World’s toughest vehicle gets couture fashion make over at IDEX

The world’s toughest vehicle, the Marauder, has received a high-end fashion makeover in response to growing public interest for a consumer friendly version, with daily inquiries from all around the world.

Africa’s largest privately owned defence and aerospace business, Paramount Group, regularly receive calls for a customised personal version of the 16 tonne mine and ballistically protected vehicle.

The Marauder underwent a makeover by renowned South African fashion designer Gavin Rajah and a team of stylists. This entailed the application of thousands of Swarovski crystals and gold, bronze and chrome coloured camouflage.

The glittering vehicle was unveiled in front of 60,000 people at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX), in the United Arab Emirates, with a top international model dressed in a matching ball-gown and holding a live falcon. The vehicle will not be for sale to consumers.

Ivor Ichikowitz, Founder and Executive Chairman of Paramount Group, said that while ‘making over’ the world famous armoured vehicle was somewhat light-hearted, it is important to remember the Marauder is designed to undertake a serious role as an armoured personnel carrier used for peacekeeping and managing regional instability.

“We have designed this customised vehicle to celebrate the Marauder’s on-going reign as the world’s toughest vehicle, and the public’s appreciation of this world-leading innovative machine.

“Paramount Group is in the business of innovation, we are constantly pushing the boundaries, which is why our vehicle is still the toughest yet.”

The Marauder was pronounced ‘the world’s toughest vehicle’ by BBC television show Top Gear when it beat the Hummer in a series of tests which included how well it withstood a land mine explosion.

Designer, Gavin Rajah is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with a fashion house in Cape Town and Paris. His work has featured in international publications such as Vogue and he has dressed celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé, Cameron Diaz and Tina Turner.

‘Beauty and the Beast’ to premiere exclusively on BIG CBS Love

BIG CBS Love, the Diva Destination and the leading English GEC amongst elite urban women, is all set to showcase the television Drama ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The 2013 People’s Choice Award Winner for Favorite New TV Drama will premiere on Indian television on March 25th exclusively on BIG CBS Love.  The first season of the critically-acclaimed and superbly-received American TV drama has been an instant hit with audiences, having won accolades for its attention-grabbing storyline. The show features popular television actors Kristen Kreuk, Jay Ryan, Max Brown, Nicole Gale Anderson, Rob Stewart, and Sendhil Ramamurthy.

The People’s Choice Awards is a recognition given to the most popular entertainers from the field of music, movies and entertainment that are selected based on votes and nominations made by the viewers – making them truly democratic. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a modern-day romantic love-story cum drama between Catherine Chandler (Kristen Keuk), a smart homicide detective being haunted by her tragic past and Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan), an ex–military man with a mysterious past and a terrible secret. A gripping tale with an unusual love-story, 2013 People’s Choice Award Winner for Favourite New TV Drama, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ promises to add romance and excitement to the audiences’ overall television viewing experience.

Commenting on the acquisition of the show, Mr. Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head - BIG CBS Networks said, “We are excited to offer our discerning audiences with another outstanding international program, with this critically acclaimed show. Beauty and the Beast has all the elements that make for an excellent entertainment package for our female audiences, while offering marketers direct access to this focused target audience. We are confident that the show will be received very well in India!”

2013 People’s Choice Award Winner for Favourite New TV Drama, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, will premiere on 25th March, exclusively on BIG CBS Love.

Harry Baweja does an Animation "Chaar Sahibzade"

Always making headway in technology; being the First Indian Film maker to attempt Digital Intermediate, making India’s heavy duty Sci fi film, Harry Baweja now attempts another First, a ‘photo realistic’ 3D Animation Film in S-3D on Sikh History. Having produced, directed 18 features, films which were, critically acclaimed, award winning, blockbusters and Jubilee hits, “Chaar Sahibzade” is the first Animation film he is making.

Speaking on the concept and what drove him to the realm of animation film, Harry says: “While going through the pages of Sikh History, as I focused on the dramatic events around the lives and sacrifices of the Four Sons of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, I knew I had the story of my next film in hand. But It is an understood fact that a ‘live action’ film cannot be made on the lives of the four sons of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, so animation was the only option in which format I could make a feature film on this part of Sikh History.”

Harry adds, “We then closely worked with Mr Prasad Ajgaonkar the head at the Animation Studio “IREALITIES” to create the world of that era. Finally after an intense effort of literary and technical research for over three years, the First Look of the Film in 3D Animation being also made in S-3D : that is 3D projection in theatres, is ready.”

Speaking more on the subject, Harry gives more insight into the subject. He says: “There comes a time in one’s life when one looks back……overcoming the famous line of the famous poet William Henry Davies “what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare…..” and realises, it’s time to be of service….to the society, to the roots you belong to……..and the search within me started…to look for a platform I could use to complete my mission…what better I thought than a film that could make millions visually conscious, and aware about the History of Northern India.”

“I picked up the pages from the Sikh History which were very dramatic….pages that smouldered my heart and at the same time made me feel proud of the sacrifices of the Four sons of Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji: Baba Ajit Singh Ji, Baba Jujhar Singh Ji, Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji,” Says renowned producer director Harry Baweja whose Baweja Movies P Ltd has churned out films that were technically innovative like Deewane, Love story 2050, topical like Diljale, musical chartbusters like Dilwale, Betaabi, Karam, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, and Action film that set a new trend in Qayamat.

When the Turkish and Mughal invaders suppressed the common man in India with atrocities and forced conversions, then rose a sect, caste being no bar, from amongst the suppressed Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, baptised by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, “The Khalsa”.

Martyrdom in Khalsa is fundamental and represents an important institution of the faith.

This story of “Chaar Sahibzade” is about holding the sanctity, and sacrifice for the sake of the Sikh religion. The Khalsa stood the test, now and again for its own existence and the two tender younger sons of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, too stood their ground, and accepted martyrdom. When it came to fighting the enemy in a battle unto death, age was no bar, and Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji’s elder two sons were no exceptions.

That the history of any religion may be written with pen & ink… but the Glorious Sikh History is written with the edge of Sword & the redness of the blood. The foundation of Sikhism is very strong, and it is cemented on the supreme sacrifices of its great Martyrs, including The “Chaar Sahibzade”

The script and the making of the film is being co-ordinated with the team at the SGPC and Harry has been in consultations with the SGPC ever since he have started work on this project.

Speaking about the launching of the “first look” of his film, Harry said that it is being done by the Honourable Chief Guest. He will first unveil the poster of the film, and shall then be honouring the screening of the first Trailer of the film. The film is already in production since September 2012 and expects to release the film in theatres by ‘Next Winter’. The film shall be released in cinemas Worldwide, with projection in 3D and 2D and shall be released in Punjabi, Hindi, English, in various other Indian and over a dozen foreign languages.

University Cricket Championship gets an Anthem - Ab Hamari Baari Hai...

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. announced the release of the anthem of Toyota University Cricket Championship (TUCC). The official song of TUCC, "Ab Hamari Baari Hai" is worded by the famous lyricist and song writer, Prasoon Joshi to an adaption by the musical trio of Shankar Ehsaan-Loy (Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa). The TUCC anthem has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan. 

"Ab Hamari Baari Hai" is a passionate expression that creatively captures the sense of discovering a platform where aspiring young cricketing talent get to prove their mettle and stand tall in front of the nation. It literally means, "It's our turn next". Blending the sounds of sport and music, the TUCC anthem encapsulates the very essence of encouraging university level cricket for the aspiring youth.

Present on the occasion of the launch were many important guests and dignitaries including the musical trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, famous lyricist and song writer, Prasoon Joshi, former cricketer, Journalist, Harsha Bhogle, along with Mr. Sandeep Singh, DMD and COO, Marketing & Commercial, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Dr. Prannoy Roy, Founder and Executive Co-Chairperson of NDTV.

The teams that are going to play TUCC were introduced. These are:

• North Zone: Northern STARS: JAMIA MILIA ISLAMIA (Delhi) and Nothern Stallions: ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY (UP)
• East Zone: Eastern Tigers AWADHESH PRATAP SINGH UNIVERSITY, REWA (MP) and Eastern Eagles: VEER BAHADUR SINGH PURVANCHAL UNIVERSITY, JAUNPUR (UP)
• West Zone: Western Wolves: UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI (Maharashtra) and Western Wizards: JIWAJI UNIVERSITY, GWALIOR (MP)
• South Zone: Southern Sharks: UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS (Tamil Nadu) and Southern Champs: JAIN UNIVERSITY, BANGALORE (Karnataka)

The 8 teams emerged out of league matches played among 120 universities across the country

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sandeep Singh, DMD and COO, TKM said, "We are very happy to be a part of TUCC as it encourages and promotes young cricketing talent in India. The very essence of TUCC which is to nurture and promote young cricketing talent and provide national exposure to extraordinary sporting talent has been rightly captured in the TUCC anthem. The words of the anthem have been very aptly penned by Prasoon while the music adaptation by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy creates a sense of passion to win and emerge".

As part of this championship, Coca-Cola Coaching camps with seasoned cricketers underway for University Teams. After camps with Venkatesh Prasad, and Robin Singh, camps are coming up in Mumbai and Delhi. Deepak Jolly, VP Public Affairs and Communication Coca-Cola India and South West Asia said "At the outset I would like to congratulate all the eight participating teams, they have had a tremendous journey so far and we look forward to some great cricket from them. Today, we are giving voice to the spirit of the sport -this anthem puts into words the zeal, enthusiasm and commitment of our players and the fervent ardor of cricket enthusiasts across the country. It is the love of the sport which has brought us all together here today.

As we look forward to an exciting journey with TUCC, this music will resonate the passion of our players. I would like to thank Prasoon Joshi and Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy for bringing to life the excitement and fervor of the game through their music."

Mr Koshy Varghese, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales, MRF said on their association with TUCC, ‘For many years now MRF has been nurturing talent at our PACE academy and probably we are one of the first corporates to invest in promoting new talent in a big way when it comes to  the cricketing world. Many great cricketers like Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir etc. have been associated with our initiatives. Also world cup winning bowlers like Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel etc. have been involved with our PACE academy which is currently being headed by Glen McGrath, the Australian legend. Therefore, we find this initiative a natural fit with our company’s passion towards promoting world-class talent

The event was hosted by India's leading commentator, Charu Sharma. Toyota University Cricket Championship was launched last month in association with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and NDTV. Coca-Cola and MRF are the associate sponsors of the championship.

Big CBS LOVE to launch the latest season of consistently top-rating primetime dating reality show ‘excused’

BIG CBS Love, the leading English GEC amongst urban audiences, is all set to launch the latest season of US’ #1 Dating Reality show, Excused. Hosted by award-winning comedienne Iliza Shlesinger, the show has been receiving great audience feedback on a weekly basis. With strong performance in 5 countries other than USA and India, this #1 show packs in some tongue-in-cheek humour promising endless entertainment for viewers. The first season of Excused is the No.1 leading show in the time-band and this blockbuster show is all set to take its success story one step further as the brand-new season launches exclusively on BIG CBS Love on 14th February 2013, every Monday to Thursday at 11pm.

Excused is a humourous take on the dating reality scene with expected twists, turns, and surprises coupled with witty dialogues from the host and stand-up comedienne, Iliza Shlesinger. A self-contained episodic series, Excused is the perfect break from mundane television shows making for light-hearted entertainment full of fun. Excused Season 2, the latest season of the show globally, will enthral Indian audiences after creating waves across the world. And now, with the hottest new season of Excused all set to premiere exclusively on BIG CBS Love, the show is bound to make for an exciting viewing experience.

Mr. Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head – BIG CBS said, “Having struck a delightful chord with audiences across the globe and becoming the No.1 show on BIG CBS Love in its first season, we are excited to present the latest season of Excused to our viewers. The high entertainment quotient of the show has been an instant hit among our audiences and we are sure that the action-packed second season will find great appeal not only among the urban audiences, but also among our marketers and advertisers.”

Film Writers' Association Mumbai announces the 3rd Indian Screenwriters' Conference

Venue: St. Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Dates: February 25, 26, 27, 2013, 10 AM to 6 PM

First day: While Indian cinema and TV has been making rapid strides of progress in recent years, expanding the bandwidth of creative and professional freedom ever so often, there are also unanswered questions coming up: How much of India's changing social reality does popular entertainment really reflect? Have our stories become allergic to the real issues surrounding us? And, if at all, we use them for dramatic purposes, how are they really represented? What is the impact of that?

The terrible gang rape in December triggered off a national debate where one pertinent question repeatedly being asked is: How does popular cinema and TV portray women and the gender equation? Why has machismo become so integral to the definition of the new hero? And, what are the subliminal messages leaking out of our scripts?

FWA believes that it's time for some soul-searching! Screenwriters, as the original architects of narratives that engage the popular imagination, must get discuss and reflect on such issues, and collectively introspect on the question of social responsibility of our profession. Respected social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan will deliver the keynote address.

Second day: The Conference will showcase the new and interesting work being done by screenwriters in cinema and TV. How are older conventions being challenged, and broken? What is the new ground being charted by these emerging voices? What does that imply for the future of Indian screenwriting?

Third day: The newly amended Copyright Act has caused much exultation, and also some confusion. Top legal experts will demystify it and explain its implications for film and TV writers. And then, the Minimum Basic Contract, which FWA has negotiated with the producers associations, will be announced and explained.

850 screenwriters and writer-directors are expected to participate. This is the most important event for screenwriting in the country, and ought to impact the profession in a significant way.

Confirmed participants include: Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Ashutosh Gowariker, Anurag Basu, Rakeysh Mehra, Govind Nihalani, Sriram Raghavan, Sudhir Mishra, Amit Khanna, Vipul Shah, Jabbar Patel, Vikramaditya Motwani, Bejoy Nambiar, Abbas Tyrewala, Amole Gupte, Habib Faisal, Navdeep Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Umesh Kulkarni, Lekh Tandon, Abhishek Sharma, Shridhar Raghavan, Kumararaja (Aranya Kandam), Rituparno Ghosh, Hariharan, Urmi Juvekar, Ishita Moitra, Manu Rishi Chadha, Leena Yadav, Prasoon Joshi, and others. More confirmations are rolling in every day. Will you be there?

Also, Tom Schulman (Oscar winner for 'Dead Poets Society') and Rebecca Kessinger (Asst. Executive Director of Writers' Guild of America) will be there as our guests since FWA and WGA are planning several collaborative initiatives.

Since seats are filling up fast, we suggest that you visit www.fwa.co.in and register. If there is a problem, e-mail screenwritersconference@gmail.com

Screenwriters, this is our chance! If you want to make a difference, be there!

Note: Only FWA members can attend the Conference. (So, if you are not a member yet, become one!)

101 Silver Screen Stars - Shemaroo launches special edition of Bollywood’s most Romantic Jodis

This Valentine’s Day, take your beloved on a memorable journey of the most romantic moments of Indian cinema and make it truly special. Few of the most popular and romantic onscreen couples or ‘Filmy Jodis’ feature in Shemaroo’s first-of-its-kind Golden Jubilee Year Offering - 101 Silver Screen Stars - an Audio-Visual treat on the life journey of 101 popular Hindi film heroes and heroines (featured as individual stars) encapsulated in 4 DVDs of over 750 minutes each of non-stop Bollywood nostalgia. 

In the 101st year of Indian Cinema, 101 Silver Screen Stars is the must-have for every film lover. It is not merely a compilation but a well-researched Collector’s Edition with interesting anecdotes as well as more than 550 song clips and 101 full songs. Popular filmy jodis featured in the pack includes Raj Kapoor – Nargis; Dev Anand – Suraiya; Dilip Kumar – Madhubala and Shammi Kapoor - Asha Parekh among others.

Mr. Hiren Gada, Director, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., shares his thoughts, “Shemaroo 101 Silver Screen Stars is an ideal gift for those couples in love as they can sit together and enjoy the most romantic moments in Indian cinema. Every beloved can take inspiration from the onscreen lovers whose Jodi was immortalized on celluloid. This is our Golden Jubilee Year Offering for all lovers of Hindi Cinema - be it the Senior citizens, the middle aged or the Youngsters representing the Gen Next. One can rediscover their favorite stars with flashbacks of their Life journeys and cinematic moments. There is something for everyone in this unique product which is the first of its kind on Video.”

101 Silver Screen Stars can be called a mini encyclopedia on Bollywood, as the memorable journeys of 101 Stars (51 Heroines & 50 Heroes) are covered along with their popular songs. Make this valentine’s day a memorable one with the evergreen romantic jodis of the bollywood. Get a copy for your love today!!