Main Story
DepartmentWhat do kids do when they get a new toy? Well, they experiment with it. What does a director who is…
Mr. Bhatti On ChuttiNot every film releases as planned and, at times, it could be years before it emerges from the…
Love Lies & SeetaAn unconventional love story set in a New York summer, this film follows the lives of three…
Chalo CannesAnurag Kashyap is ecstatic as his film, Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW), is going to the Cannes film…
Department DisappointsThis week witnessed the release of Ram Gopal Varma’s Department featuring Amitabh Bachchan…
Balan On Rakhi Sawant In TDP’s Bengali RemakeNow we all know that Rakhi Sawant will step into Vidya Balan’s shoes in the Bengali version of…
Sujoy Ghosh To Direct Vidya, Prosenjit In His Next?Vidya Balan is at the top of her game right now and is even being called the “new hero” in our…
Vidya Balan Wants George ClooneyIt’s of the biggest films of the year so far and it was no surprise when we heard that YRF's…
Columns
Bipasha, Jodi Breakers and Me
Bipasha plays the character of this savvy, modern, contemporary, super-confident and witty girl called Sonali in Jodi Breakers. When we finally got Bipasha on board, we knew we had hit the right note. As Bipasha would say almost every other day after a good shot, “Sonali sounds so much like ...
One For The Money
Uniform pricing and an audience-centric slant have helped the singleplex stand its ground in uncertain times
Single-screens have a tendency to survive even when the film industry is going through a rough patch. Despite the increase in the number of multiplexes across the country last year, business ...
Claps… Whistles… ACTION!
Just when the industry was writing the epitaph of the single-screen, this humble cinema hall elevated mass-appeal films to a winning genre
Fact 1 – India’s population – 1.21 billion
Fact 2 – India’s per capita income (permonth) – Rs 4,569.58
It’s been a while since people ...
BTL Marketing In India
Industry overview
Below TheLine (BTL)industry spendin India is onthe rise andconstitutesa major partof the Indian advertising industry. It is estimated that in 2009, BTL revenues stood at INR 200 billion and contributed 44 per cent of total advertising spend. Between 2006 and 2009, BTL expenditure ...
All Mixed Up
Adopting the ‘portfolio approach’ lowers production risks, widens reach andmaximises profits. Could there be a more solid formula?
As a production house, we have seen the film industry mature over the years.Viacom 18’s entry into theIndian film industry was by introducing Studio 18, which was among the first few ...
Role Play
When reel and real are the same, you know you’ve nailed the part
I have played two real-life characters on screen – Sabrina Lal in No One Killed Jessica and Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture. But I really can’t say whether it’s more difficult playing a real-life character ...
Get Real!
Genuine 3D can take Indian cinema to new heights – if 3D marketers don’tsabotage this golden opportunity
3D is the new bitch in town. Hate it or love it but you cannot ignore it. Yes, it has the usual set of problems. There are places that use active technology ...
Marketer No. 1
Making a film work at the box office is all about promoting your product. Meet the man who started it all
I was the first producer to market films in a big way at a time when this was not a popular option. This was way before five years ...
Power-off!
If the anti-piracy campaign is to click, the government must ban the humble camcorder in cinema halls
The movie and television business is of international scale, with the financial success of films and television shows contributing significantly to local economies.
This is evident from the statistics that reveal the contribution ...
Boom Time
Multiplex is taking film business step ahead
The multiplex boom ushered in a new era in the country’s entertainment industry and has transformed the landscape of movie-watching in India. The dynamics today are rapidly changing due to a rise in the standard of living as well as a plethora ...
The Power of Two
The co-production model provides the scale and scope needed to make cinema work in a film-hungry country – and beyond
Eros International has established itself as a leading global company in the Indian entertainment industry. The remarkable lead that the company has achieved in the sector is primarily on account ...
It’s Magic!
The road to filmdom is paved with some really tough lessons. Then, all of a sudden, your dream comes true
A decade ago, I was a journalist covering current affairs. I lived in Delhi then and later got into ad films and documentaries that required me to visit Mumbai ...
Lessons To Learn
Raw talent is no longer good enough – professional courses are becoming key to performance and success
People would always ask me, “Sir, when are you dishing out one more hit?” And I used to reply, “I can dish out a hit any time. But it will be just that – another ...
It’s A Man’s World
Women are no longer glam dolls in Hindi cinema
It’s almost a year since Dabangg released and I feel I am in the middle of a whirlwind. Things are moving at such a rapid pace around me and it is sometimes difficult to take it all in. ...
Radio Wave
Film promotion has always been tied to radio, and with FM reforms round the corner, there are exciting times in store
Little did the small group of people who watched the first moving film in 1896 in Mumbai (then Bombay) suspect that a revolution was to unfold. No industry ...
Lock Kiya Jaye
Getting your film’s release date right is crucial for many reasons
RA.One and Don 2 are releasing practically together but whenever we do a film, we believe that the period is good. Yashji is known to release my films during Diwali. But I believe that the best time to release ...
The Extra Mile
Commerce and art are not mutually exclusive. The secret lies in balancing your slate
It is very important for a studio to balance the slate of movies it produces, whether it comes to budgets, star casts or genres. At the heart of it the goal of any production house ...
Rules of Engagement
The humble bit has changed the very definition of ‘celebrity’ and even their star-studded destinies
Five years ago, a seismic event took place in the history of communication – the ability of individuals to communicate with others, en masse. We call it User-Generated Content. But that’s a disservice to its scope ...
Keeping It Real
Making a non-fiction feature film means balancing a reality against entertainment
Making a film based on a real-life incident is not a very popular trend in India, nor have we been able to do it successfully. Shootout At Lokhandwala is the only film in this genre that was non-fiction and ...
Kal, Aaj Aur Kal
On Salman Khan, his blockbusters and the ‘only heroine who makes a difference’
People keep asking me whether I am still writing. People keep asking me about Salman Khan and whether he has lived up to my expectations as an actor. People keep asking me about his latest release, Bodyguard, ...
Desi Dreams
New-age pundits notwithstanding, it’s Bollywood’s signature Indianness that makes our blockbusters work
Art Of Business Networking All business models have their own technique and approach. However, in the business of media, especially Bollywood, I feel we all have to apply the All-They-Don’t-Teach-At-Harvard approach! Since media is a people’s business, ...
On A Roll
When the lines between work and play blur, the sky is the limit
I have no idea why people want me to go on vacation. Almost everyone, from producers to journalists to even my non-filmy friends, asks me why I don’t believe in taking a long break. Why am ...
Posted in Columns
Tagged Ajay Devgn, All The Best, Golmaal Returns, Rohit Shetty, Singham
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Maxing The Multiplex
The multiplex was the best thing to happen to Hindi cinema but we are still to make the most of it
It’s been ten years since we made Dil Chahta Hai (DCH). They called it slightly more evolved. But the audience was ready for it. If Farhan (Akhtar) could ...
Reaching For The Stars
Big names spell big numbers at the box office. But can a producer bank on a casting coup?
As a producer, I have always believed in casting a star in each film. Of course, I am open to casting newcomers too. Didn’t we launch Ishq Vishq with Shahid Kapoor ...
Posted in Columns
Tagged Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani, Ishq Vishq, Kya Kehna, Ramesh Taurani
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Firangi Frontier
Amrita Pandey, Senior Vice President – Internation...
Amrita Pandey, Senior Vice President – Internation...
Laughter The Best Medicine
I’m often asked why I make masala films. People to...
I’m often asked why I make masala films. People to...
Neighbourhood Watch
Screen, sound, service, ambienceand experience are...
Screen, sound, service, ambienceand experience are...
Game.Point
Internationally, film-based gaming is categorised ...
Internationally, film-based gaming is categorised ...
Slow And Steady
Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision has big plans with ...
Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision has big plans with ...
Coming Of Age
The 3D revolution in India is transporting storyte...
The 3D revolution in India is transporting storyte...
Get Real!
Genuine 3D can take Indian cinema to new heights –...
Genuine 3D can take Indian cinema to new heights –...
Ratan Jain Re-elected
Ratan Jain was re-elected as President for the fou...
Ratan Jain was re-elected as President for the fou...
The Power of Two
The co-production model provides the scale and sco...
The co-production model provides the scale and sco...
Maxing The Multiplex
The multiplex was the best thing to happen to Hind...
The multiplex was the best thing to happen to Hind...
BTL Marketing In India
Below TheLine (BTL)industry spendin India is onthe...
Below TheLine (BTL)industry spendin India is onthe...
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya Music Launch
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’souza were seen tog...
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’souza were seen tog...
