News Headline
Star launches emotional TVC to rejuvenate hockey
MUMBAI: India’s national sports hockey is losing its relevance in the country in terms of viewership, ground interaction and brand endorsements despite registering strong performances in recent times. In order to rejuvenate the below par statistics, Star Sports, which will be telecasting Hockey World League matches, has launched a TVC in association with Opticus to secure emotional connect with the Indian audience.
The league will be telecast from 20 June to 5 July.
The 45-second ad opens with the Indian hockey team along with coach Paul Van Ass fielding questions at a press conference before leaving for Belgium. Highlighting the lack of interest, only a handful of journalists have turned up and most of the seats are empty. The question-answer round starts with a journalist skeptically asking what is the future of Indian hockey. Led by Captain Sardar Singh and coach Paul Van Ass, the players list out the present set of achievements by the team.
“The world knows about it but India doesn’t,” Van Ass says, referring to the lack of awareness in the country about their national team’s successes.
Another journalist asks if Pakistan will be at the semi-finals in Belgium. In response Singh reminds the assembled media that they had defeated Pakistan to win Gold at the Asian Games, pointing out that that victory made India the first team to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“Par kya fayda (but what’s the point),” Akashdeep Singh asks before team-mate Gurbaj Singh adds, “India ke dil mein qualify nahin kar paye (we couldn’t win India’s heart).”
The film ends with Sardar Singh saying the team will now head to Belgium and play for the nation, #DeshKeLiye, as they always have.
Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com the director of the TVC Sanjay Shetty says, “The brief and the list of the players was given by Star and we drew the concept on the basis of their brief. The main motto was to keep it simple and leave a mark on viewers’ mind.”
It was a single camera setup and was shot at Dhyan Chand National Stadium. “We wanted it to look like an actual press conference and covey the message that while Indian Hockey is garnering recognition globally on the basis of their performance India is oblivious about it,” he adds.
Hockey registered an abysmally low cumulative reach in 2013 with only 53 million. The figures saw some respite in 2014 as it ascended to 107 million. Now it remains to be seen if the national sport of the country manages to improve the figures and Star manages to spell success with the TVC.
Credits
Production House: Opticus Inc
Producer: Varun Shetty
Director: Sanjay Shetty
DOP: Demant Vyas
Editor: Vishal Kharat
SVP-Marketing head: Shubhranshu Singh
AVP-Marketing: Jarmanjeet Singh Randhawa
Concept and Story: Vikas dubey
AVP-On Air Promotions: Vaibhav Chib
In-house team: Prashant Pawar and Saikat Sengupta
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.
