Added Vishal Dadlani, "It's great to be pioneering a new way to reach all the people who've loved our music down the years. Airtel and hungama.com have provided us a platform where listeners from Kashmir to Kanyakumari can connect to us simultaneously and that unifying idea is what really excited us. We are using cutting edge technology to reach listeners and viewers, across the world, and it's always fun to be the first."
Vishal & Shekhar have had a string of firsts in their career. The duo have introduced some of the most famous playback voices to the film music industry, including Shaan, Kailash Kher, Neeraj Shridhar, Anushka Manchanda, Suraj Jagan. They have introduced new styles of music to Bollywood- Hip Hop, Dancehall, Reggaeton. They are also the first people to regenerate a new original version of an already legendary song- Bachna Ae Haseeno title track, featuring Kishore Kumar and Sumit Kumar. They are the first Bollywood music directors to record an international superstar for a Bollywood film, as in their forthcoming film Ra.One, two songs have been done with Akon.
To listen to the concert and to make song requests, Airtel mobile customers from any part of the country, simply need to dial 50505 and pay a nominal sum of Rs. 15 for registering and Rs. 2 per minute for the duration of the call. The concert will be streamed live as Webcast presented by Nokia, on www.bollywoodhungama.com.
Commenting on this first ever offering, Siddhartha Roy, Hungama.com said, "As leaders in the digital entertainment space, we see a huge potential in the consumption of entertainment content across Video and Voice. As user experiences on mobile and Internet become richer with better bandwidth as well as the launch of 3G, resulting in faster connectivity, thus driving greater consumption across various distribution channels."
Announcing the same, Mr. Shireesh Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer-Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, "Airtel is committed to continue delivering innovative offerings, which enhance customer's experience on their mobile phones. We are happy to join hands with Hungama Digital Media Entertainment to take mobile entertainment to the next level, by bringing in world's first ever music concert on mobile. Not limited by location, Mobile Concert on Airtel offers a unique experience - only for Airtel customers."
Speaking on the Webcast, Viral Oza, Head- Activation, Media, Online Sales & Marketing at Nokia India Pvt. Ltd. said, "Music is an integral part of Nokia's offerings and we are always looking at innovative ways to reach out to our consumers. With more and more young people listening to music on their mobile phones, this unique initiative is very timely. We are happy to be associated with the first ever live web & mobile concert and are excited about the possibilities of bringing live music to the consumers."
The first Mobile Music Concert featuring Vishal & Shekhar will go Live on February 9 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai at 5 PM. Airtel mobile customers across the country who have registered for the service will be able to hear the concert Live on the mobile phone, and even make their song requests to Vishal & Shekhar from their phone.
Simultaneously on the Web, Bollywoodhungama.com will stream the Webcast live in a Nokia N8 screen containerResults of The Most Awaited Movies of 2011 Click here to add this article to My ClipsBy Bollywood Hungama News Network, February 4, 2011 - 08:40 IST
As is the ritual each year, this year too, we, at Bollywood Hungama conducted a poll to chart out what are likely to be the biggest blockbusters of 2011. The analysis took the form of an extensive survey (from 12 January to 20 January 2011) conducted online amongst those who really matter - the Consumers. Spanning regions as diverse as India and South-East Asia to the European Union and USA-Canada, the user had to select his/her 5 most anticipated movies. To ensure complete transparency and accuracy, a three level authentication check with email validation, cookie check and IP mapping was put into place.
The hot list of the 'Most Awaited Movies of 2011' truly proved to be the voice of the masses, garnering an overwhelming response. The 10 day poll saw lakhs of valid responses. Results were compiled based on votes from 151 countries - countries which constitute about 98% of revenue towards Bollywood releases.
What to watch out for in 2011Why Do People Still Want Their Films to be Certified? Click here to add this article to My Clips
ByTehelka.com, February 7, 2011 - 09:45 ISTSharmila Tagore tells RISHI MAJUMDER why thcensor board is not running a popularity contest
Sharmila Tagore completes her tenure with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on 5 February. But she has been requested to stay on till the CBFC finds a suitable successor. During Tagore's tenure, the CBFC has come into conflict with a radically changing film industry. Scenes have been cut, adult certificates doled out, and some films denied certification altogether. At her home in Vasant Vihar in New Delhi, the 64-year-old sits relaxed against a cushy sofa. Rugs line the floor. The walls are covered with art and family photographs. She sips a cup of tea as TEHELKA brings up the criticism levelled against her as chairperson of the CBFC. "I have been misquoted in the papers," she says. "But we have to put our side there as well." And she begins to reply - adamant at times, but never losing that calm. Edited excerpts:
ootball has been awarded an A certificate for a scene where a former militant spoke about being tortured. Now its main markets - TV broadcasting, satellite channels, cable and DTH are closed. No distributor will pick it up. Isn't this a virtual ban? The CBFC is not familiar with the exhibition process of documentary films. The producer was invited to a meeting for his point of view but he didn't come, citing personal reasons. This film, with that scene, had to be given an A. The producer can easily delete that scene if he wants to and get a U/A certificate. This is precisely why the 15-plus category that we've been talking about is so important. Most people don't understand the U/A category. We're planning to issue ads to make people understand this.
Should separate guidelines be formulated for documentary films?Maybe. But making these guidelineisn't the CBFC's job. The CBFC can only suggest it to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as any director can
The CBFC is governed by a 1952 Act. What changes are due?We have suggested a 15plus category for teenagers because we feel there is a difference between a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. At 15, they're far more mature - and they can deal with a more adult film
With the free access that Internet and television provide today, how is film censorship relevant?
That's an important question but I can only see it from the other end. Why do people still want their films to be certified? Why don't they just go online and show it. I see films as the kind of entertainment you enjoy in the hall with everyone else. This has a different impact from watching it alone - online or on television. Censorship for this is important and relevant - and that's why the debate is on. Every democracy, except maybe Sweden, has a form of censorship. In most democracies, the board of certification is controlled by their film industry. Whereas in India, in the absence of one cohesive film body, the certification guidelines are formed by the government.
What's your objection to film titles like Yeh Saali Zindagi and Kaminey?Yeh Saali Zindagi means 'life is a bitch'. In a dialogue, the impact is different. But here, it's the title of a film. You keep saying, "Yeh Saali Zindagi ka ticket le ke aao; Yeh Saali Zindagi kaisi hai?" You're giving it currency. People, even in the same house, have different perceptions. I think this imposes a social responsibility on all of us. Not vis-à-vis Sweden or Australia or America - but vis-à-vis India. There is the view that people become insensitive to such words with usage. But the idea is not to become insensitive. The idea is to engage with the film, not become passive recipients. The idea is to be media literate, which is better than censorship.
How does the CBFC sit on judgement on the politics of a film?We denied a certificate to a film called Aamchi Mumbai because it said Maharashtra is only for Maharashtrians, which went against our Constitution. It portrayed Gujaratis and Punjabis as exploiters of Mumbai - the only good guy was a Maharashtrian who sometimes resorted to violence to fight these 'exploiters'. We called in Chitra Palekar as an adviser, and she agreed with us. Finally, it went to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), which asked for cuts - and the producer agreed. In Parzania, we cut a few scenes where a political party's name was mentioned. In Jai Bolo Telangana, there was a scene in which a student from Telangana was seen self-immolating, which we made shorter. We deleted two lines of dialogue: "Are you A (Andhra Pradesh) or T (Telangana)," and "Unless Telangana comes, we won't get jobs." The film was neither fact nor fiction - and it had the potential for creating law and order problems and offending people. So we had to be careful.What sort of law and order problems?One is spontaneous, which I haven't seen in my tenure. The other is the kind engineered by groups that want visibility like with The Da Vinci Code, Jodhaa Akbar and Fanaa.
But this means that such moral police can affect the decisions of the CBFC. Can they?
No. Let me clarify. No one can pressurise the certification process. Neither the moral police nor the ministry.Do political parties influence this process of certification?
We have a set of panel members each in nine regions, from various walks of life - homemakers, journalists, doctors, politicians, dancers and singers. They decide the certification of a film, which the ministry can't overturn. The list of panel members is issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I have heard of politicians calling and asking for people to be included in a panel. But during my tenure, I have not seen people with party affiliations exercising this power. No other organisation is exposed to the differences in Indian perception more than the CBFC - between urban and rural sentimentality. Every individual clamours for certification that suits their norms. But we have to issue one certificate for the whole of India. We follow the yardstick of a common sensibility, a yardstick the Supreme Court laid down in the case of Ore Oru Gramathile (a 1988 Tamil film that dealt with reservation). From a feudal society to a consumer one, we've exploded, not evolved. We try to take as many people as we can - the majority - along. But we can't always be popular. A producer still has the prerogative of asking for a review committee, which is set up within two days, and to further appeal to the FCAT.
What government pressures operate where the board is concernedEarly in mytenure, I was told by an officer working with me that the release of a particular film needs to be postponed. But I spoke to the person and said if this film is released, rather than stalling it and creating a controversy, it will just come and go - so it was released. Another film - one stuck for 13 years - had to do with Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Look, we are an arm of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Let's say you are the minister. You have come to know that a film can be problematic and the message comes to us. The CBFC's role then is to assess it and give our opinion.
Prakash Jhreportedly said Raajneeti was given an A certificate due to the pressure from the Congress and the Gandhi family
That's r.u
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