News Broadcasting
Deepak Tijori’s maiden venture ‘Oops!’ set for April release
MUMBAI: Crossover films seem to be making their mark on the Indian screen as several film makers are exploring new terrain. Actor-producer Deepak Tijori’s directorial debut Oops! made under the banner of Tijori Films is all set to hit the theatres in April 2003.
The film’s leading starcast comprises newcomers Kiran, Vikas and Adyasha. The film also stars Mink, Mita Vasisht, Amit Thakur and Kiran Kumar.
The story of Oops! revolves around the lives of two boys who are background film dancers who decide to turn into male strippers to make more money. The movie has cinematography by Thomas A Xavier; music by Ravi Pawar; lyrics by Ajay Jhingran; art direction by Kumar Sagar; dialogue by Brijesh; and is written/directed by Deepak Tijori. The music of the film will be released in March and the music rights have been bought by Crescendo.
“The film, made with a nominal budget of Rs 25 million, is very city centric and yet emotional. It’s all about valuing relationships in life,” says Tijori. “It’s the presentation and packaging of the movie that is modern in its outlook,” he adds. Tijori has already initiated talks about the territorial and overseas distribution rights and the television rights of the movie but nothing has been finailised till now.
The film made in two versions; English and ‘Hinglish’; is being sold as a package deal and both versions will be released simultaneously. “So if one buys the ‘Hinglish’ version, he gets the English version free or vice versa,” he informs.
Oops! has been invited to the American Film Market (AFM) as a part of the Indian delegation where it will be screened in the second week of February.
Tijori Films had a mixed last year as far as TV programming was concerned. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Tijori says that the year 2002 for Tijori Films as an independent production house was “nothing great, but things seem to be looking up in the new year,” he adds. On a positive note, he says “the monopoly of a few production houses seems to be breaking and the channels are realising that it’s not wise to put all their eggs in one basket.”
Not revealing much about his forthcoming projects, Tijori says that he is working on a couple of projects and that talks are underway with some channels.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
