Movie Channels
South Indian films dubbed in Hindi more popular than English
MUMBAI: Sony MAX and Sony MIX executive vice president and business head Neeraj Vyas was the Guest Editor of the day at Indiantelevision.com today.
During his interaction with journalists at Indiantelevision.com, Vyas talked about what he thinks about broadcast journalism. His complaint was that journalists do less of research-based writing and are more interested in the financial details of the broadcasting business.
While dwelling on the businesses he heads, Vyas talks about how Sony MIX has tried to make the music channel musical from being a trade channel, on the preparations for Indian Premier League (IPL) season 7 and the preferences of Indian audiences for the film genre.
Following are the comments made by Vyas on films, music and IPL:
There is a channel dedicated to English movies dubbed in Hindi — UTV Action. If you look at the other channels — Sony MAX, Zee Cinema, Star Gold, & Pictures and Movies OK, almost 25-30 per cent of everybody’s FPC in a week comprises south Indian films dubbed in Hindi. South Indian dubs are a very integral reality of composition of every Hindi movie channel. There was reluctance from advertisers initially. Indians completely enjoy south Indian cinema. They might not know who is Nagarjuna or who Ravi Teja is but they love the action. They love the way the action is choreographed. They love the fact that there are no songs. They like the feel of the characters because they are larger than life.
They like the plots in south Indian films because they feel some of the plots are better than Hindi movie plots. Its vendetta, its revenge, it’s about the common man rising. These are the plots that work across.
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The language of Indian cinema does not change just because the film is made in the south or made in Mumbai or Hyderabad. Most of the films dubbed are Telugu films which are over the top. Tamil films are by and large understated. Telugu films have blood and gore and all that. Indian viewer does not mind.
The characters are bound differently because of language reasons, geographical reasons. Otherwise Indian films are Indian films. Viewership tilts towards the male.
Hindi movie channels are skewed towards male. Unless you have Chennai Express which is very universal. If I have to give you some south Indian parallel is Telugu film Magadheera. We promoted it as a proper Hindi film blockbuster. It gave me a rating of 2 in the first screening. That cuts through all TGs and massive special effects.
International dubbed movies are not staple diet, but can be served as a surprise and can be a good break from the regular.
MUSIC:
We went and bought more music and put more variety than anybody else. The other call we took was that whatever we do we should be musical. We will not have movies like some channels do. We will not have animated characters. Whatever we do will be music. We have got something like Solos. Singer comes and sings two lines. These are things that we did and after digitisation we got shelf space. We saw 13 weeks in a row we were the number one channel. But for that we did a lot of sacrifice. We reduced advertising time. Against 30 minutes I was doing 15-20 minutes.
We started with 12 million viewers and today we have 55 million viewers.
Indian Premier League
The second edition was done in South Africa, but at that time the scale at which IPL was hosted wasn’t as big as it is today. Everything today has changed. So the campaign has to be bigger.
This season, if done outside India, will be very critical in terms of revenue as well. IPL for us is like a huge ‘Mela’. The ‘Mela’ gets prominence and written about because it happens in our city. If it happens outside India, it also impacts advertising, since the advertiser loses the buzz. It also has an impact on the rating. If IPL happens in South Africa, they will ensure that the match is aired in India at 8 pm. This time there will be only 60 games, because there is one team less.
IPL Campaigns
We need to up the entertainment quotient. There has to be a call of action. These two states always have to go hand in hand. It needs to be engaging, entertaining and fun-filled. It needs to be riveting; it needs to cut through different kinds of loops. Can’t be very male dominated, can’t be very male–centric, can’t be very female centric, can’t be very children centric. So, it’s a tough brief, not a very easy brief; because these guys are used to very focused briefs. I say, “this is my TG, these are the values of my brand, this is what it needs to be and these are the values that need to come through my communication. So, the consumer knows that I’m buying this for this.
On Farah Khan
Farah brought her own style and because of the fact that she’s a director and actor, made it easier for her to get into the zone of her character. She knew the tone and tenor of what we needed. She has changed the entire paradigm of the campaign. Then we roped in Vishal – Shekhar, who she is very close with. So it became a huge family gathering. We also got Rajeev Sethi, the director of Keroscene Films is also a childhood friend of ours.
The 2014 campaign has no real people, they’re all models. Especially because our campaign is emotion based. One wrong reaction about what the character is feeling and the whole 30 second ad can go for a toss. That is why we spend a lot of time in casting. I personally am a stickler for casting!
This year, we are doing five 30-40 seconders and one 60 seconder and again there will be an anthem that’s been composed again by Vishal Shekhar. We’ll also have an Extra Innings music video shot on that with the actors and the commentators. So, it all comes together as a package.
So, this year we have the same girls and boys back for IPL.
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
