MAM
Dining in India now gets the Hollywood touch
NEW DELHI: Better late than never. Planet Hollywood, promoted by stars like Bruce Willis and film actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992, has plans to dazzle India with a chain of branded restaurants.
Initial plan is to invest up to $ 15 million in five restaurants by 2010 with the first one slated to come up in Mumbai next year adjacent to a 400-room hotel property.
In line with its philosophy of starry dining and experience, Planet Hollywood not only plans to bring in some Hollywood stars as part of promotional blitz, but also wants to rope in Indian stars like former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen for endorsement.
For the Indian foray, Planet Hollywood has signed a master franchisee agreement with the US-based Arch Millennium Corp, which is promoted by Indian-origin businessmen.
“We plan to open one restaurant each in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa and Hyderabad,” Arch Millennium president and CEO Siddharth Mobar was quoted by Press Trust of India (PTI) as saying today.
As per the company’s plans, guests in Planet Hollywood India restaurant will be able to see what’s happening in other restaurant locations such as New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, London and Paris.
“We would be bringing in big stars like Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in India as part of our promotional activities, while also trying to get other ones like Paris Hilton and Justin Timberlake (a teen heart-throb who was a boyfriend of Britney Spears and is the current squeeze of Cameroon Diaz),” Mobar was quoted by the news agency as saying.
The company, which has many of the dishes named on Hollywood stars, plans to add the local Indian flavor by roping in some of Bollywood’s stars in the coming time. Some of the unique dishes which will be on offer include ‘Chicken Crunch’ based on Indecent Proposal star Demi Moore’s recipe and ‘Banana Strudle’, which is based on a recipe of Schwarzenegger’s mother.
“We will also be displaying and selling Hollywood movie merchandise,” Mobar said, adding that this contributed about 10 per cent to revenue of each restaurant worldwide.
Each Planet Hollywood restaurant houses memorabilia from movies, old and new. The interior decor reflects various movie genre, including action, horror and Sci-Fi and the audio-visual system plays the latest movie trailers, clips, music videos and celebrity visits.
Planet Hollywood founder and chairman Robert Earl was quoted as saying there was a huge potential in the Indian market for their brand. “This franchisee agreement will bring the excitement of Hollywood and combine it with the power of Bollywood in a very special way,” he said in a statement.
Overall, there are 28 Planet Hollywood restaurants in locations like the US, Paris, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Beijing.
Brands
Sony Pictures Networks India names Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships & key network initiatives
Aneja takes charge to deepen agency ties and boost revenue across Spni channels
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships, signalling a fresh focus on closer collaboration with advertising agencies and a sharper push for revenue growth across its channel portfolio.
In her new role, Aneja will chart strategic engagement with agencies, unlock new revenue streams, and nurture long-term partnerships. Her mission includes driving sales performance, adding value for clients, and delivering inventive solutions for advertisers — cementing Spni’s position as a preferred media partner.
Aneja brings over 12 years of experience with Spni, having risen through the ranks from manager to associate vice president. She has led high-performing sales teams across key clusters including sony hindi gec, free-to-air channels, and english entertainment channels like pix, axn and bbc earth.
Her track record includes driving integrated ad sales for popular shows such as Celebrity MasterChef, Indian Idol and Superstar Singer, pioneering first-time brand integrations, and repositioning channels for maximum impact in both urban and rural markets.
Aneja’s approach combines content-first thinking with solution-led selling, focusing on empathy, insight and storytelling that resonates with audiences and brands alike. Colleagues praise her knack for building trust with agencies and clients while spotting innovative ways to convert ideas into revenue.
With this appointment, Spni aims to strengthen its agency relationships and continue delivering compelling advertising solutions that combine creativity with performance.
