2014-01-08

Lay’s launches ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’- all set to create magic with Ranbir Kapoor

New Delhi, January 8, 2014: Lay’s, the leading potato chip brand from PepsiCo India and amongst leading snack brands in the country, is refreshing its communication for 2014. The brand is all set to launch ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’ – the coolest group on campus, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role as the loveable rascal ‘Sid’.

This group – like the youth today – is full of chutzpah, a zest for life and above all, spontaneity. With their attitude and energy, they can turn any spontaneous ordinary moment into a magical one – one that you will never want to forget… one that you will want to capture and put in a scrap book so you can go back to it every now and then.

Each member of the group has a distinct identity and together they make for a group that youngsters will want to be part of. Ranbir (a.k.a Sid), leads the gang with his lovable rascal-like qualities. Kaira is the sexy and stylish diva of the group who has every chance of becoming Sid’s love interest in the future. Vir is the macho stud who believes that nothing, not even girls, can match up to the high that sports can give you. Sushi is the tom boy of the group. And then there’s Ragz, the small town boy who is also the tech junkie of the group. Together, they make up the ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’ – a group that most bunches of friends in colleges across India would aspire to be like.

“At Lay’s we believe in making life’s spontaneous ordinary moments magical and memorable. The brand is about youthful optimism and carefree fun, and this is exactly what the ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’ represents in the campaign. This group personifies our brand philosophy of ‘Pal banaye magical’ in every sense. In addition to helping us target new platforms & consumer groups, Ranbir and his best buddies will also act as a creative unifier as we strengthen our position as one of the largest snack brands in the country. Taking forward our brand strategy, consumers will see a lot of excitement from the Lay’s brand over the coming months and this campaign is a step towards it,” said Gaurav Mehta, Category Director – Western Snacks, PepsiCo India Foods.

“I am excited to be associated with Lay’s. The brand’s philosophy of ‘Pal banaye magical’ is something I can identify with. Youthfulness, spontaneity and seeking joy in life’s ordinary moments is something I believe in and my character in this new campaign is all about a college kid who is out for some carefree but harmless fun with his best buddies who form the ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’. I had a great time during the shooting of this commercial during which I have shared many a magical moment with my new friends and look forward to a great journey ahead,” said Ranbir Kapoor, actor and the face of Lay’s new campaign.

With a bag of Lay’s on their side, fun comes naturally to the ‘Lay’s Best Buddies’. According to them, it doesn’t take a lot to have fun and make each day memorable. They believe that there is magic hidden in the regular, simple moments of life that is just waiting to be discovered. Lay’s – with its Magical Flavours and irresistible taste, only acts as a catalyst for fun. It is when they fight over a bag, beg for it, hide it never wanting to share it, that their most spontaneous selves come out. The fun and therefore the magic simply follow.

Lay’s signed on Bollywood’s young superstar Ranbir Kapoor as the face of its brand new campaign. Lay’s, which has wide variety of delicious flavours, has stood for great quality & taste & International Advertising. Lay’s advertising has always been about youth and moments of friendship and the celebrated actor fits in perfectly with Lay’s persona of youthful energy & international appeal that has continued to grow in the minds of consumers.

“For us it was a challenge to come up with an idea for the brand that takes our communication to another level. And when one of our country’s biggest stars signed up for us, magic was bound to follow. It was a pleasure to chart the journey of five friends who with their witty antics make every moment magical. We could not have been happier with the end result,” said Surjo Dutt, Associate Vice President and Senior Creative Director, JWT.

As we celebrate each of life’s spontaneous ordinary moment and make it magical alongside the Lay’s Best Buddies, Lay’s is the brand to watch out for in 2014 with its promise of ‘Pal banaye magical’.

Thanks,

Warm regards,

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From Sufi to soul, folk to fusion, gypsy dance to jazz, bringing Africa’s greatest band and a Memorial Concert for Cheb I Sabbah, the Godfather of the Asian Underground, the 2014 Music Stage at the Jaipur Literature Festival—itself voted by the Guardian one of the world’s five greatest music festivals– is set to enthrall with an audiovisual offering like no other

Grammy Award winning Tinariwen to play at JLF alongside Karsh Kale, Kiran Ahluwalia, Midival Punditz and the cream of Rajasthani musicians and dancers

Mumbai, January 8, 2014: Jaipur Literature Festival, to be held from January 17-21, 2014 is proud to announce the highly anticipated line up for the music stage at its 2014 edition. This year brilliant artists hailing from across the world will fuse together global music influences in a programme filled with new sounds and pioneering dance forms, taking place for four nights at Hotel Clarks Amer.

On the opening day of JLF visitors can look forward to seeing a breathtaking display from the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band. Debuting in 1995, the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band has quickly established itself internationally, featuring virtuoso solos and dazzling improvisations. The percussionists elaborate their fast and spontaneous playing with the sophisticated rhythms of India.

Also on display on the first day will be the best of Rajasthani folk expression, The Kutle Khan Project led by Khan, a multi-talented folk musician who has performed worldwide. He will be joined by a unique collective of Rajasthani folk musicians; together they will give a rhythmically complex and mesmerizing performance.

Extending the folk theme will be the internationally acclaimed Colleena Shakti, a dancer of great sensuous subtlety. She has trained extensively in Odissi, Classical Indian and Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ dance and her art reflects the richness of all three traditions. Following that will be the extraordinary talent of Queen Harish, the dancing whirling queen of the desert of India! With a background in Rajasthan Gypsy and folk dances, she has given a different aesthetic dimension to dance traditions. Today, the signature, show-stopping moves of this gifted dancer are an influential reference to the new generation of Rajasthan dancers and are sure to capture the imagination of all at the festival.

On 18 January, day two, the line-up includes the exciting Ska Vengers, a Delhi-based band which blends ‘ska’ rhythms (a modern style of Jamaican pop music that emerged in the 1950s) with elements of dub, punk, jazz and rap to produce a form of music that is refreshingly different. Their energetic sound is sure to have Festival-goers dancing all night.

GODS ROBOTS, a global collaboration between Mumbai-based vocalist ShriiK (Shridevi Keshavan) and San Francisco-based electronic music producer Janaka Selekta (Janaka Atugoda) also lights up the stage on the 18 January. Combining their formal training in Carnatic classical music with an outstanding ability to blend different vocal elements, influenced by reggae, dub, breakbeat and other sounds combined, the electropop duo are certain to make some serious waves for their fans through their tunes.

Taking over later in the evening will be Suhail, a devoted Sarangi player, a descendant of the Moradabad-Rampur and Senia Gharana of Miyaan Tansen, this multi-faceted musician is also the singer/songwriter/sarangi player for the popular fusion act Advaita.

On January 19, three of the coolest and most acclaimed bands of the Asian Underground, Karsh Kale, Midival Punditz and God’s Robots will come together to perform a musical concert to pay homage to their musical mentor Cheb i Sabbah, the global DJ, composer and musician who passed away in November this year. He was the festival’s resident DJ and musical muse for seven years. Sabbah’s legacy as the Algerian godfather of the Asian Underground movement lives on and over the years has become a mentor, to generations of artists and listeners who still find common ground on the dance floor. Karsh Kale, arguably the greatest musical genius of the entire Asian Underground movement, has performed once before at Jaipur with Anoushkar Shankar, but this is the debut of Delhi’s most acclaimed electronica band, Midival Punditz. The festiva brings Karsh and the Punditz together in a way unseen since their legendary 2002′s Asian Massive Tour, which also featured Cheb i Sabbah himself. Today the concert will climax in a guest appearance of another great fusion band which looked to Chebi for inspiration: God’s Robots.

Algeria will be well represented on the music stage this time with the extraordinary cult nomadic band Tinariwen formed in the deserts of Tamanrasset, Algeria and later Mali—the African counterpart of Rajasthan—are renowned now as Africa’s most popular and acclaimed world music export. The band’s fifth album Tassili won the Award for Best World Music Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. Although they have played in acclaimed festivals all over the world, this will be a debut performance for the band of Touareg musicians in India. The lead singer of these poet-guitarists, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib built his first instrument out of a tin can, a stick and a bicycle brake wire after being inspired by a western film where a cowboy played the guitar.

Tinariwen will close the show on 20th January, with a collaboration with the great Kiran Ahluwalia, whose jugalbandhi with Tinariwen, Mustt Mustt, won last year’s Songlines’ Newcomer of the Year award and the World Music Album of the Year. Kiran Ahluwalia is an Indo-Canadian singer who performs songs of love – yearning sensual love and Sufi mysticism. Her repertoire includes Sufi classics and her own compositions in which she explores bold new territories.

The concert will open with Sonam Kalra & The Sufi Gospel Project. The brainchild of lead vocalist Sonam Kalra, the music is fresh and unique and many consider it as the birth of a new genre. The band’s sound is continuously evolving and audiences can expect some original and inspiring music from this group.

The music stage at the Jaipur Literature Festival — last year named by the Guardian one of the world’s five greatest music festivals — will take place daily between 17 – 20 January at Hotel Clarks Amer from 7:30 – 10pm. Tickets are priced at INR 300 and are available from Kyazoonga.com

MUIC @ JLF AT-A-GLANCE

Thursday 17 January

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band

The Kutle Khan Project

Colleena Shakti

Queen Harish

Friday 18 January

Ska Vengers

God’s Robots

Suhail

Saturday 19 January

Karsh Kale

Midival Punditz

God’s Robots

Sunday 20 January

Sonam Kalra & The Sufi Gospel Project

Tinariwen with Kiran Ahluwalia

About The Jaipur Literature Festival

The Jaipur Literature Festival is the world’s largest free literary festival, celebrating national and international writers, and encompassing a range of interests including film, music and theatre. The festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers including Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, John Berendt, Kiran Desai, Christopher Hampton, Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Simon Schama, Thomas Keneally, Hanif Kureishi, Vikram Chandra, Anoushka Shankar, Michael Frayn, Stephen Frears, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Tartt, Tina Brown, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammed Hanif, Paul Zacharia, among many others. The Directors of the Jaipur Literature Festival are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy and Sheuli Sethi of Teamwork Arts.

Last year the music stage of Jaipur was named by the Guardian one of the world’s five greatest music festivals.

Website: http://www.jaipurliteraturefestival.org

About Teamwork Arts

The Indian arts management company, for India and the world. The arts of India are unrivalled in their depth, diversity and mystery. To showcase this work to diverse audiences requires a deep understanding of our arts, an acute sense of relevance in programming, and an unflinching attention to organizational detail. Above all, respect and love for the artist.

For over 24 years, Teamwork has presented the finest of Indian performers, writers and visual artists to the world and our very own loved nation. Every year, we produce 21 performing arts, visual arts and literary festivals in 11 countries, including Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and USA.

Teamwork produces Asia’s biggest literary gathering – the annual Jaipur Literature Festival – as well as the Hay Festival in Kerala. Going Solo International Theatre Festival, World Sacred Music Festival, Concert For Freedom, Mehrauli Fringe Festival, Food & Literature Festival as well as festivals in Sweden and Turkey are the new and upcoming festivals for 2013-2014.

Website: www.teamworkarts.com

Regards,

Shahana Chakraborty| Sr. Account Executive| Edelman India

903, One Indiabulls Centre, Tower 2-B, 11th Floor, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013, India

M: +91 9819678874 | T: +91 22 4353 0275 | E: shahana.chakraborty@edelman.com

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Oberoi Mall awarded LEED Gold certification

· Oberoi Mall becomes the 1st mall in India & 3rd in the world to receive certification

Mumbai, 6th January 2014: Oberoi Mall, one of India’s leading retail mall, based in Mumbai has received GOLD certification in LEED by US Green Building Council (USGBC) in the Existing Building – Operations and Maintenance.

Oberoi Mall becomes the 1st mall in India and the 3rd in the world to receive this prestigious LEED Green Building award in the Existing building category, and that too in its 6th year of operations.

Commenting on the certification, Nirzar Jain – Vice-President Oberoi Mall said, “We are very proud to receive this certification from the US Green Building Council. The efforts over the last few years to minimize the environmental impact by our business has culminated in the Gold Certification. Its due to the constant efforts of our team and agency partners, which has helped us to be the first mall in India to get this certification.”

About Leed Certification –

Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification is an official recognition that a project complies with the requirements prescribed within the LEED rating systems as created and maintained by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The Leed certification program is administered by the Green Building Certification Institute and the Certification is valid for 3 years.

The rating is focused on sustained performance of buildings with respect to the green features. The overarching objective of this rating system is to facilitate building owners & facility managers in implementation of green strategies, measure their impacts and sustain the performance in the long run. The certification is awarded to encourage and facilitate the development of as energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

About Oberoi Mall

The Oberoi Mall is located at Goregaon-east on the Western Express Highway in and offers almost 5.52 lakh square feet of Fun, Food, Fashion and Films. It has occupied a significant position in the minds of customers and retailers. By reflecting and enabling customers’ lifestyles and delivering affordable luxury with a philosophy of ‘customer first’, the Mall has distinguished itself as something truly special on the retail landscape. Pioneered by the real estate development company, Oberoi Realty Ltd. Oberoi Mall has found a unique niche amongst quality conscious and discerning customers and offers facilities that include two levels of basement with a parking capacity for approximately 1,000 cars, a large central atrium with natural light, elevators and escalators for internal circulation, central air-conditioning and an integrated building management system.

For further information, please contact

Subir Nandi

subir@conceptpr.com

7738016640



Thanks & Regards

Subir Nandi

Concept PR

Mobile : 7738016640

Direct : 022-40558938

Board : 022-40558900 Fax : 022-40558901

subir@conceptpr.com/subir7318@gmail.com

Queen’s Mansion, 1st Floor, Prescot Road Next to Cathedral School, Fort,

Mumbai – 400001 | www.conceptpr.com

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MSM Motion Pictures in association with Contiloe Entertainment launches the trailer of Darr@The Mall

Mumbai, January 7th, 2014: In today’s age, malls are considered the one-stop shop for everything from food to shopping to watching movies to just spending a happy time with friends and loved people. However, in the coming future, going to a mall might also be defined as a terrifying experience, especially after MSM Motion Picture & Contiloe entertainment’s next directed by Pavan Kripalani’s ‘Darr@The Mall’ releases on February 21st,2014. Pavan is the man who sent chills up everyone’s spines with his directorial debut ‘Ragini MMS’ and now, the talented filmmaker is back with another horror flick, that will surely make you think twice about visiting a mall again.

Jimmy Sheirgill, who plays a mall security head in the film, said, “This was one of the toughest films to shoot for me as the film was mostly shot at nights and it took a major toll on our health. Not only this, the location of the shot was actually eerie, which added to the bunch of challenges that we had to face while shooting for Darr@The Mall. However, I believe that all the hard work that has been put in has been honestly reflected in the film and we all are quite eager to know the public reaction to this film, which can be easily described as one of the best horror films made in Bollywood.”

NP Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd, which is producing the film said, “With Darr@The Mall we continue with our endeavour to make content driven films.Darr@The Mall is a horror flick which apart from good content is also backed by popular talent like Jimmy Sheirgill&PavanKripalani. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have given the music while Ganesh Hedge has choreographed the dance number&RanjitBarot has given the background score for the film. We have produced a horror film that is on par with any mainstream Bollywood film.”

On his part, Director PavanKripalani says, “Ever since I was a kid, I have been a fan of the horror genre and as a director; it has always been my ambition to make classy horror films. After Ragini MMS, I felt that there is more to explore as far as horror films are concerned and ‘Darr@ The Mall’ is my honest attempt to make a horror flick in the vein of classic Hollywood scare fares like ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Shining’, which I have grown up watching. ”

Produced by MSM Motion Pictures and Contiloe Entertainment, ‘Darr @ The Mall’ is a first of its kind horror story set in a mall.

Apart from Jimmy Shergill, the film comprises an ensemble cast of seasoned character actors like ArifZakaria, AsifBarsa and Neeraj Soodalongwith young actors like NushratBharucha, Nivedita Bhattacharya and ShraddhaKaul, to name a few.

Fear Opens on 21st February. ‘Darr @ The Mall’ will surely change your mall-going experience in a radical way!

Catch the Darr@The Mall trailer on www.youtube.com/msmmotionpicture

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Veena gives a fitting reply to Prashant’s Allegations

The Veena Malik Khan Khattak – Prashant Singh saga continues. Veena hit back at the claims that Singh had put forth, terming them as rather – dubious and horrendous. She decided to give him, her piece of mind. Further fueling the war of uncertainty, she stated that he was one of her employees and she paid him for that like any other employer.

According to the sources, Prashant was her digital manager and used to manage all her social media accounts. Having access to all her accounts he posted a few controversial photographs. Veena was quick to act and quickly made a new twitter account with the twitter handle @iVeenaKhan. Also, a few days ago he publicly said that he and Veena were romantically involved and were an item. All this came after the news of her and Asad Bashir Khan Khattak`s nikkah made rounds in the media world.

Veena was so aghast by the whole episode that she decided to hit back. She nullified all his claims saying that, he should stay within his limits and should be more chivalrous in his approach. She reportedly said that, he was blackmailing her for “money and cheap publicity”, Many of his colleagues say that both were like – brothers and sisters, and maintained a good working rapport. So, they think that this may have misled him to think otherwise. She also claimed that she would take a legal action against him. She is quite happy with her husband and doesn`t want any controversy affecting them now or in future. She also points that it doesn`t affect her in any way it`s just that it is “spoiling her reputation”.

Asad Bashir Khan Khattak laughed off the whole episode stating that, “If the fellow needs any mental help, I can recommend him a few good doctors”.

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Super fast elite athlete fields for SCMM 2014

Kenyan Evans Cheruiyot, with a personal best of 2:06.25 leads the high quality international men’s elite athlete field, which has no less than 16 athletes who have personal bests of below2:10, promising a highly competitive and fast men’s race in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, which will be flagged off from CST, here, on Sunday, January 19.

According to Jos Hermens of Global Sports Communication, Netherlands, the elite athletes’ coordinators, a timing of 2:08 is realistic for the men, given the right weather conditions. “We strongly feel that this year’s men’s elite athlete field will be able to break last year’s course record of 2:09.32 as we have a balanced mix of experience and young talent,” said Jos.

Cheruiyot is a former Chicago Marathon winner, who also excels in the half marathon, having run five times below 60.00 in his career. As the fastest man in the field, he is one of the favourites to run away with the crown.

The second fastest man is Ethiopian Eshetu Wendimu, with a personal best of 2:06.46. A steady performer, Wendimu has run most of his marathons below 2:09, while finishing in the top 3. Countryman Hailu Mekonnen is another of the favourites, with a personal best of 2:07.35. Hailu has only run seven marathons in his career, from which he has five sub-2:10 times and three sub2:08. He is also the winner of the Tokyo Marathon in 2011, while he won the Hengshui Marathon in 2012 while setting a new course record.

The other men to look out for will be Kenyans Stephen Chebogut, winner of the Istanbul Marathon on a hilly course, Ishhimael Busendich and former Mumbai Marathon winners, John Kelai (2007, 2008), Kenneth Mungara (2009) and Girma Assefa (2011).

Among the women, Ethiopian Dinknesh Mekash leads the field with a personal best of 2:25.09. Dinknesh, runner-up last year in Mumbai, improved her personal best in Paris 2013 and is expected to clock around 2:25 when she runs in Mumbai. Dinknesh leads a strong Ethiopian contingent, among them names like Etalemahu Kidane (PB 2:25.49), Asnakech Mengistu (PB 2:25.50) and Aberu Mekuria (PB 2:26.07), who also finished third last year.

The Kenyan challenge will come from Eunice Kales, and outsider Gladys Kipsoi, a half marathon specialist, making her full marathon debut. Namibian Helalia Johannes and Ukranian Yuliya Ruban are the other names in the reckoning.

There will be six pacemakers in the men’s race and two in the women’s race helping the runners keep to course record pace.



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Kailash Kher’s ironic song woh ram, krishan kyu nahi hai’

Another Kailash Kher soulful song ‘Hai Reham Hai Karam’ from movie “Lakshmi – A story of Hope, Courage & Victory”. The song will instantly take you to the situations prevailing in our society with Kailash Kher’s unique amalgamation of soul stirring voice and profound simple lyrics of the song will leave you wonder about the current scenario of women in our society.

Normally, Kailash Kher’s songs are very philosophical, connecting to the supreme power but this time he is trying the put forth the imbalance that exists between the two, supposed to be, parallel driving force of our society – male and female. The simple lyrics like ‘Hak se jine ka hak kar u adaa’ which means that let the woman survive on their own choices and will.

The song brings forth the fact that each exists in the other and each needs the other to exist. The line were Kailash sings ‘Sab me radha kahi, sita kahi hai, Par kisi me woh ram, krishan kyu nahi hai,’ shows the disproportion existence in our society.

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Like most of the writers and poets, Farhan Akhtar is slightly socially reserved. Farhan Akhtar likes his personal space and is generally the quiet in huge gatherings.

Interestingly, at the same time the multi facet actor loves meeting new people and new faces. However, the actor takes his own time to be friendly and open up. Give it to Farhan’s reserved attribute like most of the poets who generally have the tendency to open up.

Eventually, Farhan does open up and one realizes that the actor is a very warm person. It’s just the initial awkwardness but gradually the actor starts opening up.

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She may be playing the role of an illiterate woman in Sony Entertainment Television’s Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, her forthcoming TV show, but in real life Poonam Dhillon is not only curious about learning new things but also goes out and actually studies it.

She is doing a one year MBA correspondence course from Jaro Education’s the International Business Institute in Brussels.

Dhillon has already completed the first semester and her second semester is due in January which she fears she won’t be able to complete because of her daily soap commitments. “I wanted to specialize in International Business and so I chose subjects like finance etc. My next semester will have subjects on media and advertising considering how big these two aspects play in today’s life. Everything is global today.”

But why not study at an Indian university?

“What the UK University was offering was something I was truly interested in. Also, an Indian university would have meant attending college which I can’t do because of my other commitments. I was looking to study international business and when the opportunity came along, I just grabbed it. I like their programs, their tutors, their online study material…

Why am I doing this?

I was always interested in it. At one point, I wanted to join the Indian Foreign Services and I was studying to appear for the UPSC exams but then films happened. I have this dream of getting a doctorate but that’s possible only when you do your Masters. After the MBA, I can hope to get my doctorate.” She may not get the time to finish her second semester, we are sure she will complete the course.

Here we wish Poonam Dhillon a very Good Luck for her course.

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Indian Cinema Stars Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra Along With the IIFA Management To Kick Start IIFA Tampa 2014 Celebrations

~ IIFA Management & Stars to Tour Los Angeles, Tampa Bay & New York on 13, 14 & 15 January 2014 ~

New Delhi, 8th January 2014: Superstars of Indian Cinema – Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra will join the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) on a 3 city tour of America as they announce celebrations ahead of the 15th year of the film industry’s most awaited awards ceremony and weekend extravaganza. Fans of Indian Cinema, particularly those residing in Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and New York will have the opportunity to catch two of the most prolific stars of Indian Cinema on American soil.

Priyanka Chopra said “Year after year, IIFA brings the best of Indian cinema to a new geography in different parts of the world, providing a taste of the best that we have to offer. We are very excited to bring IIFA to Tampa Bay. With the support of representatives of Visit Tampa, we have been able to conceptualize and actualize an incredible event. There will be music, dance and a whole lot of spice! We’re looking forward to giving our fans and new audiences the experience of a lifetime.

Earlier this year, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) announced that fans of Indian Cinema could expect the 15th Annual IIFA celebrations to make its American premiere in Tampa Bay, Florida. The institution has now announced the much awaited official dates for the mega-weekend that is all set to take place from the 24th – 26th of April.

Speaking about the tour, Anil Kapoor said “With the promise of bringing the best and biggest events to the fans of Indian Cinematic Diaspora in a manner that’s unique and entertaining, the IIFA Weekend and Awards is an iconic platform with fans globally. As a friend of IIFA, I am delighted as IIFA makes its debut in the USA through Tampa Bay. It has been my pleasure to be associated with IIFA for over a decade and once again on behalf of IIFA and the Indian film fraternity we commit to give our audience an opportunity to witness one of the finest celebrations of culture and cinema.”

Having played a large hand to bring the IIFA ceremony to Tampa Bay; cardiologist, philanthropist, community leader and strong supporter of IIFA, Dr. Kiran Patel said, “I am glad to lend my support in whatever way possible to IIFA and the Indian film fraternity at large. The excitement is building up and we look forward to some extremely entertaining and memorable events. With the goodwill of our community we look forward to the grandest Indian cinema spectacle that the US has ever seen.”

Santiago Corrada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visit Tampa Bay, said, “We are extremely excited to join Wizcraft/IIFA in announcing the official dates, venues and the launch of ticket sales. Our teams have worked together diligently over the past six months to ensure a successful production in Tampa Bay. This tour is just the beginning of a very exciting journey. Our entire region is enthusiastically preparing to welcome tens of thousands of visitors to our destination, and we look forward to serving as great hosts to the biggest and best International Indian Film Academy awards in history.”

Having travelled to some phenomenal destinations across the globe over the last 14 years, IIFA has graced the shores of the UK, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Canada. Fans and enthusiasts of Indian Cinema from around the world can expect to see their favorite stars descend into Tampa Bay during the weekend and witness Indian Cinema’s most glorious event unfold in the city. With world-class infrastructure and facilities and having hosted a myriad of international concerts, events and the Super Bowl four times, Tampa Bay is the ideal choice for the 15th IIFA Weekend & Awards.

Mr. Andre Timmins, Director Wizcraft International, said, “We are looking forward to organizing the IIFA Weekend & Awards in the USA and exploring the wonderful new opportunities in this new territory for IIFA. With a focus to showcase the best of Indian cinema to the world, we are preparing for another spectacular edition this year including many exciting and entertaining events leading up to and including the IIFA Weekend. Anil Kapoor & Priyanka Chopra have been associated with IIFA for many years and it is a great pleasure to have them tour America with us as we officially announce details for IIFA 2014 in Tampa Bay.”

IIFA is a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain not only to India the host country as well. The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy. Also, the IIFA Awards is India’s biggest media event. With a viewership of almost 800 million, it is among the world’s most-watched annual entertainment events. From a one night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last thirteen years have seen the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climax into the highlight of the Weekend, the IIFA Awards. www.iifa.com

xxx

For more information, please contact:

WizSpk Communication | PR (IIFA/ Wizcraft)

Dwaipayan Gupta

M: +91 9810745700 | E: dwaipayan.gupta@wizspk.com

Nausheen Tareen

M: +91 9810400548 | E: dwaipayan.gupta@wizspk.com

Lizel Noronha

M: +91 9167173746 | E: lizel.noronha@wizspk.com

Rahul Dubey

M: +91 9819309501 | E: rahul.dubey@wizspk.com

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Powai Fest 2014 is a mega event organised by the Rotary Club of Mumbai and the Hiranandani Group of Companies. This is the first edition of the festival that promises to become

the ultimate fest for the residents of Mumbai.

The event has a number of activities that would appeal to people across ages – from inter-school and corporate badminton, TT, football and squash championships, pet shows, nature walks, rock shows, a Bollywood music concert by tone of the hottest singers of the year – Shalmali Kholgade, cooking contests and a foodathon and more.

Funds collected from the event will be used for the following Rotary initiatives.

Swastha Ma Swastha Shishu (Maternal and Child Health Care),

Mangal Patra (To double the number of children under the Mid-day meal),

Loan Scholoarships for the needy students,

Women Empowerment through Vocational Training,

Funds to build Corpus for Long-term Objectives of the Rotary Community welfare center, Crematorium Up-gradation,

Support to our International Cause ” Eradication of Polio From the face of the Earth”.

Gitanjali Khatau,

Criesse Communications

09833011128/ 09757242204

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When ‘Yaariyan’ Male Leads Himansh Kohli And Shreyas Pardiwala Dressed Up As Women…

In the past, actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and recently, even Shahid Kapoor have dressed up as women for some scenes in their movies and in T-Series’ ‘Yaariyan’, two of the three male leads Himansh Kohli and Shreyas Pardiwala too did a drag queen act in a hilarious sequence in the film.

A source attached to the film unit said, “Nicole and Rakul Preet in a funny sequence decide to sneak out for a pajama party under the pretext of attending a ‘Jagrata’. However, at the party, Rakul’s character Saloni gets drunk and Himansh and Shreyas are entrusted with the responsibility of dropping her home. This is when the two men dress up as women to drop Saloni back home and when confronted by her skeptical dad, the two start singing the ‘ABCD’ song (which was played at the pajama party) in the manner ‘Jagrata’ bhajans are sung, with hilarious consequences.”

Talking about the sequence, Himansh said, “It was quite a funny sequence and though initially, we were reluctant to dress up as women, we decided to deal with the situation sportingly.” Shreyas Padriwala too chuckled when he recalled the scene and said, “It is one of the craziest scenes in the film and am sure everyone will laugh till their sides hurt when they see this sequence in the theatres.”

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, ‘Yaariyan’, that marks the directorial debut of Divya Khosla Kumar, is a contemporary and youthful film that takes audiences through the trials and tribulations of the best years of their life abd is slated to release on January 10.

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25 crore deal in Saanchi’s life

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Innocent people blinded by love, are easily exploited for money. Similar is the story in Sony Entertainment Television’s popular love saga Kehta Hai Dil…Jee Le Zara which is grabbing massive eye-balls these days, thanks to its appreciated and adored script writing which knows how to make audience to stay connected with the plot.

The audiences have witnessed how Dhruv have got Saanchi to meet his folks after getting the green signal from after getting the green signal from Saanchi’s (Sangeeta Ghosh) family. In the upcoming things will take a turn for the worse between the popular love birds of the television. Saanchi meets Yashwardhan Goel, Dhruv’s father and his family for a family dinner. Saanchi is very nervous and feels uncomfortable. Dhruv’s mother in a chat with Saanchi asks her to leave Dhruv’s life for the sake of her love for her family. While on the other hand Dhruv’s father puts a deal in fron of Saanchi for Rs. 25 crore and ask her to exit from Dhruv’s life forever.

Will love win over Money?

What will Saanchi opt for?

To find out more tune into Kehta Hai Dil…Jee Le Zara from Monday to Friday at 9:30 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television

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Kangana Ranaut crowned PETA’s hottest vegetarian.

Beating the likes of her contemporaries, Kangana Ranaut was crowned “The Hottest Vegetarian” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Visitors to PETA India.com cast their votes to help PETA choose the most alluring Vegetarian Vixen this year and Bollywood’s poster girl for fashion took the top honor.

Says PETA India Manager of Media and Celebrity Projects Sachin Bangera, “Bollywood stars are truly shining for animals by choosing to go meat-free, and Kangana’s beauty is proof that a great way to get a killer body and looks is by not eating animals”.

On several occasions Kangana has always been heard propagating the cause of vegetarianism and was even quoted stating, “We must not eat other animals. Besides, vegetarian organic food is far healthier minus all the toxins”.

PETA selected the winners based on several factors, including vote count.

After receiving rave reviews for her performance in Krrish 3,Kangana Ranaut is on a roll with Queen and Revolver Rani both of which see her essay the role of the protagonist. ‘

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Art on wheels!

“Cars are not just machines. They are people with a mind of their own, they rev up to your touch, love attention and the more you love them, the more is their lifespan. There is nothing like curling inside the car, within its embrace and no longer feeling alone. It always lets you take total control once you are in the driving seat, never mind its size!”

This in short, sums up artist Pratik Sharma’s journey of growing up with cars. Followed by a product designing course at the Raffles designing Institute in Singapore, Pratik Sharma translated his childhood fantasies of steering the mean machines into breathtaking Carscapes!

Clean shapes, sharp edges, contagious energy… six words that can define the works of this creative genius. Pratik Sharma’s primary and bright colours with symbolic content actually lend to the backdrop of his majestic black and white machines. Couple that with dyslexia that doesn’t let him rest till he completes the last detail and wins the acknowledgement of the critic within him, and you know why carscapes are so ‘correct’. There is simply no mercy for imperfection from within.

Design icons from the world of mass production, an amazing amalgamation of consumerism and creativity, you traverse with the artist through the myriad moods of the machines. Rolls-Royces, Audis, Porsches, reassembled hot rods, each vie for space on his canvas. Pratik’s docile cars leave space for you to wonder what lies beneath the hood… may be a speed racer! In a very odd manner, it is as though looking at a crowd of people walking, each not connected to the other, with individual mind and character and an air of unpredictability around them, bringing a new dimension of viewing cars altogether.

Art critic Suneet Chopra’s quote in the Indian Contemporary Art Journal probably sums up Pratik’s quest best, “the series of works gives one a good idea of how artists in our day can paint cans of soup, shoes or other mass-produced objects and clothe them in the feelings they evoke in an artist at the time and which are in turn communicated to the viewer, making even mass-produced objects icons in their own right.”

Get ready to traverse with Pratik Sharma on his wondrous futuristic carscape journey.

Pratik Sharma’s Carscapes exhibition is on from Jan 10-27 at Reflections, JW Marriott, Juhu Tara Road. TIME: 11 am to 11 pm. For more details, please contact: 98204 95655, carscapes@pratiksharma.com

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Murli Sharma to chase tollywood actor Ramcharan

Over the years, several Bollywood actors have donned the khaki and impressed their fans with their dare-devil, honest and upright on-screen personas. The stars have made for some of the most memorable protagonists of Indian cinema in Khaki wardi. Here Murli Sharma who had done several renowned cops role in Bollywood now he had become most demanded cop in South Film Industry. Whenever cops name has to be certified Murli Sharma is the only name who comes in every director’s mind. More after the success of Singham where he was a corrupt cop DSP Patkar and now he will be seen in the upcoming film Yevvadu wherein he plays an investigating cop who’s trailing Ramcharan. Murli who won a Nandi award for Atithi his first Telgu film is very excited about this one.

Murli Sharma said, “I am super excited because of the script. It’s a superb narrative and I have a great role in it too. For a change I am not the bad cop but an honest one.”

Murli Sharma who also is looking forward to his Bollywood projects like Atul Agnihotri’s O Teri. Param Gills untitled being produced by Remo Dsuza, Anand Kumar’s, Desi Kattey among others.



Media Contacts:

Scribes INC- The PR Company

Satish Reddy

Mobile : 09167115564

Email : sateshreddey2013@gmail.com

Abhishek Dubey

Mobile : 09699384240

Email : abhiscribesinc@gmail.com

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Cappuccino in the name of Salman Khan will be available for his fans at multiplexes across India around his upcoming release, Jai Ho.

Salman Khan comes back with his big release Jai Ho after a gap of one year; his last release being Dabangg 2.

Audiences and his fans are eagerly waiting for the release of the film. Salman Khan, who is the most massy star of the industry has a huge fan following that majorly included the single screen audiences.

But with Ek Tha Tiger, the actor even managed to lure multiplex audiences and has a big equity. While he may be the king of single screens, he has a huge fan following in multiplexes too.

This time around, as Jai Ho releases, multiplex owners are using every opportunity to bank on Salman’s super stardom.

They will have thematic cappuccino available at the stalls. Jai Ho is a winter release so it is a good time to have cappuccinos in Salman’s name as the entire north belt will be under cold wave.

Also it goes with his kadak personality of being this kadak Khan.

Multiplex audiences are extremely excited as after Dhoom 3 this would be the next big release and people would throng the theatres.

Anyways, whenever Salman’s films release, it is by default a festival.

Jai Ho is slated to release on 24th January 2014 and it is the first big film of the year.

Spokesperson confirms the news and adds that we are very excited to explore this promotional idea.

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Souvik Gupta’s An Unequal Harmony up for grabs!

Souvik Gupta, an MBA in International Business has always been passionate about film making and writing. He made his first short film in Kolkata in the year 2009, which was screened in the Kolkata Film Festival, Jamshedpur film festival and many more. He has also worked as Fiction Producer for NDTV Imagine’s “Raaz Pichhle Janam Ka”

NEIGBOUR, his first short film as a solo director, won many accolades. The film was adjudged Runners Up in “Re-Think India” Short film competition – conducted by popular short film club “Shamina” and the NGO “Citizens for Peace” – the jury included judged by R Balki (PAA), Rahul Dholakia (PARZANIA), and Mahesh Mathai (BHOPAL EXPRESS). “NEIGHBOUR” then went on to be a part of multiple other festivals – finalist at 4th Advantage India Film festival, WLC Media and others…His next short film, Stranger- – a psychological thriller was also appreciated all over.

Now his first novel ‘An Unequal Harmony…’ which released on November 1st 2013, has already received great response all over. A quirky tale of relationships, the novel looks at different angles of man-woman relationships in the Indian society, bringing into fore a pertinent question: Can someone love two people at the same time?

Make sure you grab your copy-

http://www.amazon.in/An-Unequal-harmony-discordant-melodies/dp/938266503X/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1_3NNN

http://www.flipkart.com/unequal-harmony-discordant-melodies-love-life-faith/p/itmdppsuyzgbhrte?pid=9789382665038&ref=a538e257-ebaf-4291-9521-89b233622f08&srno=t_1&otracker=from-search&query=an+unequal+harmony

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/unequal-harmony-discordant-melodies-love-life-faith-souvik-gupta/9789382665038.html#variantId=P-M-B-9789382665038

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