iWorld
As ‘Dil Se Desi’ as you are:ZEE5 kicks off its international launch with a campaign that will touch a chord with the South Asian diaspora
MUMBAI: The traditional Mehndi is replaced by a funky henna tattoo; Payals (anklets) are paired with stilettos, and rapreplaces classicalas the new embraces the old – in its own inimitable style. Upping the cool quotient of ‘Desi’ by several notchesand capturing the essence of ‘Desi’ pride; the strong sense of belonging and connect with one’s roots felt by every South Asian living abroad, ZEE5 todaylaunched its global campaign‘Dil Se Desi’, officially marking the digital platforms’entry into the International market.
An ode to Indians and South Asians around the world, ‘Dil Se Desi’ clearly announces the arrival of ZEE5, the largest, most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for language content, in APAC, Africa and MENA and very soon, in Europe, Canada and Caribbean. It is brought to life in a vibrant TVC that is a celebration of our ‘Desiness’, intricately weaving together our idiosyncrasies with what innately defines us and therefore binds us; our language, our culture and our entertainment.
Commenting on the launch,Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and Z5 Global said, “In the first leg of our international foray, we intend to capture the hearts of South Asians across the globe and I think our campaign, ‘Dil Se Desi’ does this beautifully.“
“Interestingly, both this campaign ‘Dil Se Desi’and the ZEE5 India launch campaign we rolled out in February 2018, ‘ApniBhashaMein Feel Hai’ have their genesis in the same insight; that Indians and indeed South Asians today, irrespective of where they live or how globally connected they are, are fundamentally rooted in their culture and feel a strong sense of pride and belonging. Being ‘Desi’ today has moved from being just cool to being an intrinsic part of one’s identity; and that’s what ZEE5 taps into. The emotion that whoever or whatever I am on the outside, on the inside I am‘Dil Se Desi’and I not only embrace, but celebrate who I am”, saidArchana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global.
It is this celebration that is brought alive in the campaign that’s been painstakingly and jointly crafted by the teams at ZEE5and Publicis Capital. And it is this same celebration that is furthercaptured in the creative rendition #Desi.
Says Archana Anand, “When living in a different country, it’s the language, festivals, food, movies and music that keeps you connected to home and gives you a sense of pride and belonging, and hence ‘Dil Se Desi’. ZEE5 also celebrates this sense of belonging with its all-encompassing focus on languages across both its content and user experience, and is ‘Dil Se Desi’ in itself. With over 1,00,00 hours of content across 12 languages, ZEE5 is sure to quickly become the only choice for South Asians in any country to access Indian content online, and immediately connect to home.”
Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer & Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide (India), said: “There is something that happens when people from South Asia move abroad. We become one vibrant community that is united by what we all have in common, and this community is known as ‘Desi’. The ‘Dil Se Desi’ idea celebrates what we love about being ‘desi’, the quirks, the attitude, the culture, the coolness, the togetherness and the content we can’t do without.”
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited’s digital entertainment platform ZEE5 has gone LIVE in over 190 countries, offering the largest width and depth of multi-genre content across English, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi.ZEE5 comes packed with 1,00,000 hours of On Demand content, including Indian Movies and TV Shows, Cine plays, Music, and Health and Lifestyle videos along with a slew of exclusive Originals, across 12 languages. It also has an extensive Live TV offering with 60+ popular Live TV channels.
The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store as well as the iOS App Store and can be accessed by visiting www.ZEE5.com. The app is also available on Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV and Android TV; and will be available soon on Amazon Fire TV.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
