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Nimbus Television gears up for 06; to ink deal with intl. production house
MUMBAI: The television production arms of Nimbus Communications – Nimbus Television and its wholly owned subsidiary Nirvana Television Ltd are looking at doubling their production output this year and in the pipeline are at least four new shows.
That aside, the company is also looking at entering into a collaboration with an international production house towards the latter half of 2006.
While the company is in talks with three-four international television production houses, nothing has been finalised as of now.
“This collaboration will open up the international market for television programming produced by Nimbus specifically for the international audience. Currently a lot of Indian movies being made are on par technically with the best of the world cinema and there is no reason why that cannot happen for Indian television as well. Nimbus will be the first Indian company to lead this movement,” said Nimbus Communications creative director films and television Mautik Tolia.
Apart from this, Nimbus is also in the process of bringing some systems and practices (S&Ps) in place that will help direct interface between the channels and the production house as also in maneuvering creative control.
The company is in talks with an agency that will lay out the S&Ps for them.
“TV shows today are still produced in pretty much the same inefficient chaotic manner as they used to 20 years back. The objective of this initiative would be to stop spillage and leakage in the TV production process to ensure optimisation of production and minimising production inefficiencies. It will also ensure that clients are serviced better as they will be getting real time updates on the production process through a common interface between the client and Nimbus,” said Tolia.
Nimbus Communications, which started out as an airtime selling agency, has managed to move up the value chain to become an agency that provides full service sports marketing and production services, end to end solutions including rights management, television production, sponsor services, event management, new media content and on air ad sales.
Now the television arm is also looking at restructuring itself a la a Hollywood studio model. Through co-production and acquisitions of smaller production houses, the company will move on to a business model wherein it will have a number of production houses specialising in varied content residing within the larger Nimbus umbrella. “This will completely change the way television business operates today,” Tolia added.
In August last year, UK based private equity fund 3i acquired 33 per cent stake in Nimbus for Rs 1.97 billion. “The funding for co-productions and acquisitions will come from there,” Tolia informed.
On the programming front, Nimbus has already been contracted to produce the ICC Champions Trophy, Afro-Asian Cup, NFL amongst other sports events in 2006.
Nirvana Television will be introducing new formats like a sports reality show on a sports channel and also a sports based soap. In fiction, a saas-bahu drama series called Beta and the second season of Kareena Kareena (Zee TV) are scheduled. A reality show called 100 is also in the pipeline.
“2005 has been a very special year for us considering we produced 545 hours of TV programming consisting of nine shows and six sports events. What is interesting is that at Nimbus we have mastered the art of striking a balance between Hindi and regional language programming, an achievement which is very evident in our offerings,” said Tolia.
The production house is aiming at emerging as the market leader by the end of this year “not just in terms of volume but also in terms of sheer innovations that will be brought about both at the micro level through creating cult cutting edge TV shows and at the macro level by way of bringing a paradigm shift changing the way television business is run currently,” said Tolia.
Also notable is the fact that the production house has received four nominations at this year’s Apsara Film and Television Producers’ Guild Awards, whereas Balaji and UTV have received two and three nominations respectively. Nimbus’ nominations are in the following categories:
Best actor in a TV serial: Sudhir Pandey for Kareena Kareena
Best comedy series: Kareena Kareena
Best sports show: Challenger Series 2005, Mohali
Best title song: Kareena Kareena
“In 2005, we’ve produced shows in five languages – Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and English of which Kareena Kareena and Amma Nagamma have been No.1 shows on their respective channels,” informed Tolia.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
