News Broadcasting
‘Da Vinci Code’ crew says it’s entertainment not theology
CANNES: The maker of The Da Vinci Code – director Ron Howard – and the cast and crew today stated that it is the media, which is looking for a story that has created the hype around the so called religious controversy. “The controversy has actually been very limited,” says Alfred Molina, who plays the part of Bishop Aringarosa.
Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ron Howard at Cannes (Picture from www.canada.com)The film, which has created a storm in India with news channels and newspapers giving blanket coverage to the calls for the movie to be banned, is no stranger to controversy. Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi on Tuesday said that he “will not allow the controversial film Da Vinci Code to be screened unless representatives of Catholic churches along with the Censor Board watch the movie and clear it.”
Even for newly launched English movie channel from the Sony stable SET Pix (Sony Pictures is distributing the film worldwide), the hullabaloo has come as a big dampener. Amongst other marketing activities it had planned, it had also scheduled a special screening of the movie in Mumbai for the cable and media fraternity on Saturday.
Speaking to the media after the film’s screening Howard said, “Right from the beginning I expected controversy. We were talking about a global bestseller,” said Howard. “We were expecting it to be upsetting to some people. But we cannot forget that this is a piece of fictional entertainment people who have not seen the movie are talking about. What I would tell them is see the movie and then form your opinion. And if you are going to be upset by the movie don’t watch it. The movie will arouse different reactions from various people. We wanted to stir debate, we wanted people to think.”
Added Tom Hanks: “This is not theology, it is entertainment, and if people can remember that, it will be good. It is a piece of commercial cinema.”
When asked if the religious community put any pressure on him before he enacted the role of Robert Langdon, Hanks said, “Thankfully, brains score over emotion and fiction.”
Ian McKellen, who essays the role of Sir Leigh Teabing added in lighter vein that the fact that Jesus was married puts to rest the speculation that he was gay. Tom Hanks avoided the question saying that he was not around then.
As far as box office goes, Howard said that his partner in Imagine Entertainment expected the movie to do well. His partner Brian Glasser, who begins work on Imagine’s next project American Gangster with Russel Crowe and Samuel Jackson in Harlem two months from now, said he expects it to do very well. “A big winner,” he said.
That remains to be seen though. With calls for bans and the like coming in from across the globe as well as the tepid reviews the film has been getting, the producers might be hoping for a miracle in expecting that viewers will flock into the theatres.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
