Movie Channels
Max hunts for film buffs in media agencies
MUMBAI: Media agencies are busy scratching their heads as they prepare themselves for not some planning for a client, but to take up the challenge thrown by Sony Max’s ‘No Talkies.’
This ‘Guess the Movie’ challenge will see media agencies, buyers and planners competing, while also showcasing their acting prowess.
The event which will culminate in Mumbai on 19 September, seeks to find the filmy deewanas across three big markets – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Speaking about the differentiator this year, Sony Max VP marketing Vaishali Sharma says that the channel has stepped up the challenges and has made the competition more competitive. With the intention of creating a buzz for inviting registrations, the channel had pulled out all stops to amplify noise around the event.
Online registrations for the event took place on its microsite notalkies.sonymax.tv, on 19 August with total of three deewanas forming one team. Registrations were open for 10 days with more than 150 teams registering this year.
“We received an overwhelming response for our initiative last year and believe in going above and beyond movies to captivate our audiences,” opines Sharma.
It received entries from media agencies such as Maxus, MEC, Mindshare, Motivator, Madison, Zenith Optimedia, OMD amongst others participating.
This edition, all the participating teams will be slotted into different groups and they will have to compete against each other over a few exciting rounds of the games. The city round of the activity has already taken place in Bengaluru on 3 September followed by Delhi on 5 September. It will take place in Mumbai on 12 September. The finale will be based on the theme Bollywood.
Maxux, Mumbai general manager Mangesh Korgaonkar believes that the initiative is in sync with the channel’s positioning. “It is great to see the channel bring back the competition as we thoroughly enjoyed the last season and are looking forward to our participation this year.”
Agreeing with Kargaonkar, Mindshare principle partner Jignesh Ghelani says, “It is a kind initiative by Max as it is specially crafted for engaging with media agencies. It is a lot of fun as it provides us with an opportunity to let our hair down and celebrate our love for Bollywood.”
In order to boost the agencies response for participation, the channel undertook a range of prebuzz promotions. These were: setting up popcorn stalls in media agencies and also distributing banarasi paans to generate sufficient buzz around its B2B marketing initiative.
Last year the finale was hosted by the witty and charismatic VJ, actor and presenter Gaurav Kapoor. This year, the channel is yet to finalise the host for the event.
Although Sharma refused to divulge any details on the prize money, last year it had honoured with Rs 25,000 cash voucher. “All I can say is that it is a generous voucher which will enable the winning team to make good purchases at an electronic store,” laughs Sharma.
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.
