the 1st time ever, a film event – across Hollywood, Indian cinema or European cinema – will be held at this globally recognized monument & universal symbol of love!

Ranveer Singh & Vaani Kapoor will turn up in style for this 1st of its kind evening, saluting a mint fresh, celebratory & youthful love story. Befikre by Aditya Chopra, captures the Parisian spirit of freedom & impulsive living. With this collaboration with French authorities, the Befikre trailer launch will set a new benchmark. In this evening, befittingly, cinema will have captured it’s own special moment in history and create an evergreen memory.