Savita Bhabhi The Movie to release tomorrow !!

Indian cinema has truly come of age as in its 100th year for the first time ever an animated porn film-Savita Bhabhi The Movie will release on savitabhabhi.com this May.

I am sure everyone remembers Savitabhabhi.com, the promiscuous Indian housewife’s sexual adventures on the Internet which was first launched in 2008. Well, for all those who have missed her for a long time due to the ban by the Government in 2009 as part of the Internet censorship in India, she will be back soon now in a celluloid format.

While, the 30 minute animation film made for internet will release in the US and UK on May 4 (tomorrow) for a mere $24.95 (approximately Rupees 1,347), in India fans of Savita Bhabhi will have to wait a bit for its release here. But, the film will be available for fans over a year.

The movie, deals with the subject of Internet Censorship in a humorous way with Savita Bhabhi as the heroine who saves the day. Set in India 2070, the world has changed a lot. Freedom of speech has taken a hit to the nuts and censorship is everywhere. Citizens seem to have accepted it. But one man, his fat nerdy friend and the hottest fictional character India has ever seen are not about to take the injustice lying down!
To save herself and the future of the Internet in India, Savita must find a way to fight the powers that be with the help of two young men who brought her into the predicament that she finds herself in the first place.

“Savita has always been at the forefront of the fight against internet censorship, and in support of freedom of speech. The 30 minute animation film, the first ever Savita Bhabhi movie is a roller coaster ride thru different dimensions, sex and bringing down bad guys. Our Bhabhi who has for years now found herself in precarious situation finds herself in the most precarious situation till date! She not only has to find a way to get herself out if it, but also help out the two best friends Suraj and Hari AND save the world in the process,” says Puneet Agarwal aka Deshmukh, the originator and maker of savitabhabhi.com .

Savita’s inaugural venture on the big screen is a full of surprises, twists and LOTS of sex. But it’s also a movie with a message – it’s time Savita fought back against the people who banned her, says the maker.

Savita Bhabhi, the toon character porn comic strip which first debuted online in 2008, was banned by the Indian government in 2009. All Internet Service Providers were asked to block SavitaBhabhi.com, which featured a married woman’s sexual adventures.

When asked about the release in India Deshmukh explains, “Ironically, because of its controversial storyline and central character, we are expecting a backlash to the movie itself. However this is a story that needs to be told, and we are more than willing to take on the additional effort of justifying the making of this movie”.

The creators of the movie initially will start off a dialogue on the site www.SavitaBhabhiMovie.com where more information about the movie will be periodically updated.

“We are targeting India with our initial release. Since its going to be fairly difficult to get theatres to show our movie in India, we have embarked on a very novel concept for the premiere of the Savita Bhabhi Movie,” Deshmukh adds.

It is the first time in India that a premiere is going to be streamed live at a particular date and time. All our VIP ticket holders will be given access to watch the live streaming movie - and the makers are currently getting the infrastructure ready for an expected 10,000 users simultaneously watching the premiere screening of the Savita Bhabhi Movie.

The team that has created the animation film has been truly international. The animation process started off in Europe with the storyboards and then was passed on to a Canadian animation company for the actual work.

“We've had our team members’ right from the Philippines to Lithuania working on the website and promotion of the movie. Unfortunately though, due to the position of the Indian authorities on Savita Bhabhi though, we could not do any work in India. Hopefully the message of Free Speech and Non censorship of the Internet that we are trying to put across with this movie will make a difference and maybe we can produce the sequel in India itself!,” says Deshmukh

The massively popular strip moved to subscription based website Kirtu.com after the ban. The website Kirtu.com gets more than 1.8 million hits a month now. Infact, soon after the ban a campaign to save the website was launched.
It’s understood that when the ban was declared on the internet site in 2009 the story was in its 11th episode. Currently, the makers inform that Savita Bhabhi is in its 36th episode. Deshmukh and his team started working on the film a year ago and are ready for release now.

Even as the Indian government is mulling over the ban of Porn in the country one will have to wait and watch the fate of Savita Bhabhi The Movie here.

Ad Creep......

I don’t know why I suddenly thought of writing about this. I guess because I just feel I am constantly a midst some advertisement or the other. Today, Advertising is everywhere. You step out of your home and there is not a single place where you are not bombarded with some kind of advertising or the other. Be it messages on the backs of car park receipts, your electricity bills, on football or Cricket grounds, on trains, taxis, buses, on paper bags, on the handles of supermarket trolleys, on store floors, in washrooms, on elevator walls, park benches, even on commodes in the toilets. It also includes techniques such as projecting huge images on the sides of buildings, or slogans on the gas bags of hot air balloons. Nothing can get more intrusive, that’s ambient advertising for you. It is said that the word ‘Ambient’ advertising’ was presumably coined during the peak of popularity of ambient music, a genre with electronic textures that create a mood or atmosphere. With the cost of traditional media advertising skyrocketing and a glut of ads fighting for consumers' attention, marketers are aggressively seeking out new advertising vehicles.

Here take a look at some ambient advertising. It’s a mix of Indian and international Ambient ads: Images Courtesy : Google Images.  

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An ad for Tyskie beer

A Watch Ad..  holders in the Bus

Ad for an Financial Investment company : saying  its extra safe and its guaranteed  investment

Lonely Planet India advertisement: large book marks placed 

An ad for Taramontina Precision Knives: 

So do you like ambient advertising... i leave that to you to decide if these ads are really intrusive, one the face...

DD to screen Festival Films from June 13

I am not sure how many of you watch Doordarshan regularly. I have been and especially on Sunday’s when DD National shows some of the old films. I remember watching Razia Sultan, Umrao Jaan, Shatranj and many more such old flicks including National award winning films which we have lost out on as seldom these films are shown on Cable TV. This is apart from the new flicks as well that the channel shows. DD has now gone a step further and will be now airing festival films. So any Indian film that has been screened at any of the International festivals, including IFFI, Goa from year 2000 onwards, DD has opened new doors for these film makers. DD National will screen these films along with National Award winners in a newly created program “Best of Indian Cinema” and offer a fee of up to Rs. 25 Lakh. It seems that this move by DD is also to attract more viewers. 

So now look forward to Indian films that have been selected and screened at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Locarno, London, Karlovy Vary, Nantes, Rotterdam, Fribourg, Munich, Busan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rome and Sydney film festivals are eligible for telecast. Its understood that DD will have an eminent panel that will select the films for the series. In the next couple of weeks, Doordarshan will formulate the details about the series and decide upon a timeslot. “Best of Indian Cinema” is expected to go on-air in June, 2013.

Unlike, the BBC in UK which is also a public broadcaster, DD in India lost out to cable TV and most people have lost out on the habit of watching DD National. Thanks to DTH, we can now watch DD channels as well.In the last few years DD has gone through some drastic changes both in terms of the look of the channel and improved production quality . Their news I find is one of the best. They have some interesting programmes such as Bombay Talkies, Rangoli ( that showcases old film songs) on Sunday morning. It has also started simulcasting some private satellite channel programmes. The other channels from DD stable such as DD Bharat, DD International, DD sports and DD News are all interesting. If you have not been watching DD its not a bad idea to start now

Refreshing old memories

It is a trip down the memory lane. All the die-hard fans of Indian cinema and bollywood who are keen on history and trivia's on their favourite bollywood stars can now know it all through a pack of 4 DVD collector’s edition with over 750 minutes of Bollywood Nostalgia , trivia, 550 song clips and 101  full songs.
The collector’s edition is titled 101 Silver Screen Stars has been released by Shemaroo Entertainment as its tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema. This collector's edition bridges the past, present and future of Indian cinema. The entire series a fantastic audio visual treat that takes one through the life journeys of 101 popular hindi film heroes and heroines. The entire collection is well researched and not mere compilation. It also has some very famous anecdotes. The pack also includes a glamorous film diary consisting of interesting film art works years of cinema on each page. Priced at just Rs 699, it’s a must have for all film lovers.
Previously, the company's release of DD shows Its release of Zabaan Sambhal Ke (which means ‘mind your language’), the superhit comedy show of 1993, and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, was followed by all 100 episodes of Nukkad’s in a 13-DVD Pack priced at an affordable Rs 1,299.
In the 1980s, public broadcaster Doordarshan was our only entertainment, apart from going to the theatre to watch a film. Honestly, I loved to watch DD. It was when national programmes were introduced in 1982. It was the same year when colour TV kicked off in India, with the live telecast of the Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on August 15. Then came the Asian Games, held in Delhi. The 1980s were the era of Doordarshan and shows such as Hum Log (1984), Buniyaad (1986-87), sitcoms such as Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984) and Nukkad (1986-87).The best thing about these shows was that they were simple stories told well. We all had our own favourites, for which we waited week after week.Shows such as these, or Rajni or Zaban Sambhal Ke, had a cult following that cut across the boundaries of age and time. Even today’s generation loves them.
Nukkad, directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Mirza, was one of the most popular TV shows of the late 1980s.It aired every Monday during prime time – nine pm. Nukkad means street corner. As the name suggests, the show deals with the struggles of common people who live in the area, and who are trying to make a living in an increasingly harsh social and economic climate. The characters – Khopdi, Teacher-ji, Pheku, Guru, and others – meet at the local nukkad every evening and share their life stories. With a touch of humour, the serial portrays the realities of the common man’s life.
No satellite channels seem to have bought these shows of yesteryear, and I am glad that DVDs of them are now easily available across the country. So grab your copies now!

Future of Journalism is "Digital"....Integrated Newsrooms need of the Hour

“Today, everything is a media company. A Supermarket, an organization, a NGO etc. all are media companies. They all do media. But, they don't need journalists to tell their stories. They are all telling their stories directly to people”, says Alan Rusbridger, chief editor of The Guardian, one of the oldest British Newspapers. However, Rusbridger said that this does not mean journalists have got redundant. It means that journalists have to adapt to the new ways of open journalism. Anybody who is on twitter or Facebook today is a journalist. "The future of print journalism lies in accepting the importance of Digital Age,” added Rusbridger.
Rusbridger was at the Mumbai Press Club yesterday on an invitation from the club to talk on “The Future of Journalism in a Digital Age.” He talked of how one can get stories from twitter. He proved this point very well through a short video of one of his colleague Jon Henley, a feature writer at the Guardian. Calling him a middle aged reporter who is not technologically savvy, Rusbridger said that Henley was told to have a twitter account before he goes to Greece to cover the crisis. Henley says he got a little worried but, nevertheless too up the challenge and started a twitter account before he left for Athens. All did was twitted asking people to direct him to stories of hope a midst the crisis and to his utter amazement within three days he had 400 followers and before he landed in Athens he had several stories to tell. The Greeks had shared so many stories of 'Hope' which had not merited space in most mainline Newspapers and TV channels. That’s the power of social media. Most publications world over including India are laying focus on online editions of their newspapers and magazines. That's how important digital has become in today's time. Having an online presence is one thing and completely getting out of print publication and having only an online presence is another thing. 'Newsweek', the 80 year old magazine in the US printed its last edition on December 31, 2012 and since the beginning of this year the magazine only has an online presence. Similarly, the Hollywood trade magazine 'Daily Variety' published its last print edition on Tuesday and directing their readers to the newly revamped website. The magazine said for news of what happened two minutes ago keep going to Variety.com. That's how fast the news is delivered  online. No wonder that The India Today Group is also understood to be launching an online Bollywood or Entertainment magazine one hears. Watch out for that one....
All these above happenings also brings me to the point of how world over traditional newsrooms are changing to be an integrated newsroom. It’s to harness the digital power and the power of social media. It’s happening in India too where many traditional print organizations are becoming an integrated newsroom.
In April 2012, BBC HQ in London’s iconic Bush House was being shifted to a swank 8 floor HQ on Regent Street in Central London. The new office block has a very large Integrated newsroom where all journalists across, TV, Radio and Online sit together thereby sharing resources. Over 600 hundred journalists sit in this one building. Similarly, Sky News also has an integrated newsroom. .
The re-organisation of the BBC’s news department sees an end to separate editorial operations for the BBC’s Radio news, News Interactive and TV news Departments as they are merged into two new divisions. Indeed, the integrated newsroom has achieved substantial savings for BBC that helped compensate for declining license fee income.
In India, the India Today Group is moving towards an integrated newsroom. In fact they already have moved into a new building at Noida Filmcity and in Mumbai too to a new office where journalists from across magazines and TV sit in one newsroom. Journalists at India Today have been encouraged to write blogs, twit on important news and events. Senior print journalists from within the Group are called on TV for their expert comments.

So has integrated newsroom become need of the hour or is it is just a cost cutting mechanism?

A senior official at BBC said to me it’s both. While cost is reduced drastically with synergies being drawn from various sections and one journalist doing more than just reporting for TV but also doubles up as a radio correspondent and writes of online....and vice versa. Many across the BBC are being taught new skills so that they can work seamlessly across the various platforms for delivering news.
Also, increasingly important is the ability to combine material from traditional sources with content residing on different media such as mobile phones and tablets, as well as from Internet feeds and inputs from social media.
New technologies has also changed the whole process of news gathering, with increasing incorporation of content from non-professional sources, including smart phone and iPhones, flip cameras and camcorders wielded both by staff reporters and members of the public. In extreme cases, these are the only available sources of news, either from remote events or when there is a major crackdown on news reporting by the state, as has happened at various times during the “Arab Spring.”
Today most media houses encourage their reporters to have a twitter and Facebook account.
Social Media to an extent across the world is being considered as not just a ‘nice to have’ tool for news reporting but, an important tool for survival. The very existence of social media is changing the news reporting landscape and making it harder for governments and regulators all over the world to keep control over dissemination of information.
This fact itself has to be reflected in the configuration of modern integrated newsrooms, which must be as agnostic to technology and as free from barriers as possible, while ensuring there are mechanisms to enforce rights or regulatory controls where necessary.

MTV Hardware by Kamasutra: Beyond Music and TV

Wondering what 'MTV Hardware' is.. no no its not a new show on MTV that is sponsored by Kamasutra but it is a new condom brand that has been launched by MTV India, the youth channel. The broadcaster in tie up with JK Ansell, the makers of Kamasutra has launched this brand of condoms.
There will be two variants of MTV Hardware namely-Screw in Colours and Big Head. MTV has a range of merchandise from eyeware, to smartphones, to apparels and adventure bikes.
Just to go back in time and tell you a little more about MTV...MTV, today, isn't just about music and isn't just a channel any more—it's a youth brand. The brand's mantra today is, "It's my MTV", an indicator of how the company is attempting to reach out to consumers via interactive platforms like the mobile and the web. While most TV broadcasters treat viewers as "consumers", MTV wants to treat them as "users". That's because the channel feels that the "viewer" is dying, while the "user" is the newage breed that is not just consuming TV, but is also mobile and online. Result? "Music Television", the two words that ran below its logo, were dropped in October 2009, thereby completing the makeover that it began almost in 2007.
MTV has been continuously evolving its offerings for its audiences to make the brand relevant beyond music and TV. It’s understood that by 2015 the broadcaster  expects to see (the emergence of) "MTV Everywhere" — across all screens and product categories that youth engage in, as well as platforms." Launch of the condom brand is a step in that direction thereby adding on to its 15 plus product categories.  MTV is understood to be roughly contributing around 25% of Viacom18's top line. I remember once being told by one of the top officials at Viacom18 that MTV is born of music, inspired by Music but not limited by Music. And I quite agree with that considering that today everybody wants a piece of MTV. Clients I am told do not view MTV as a broadcasting channel where they want to just run a 10 sec or a 30 sec commercial but view MTV as a partner to derive some value out of it.
"I want my MTV" still rings true — but today, MTV’s top brass would want millions of youth to "want" not just the music videos, but the loads of other goodies on offer, too. Even Condoms!!!

Coming of Age.....

The regional film super stars are entering the game of co-production with big Bollywood film studios to corporatize the regional industry

After being in the background for years, regional cinema has emerged out of the shadows of Bollywood. Given the huge potential of regional cinema especially in the southern languages, Marathi, Bengali and Punjabi, Bollywood studios have been keen on producing regional films. Some studios like Disney-UTV, Eros International Media Dar Motion Pictures have tested the waters with producing a few regional films. Viacom 18 will be co-producing one in Marathi with Akashay Kumar and Ashvini Yardi’s production house Grazing Goat Pictures. It’s not the studios alone, the big stars of regional cinema are following suit to co-produce regional films along with Studios rather than tread the path alone. Kamal Haasan, the South supers star who is 20 films old as a producer under his production house Raaj Kamal Films is said to be in talks with a few Bollywood studios to co-produce Tamil films.

Jimmy Shergill, a Bollywood star and a super star in Punjabi Cinema has already taken the leap by signing a co-production deal for 4 films with Eros International Media.He is not alone in this mission. Benagli Superstar Prasenjit Chatterjee, son of the yesteryear Bollywood superstar Bishwajeet’s company- Ideas Creations & Productions has entered into a co production deal with Sahara Screen, part of Sahara Media to produce 10 Bengali and bi lingual films (Bengali-Hindi) in three years.

In an earlier interview to me, Shergill had said that Jimmy Shergill Productions’ association with a studio like Eros will bring about a systematic corporate approach to making Punjabi films. Punjabi cinema is growing with every film. “This tie-up will help us take Punjabi cinema forward. It will help in better marketing and promoting the films and present it on a global platform,” he added. Chatterjee’s idea of co-producing with a studio is to grow within the film business and to corporatize the Bengali film industry.
From a studios perspective to co-produce regional films is that this segment has the potential. It’s a potential market which cannot be ignored. Multiplexes emerging in small towns are also fuelling the growth of regional cinema.
Secondly, any good studio would want to have a diversified strategy rather than just stick to the Bollywood formula. Thirdly, other advantage of regional cinema is that the studio is able to rotate the money fast as the cycle of production is 6-9 months for a regional cinema as against the cycle of production of Hindi films which is 12-15 months.
That’s not all. Even at the box office regional films are also joining the Rs one billion (rs 100 crore) club following suit behind Bollywood. For instance last year a Tamil action film ‘Thuppaki’ was not only a blockbuster in the southern markets, but it collected Rs 100 crore ( one Billion INR) within 11 days of its release . Bengali film ‘Challenge 2’ also earned over Rs124 crore (INR1.24 billion) at the box office. These are unheard of nos. for a regional film but it’s true. It’s happening now. The latest FICCI-KPMG reports says that the increasing preference amongst patrons for local taste in content has seen regional cinema growing over the years.
According to the 2012 Ernst &Young’s paper on the filmed entertainment segment in India, the market size of India’s filmed entertainment industry was estimated at Rs 9700 crore in 2010, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2 per cent from 2010 to 2014 to reach Rs 12,500 crore by 2013.
Although a break-up of the regional cinema industry is not given, it is understood from industry players that Hindi mainstream cinema contributes 45 per cent of the revenues and the remaining 55 per cent is accounted for by regional cinema. Two thirds of this, is accounted for by the South Indian cinema industry and the balance is accounted for rest of the other languages such as Punjabi, Marathi, Bengali and Bhojpuri largely.