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Tag: Karan Johar

  • Unveils ambitious growth strategy

    Dharma Cornerstone marks third anniv

    Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA) has completed three years. DCA was founded in 2021 as a joint venture between renowned filmmaker Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions, and Bunty Sajdeh Managing Director of Cornerstone Sport.

    The agency represents a diverse roster of actors, directors, writers, musicians, and content creators, with a focus on discovering and nurturing talent across various regions in India. It’s roster includes actors Janhvi Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Triptii Dimri, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Disha Patani; Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga; musicians Neeti Mohan, Jubin Nautiyal, and Amaal Mallik; and digital creators like Orry, Sumukhi Suresh and Sufi Motiwala, among others. Journalist Rajeev Masand, COO of DCA, helms the film side of talent representation.

    “As we celebrate our third anniversary, we remain committed to protecting artists and storytellers in an increasingly challenging media landscape,” said Uday Singh Gauri, CEO of Dharma Cornerstone Agency. Uday with over 16 years of experience in representation and management has been instrumental in steering the agency into its fourth year, and through the rapidly evolving landscape of the film and entertainment business. Uday also co-founded Exceed Entertainment and HRX.

    “Our landscape is evolving rapidly, and the biggest challenge we foresee is the lack of adaptability,” said Apoorva Mehta. “DCA is well-positioned to navigate these challenges by employing the right people to do the right work at the right time, place, and price.”

    “We are excited about the future of DCA and the opportunities that lie ahead. Our focussed approach to talent management, our combined strengths with innovative thinking and global expansion plans will hopefully enable us to create even more value for our clients and partners in the years to come,” added Bunty Sajdeh.

  • Are we set to redefine access and inclusion for cinema lovers?

    Are we set to redefine access and inclusion for cinema lovers?

    Screengrab from Pathan on Amazon Prime Video

    Shruti PushkarnaIn my last column, I featured two brilliant foreign films that dealt with the subject of disability in a sensitive as well as an entertaining manner. Moreover, persons with disabilities were truly represented and their challenges highlighted in both productions for mass consumption.

     

    Sticking to cinema, let’s circle back to India. Recently, three exciting events caught the attention of disability inclusion advocates. It’s been good news for people like me who keep pushing for better (if not equal) media access and representation.

     

    A President Awardee, an RJ and a person with vision impairment, Divya Sharma’s interview of Karan Johar at the Cinevesture International Film Festival in Chandigarh was widely shared across social media platforms. She asked some pertinent questions on the vision of Bollywood vis-à-vis inclusion of disabled folk, normalisation and the role of cinema in shaping mindsets, insensitivity and ridicule at the expense of persons with disabilities onscreen and more. The seven-odd-minute interaction between a visually impaired girl and a leading filmmaker and influencer will hopefully open up more opportunities of constructive exchange of ideas.

     

    You remember the SRK starrer ‘Pathan’ that made headlines even before its release? Yes, I’m referring to Deepika Padukone’s controversial orange bikini and the Besharam Rang song. A lawyer filed a complaint in Muzzafarpur district court of Bihar against the leading actors and the objectionable song that allegedly offended the sentiments of the Hindu community.

     

    We are familiar with the legal trajectory of that complaint as well as the political clamour in different states, seeking a ban on the film. But there was another case filed in the Delhi High Court against ‘Pathan’, which perhaps didn’t grab as much public attention.

     

    A visually impaired student at the National Law School, Bangalore filed a petition along with three other persons with disabilities, out of whom two are visually impaired practising lawyers and one is a hearing impaired professional working as the Executive Director of the National Association for the Deaf. The complaint highlighted the lack of equal access to audio-visual entertainment in theatres and on online streaming platforms.

     

    In response, the High Court issued an interim order directing the producer (Yash Raj Films) of Pathan to make the film accessible with audio description as well as subtitles and closed captions in Hindi before its release on the OTT platform (Amazon Prime Video). And after seven hearings, the court pronounced its final judgment on March 15, 2024, setting a new precedent for accessible cinema.

     

    Why is this case or judgment important? And what are these accessibility features?

     

    The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, includes a provision on media accessibility which states that the government must take measures to make electronic media accessible. In October 2019, an advisory was issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to persuade producers to make movies accessible. But this was hardly a mandate to ensure compliance. And so, nothing changed, up until now.

     

    The filmmaker, producers and the media fraternity are focused on the 99% able-bodied audience, insensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities. The cost of accommodation is misconceived, seen as an additional burden on the filmmaker. Imposition of access features are also arguably perceived to interfere with an average movie-goer’s cinematic experience. These arguments are a clear reflection of a lack of empathy and sheer ignorance that have led to a systemic exclusion of the disabled community from channels of mainstream entertainment.

     

    But with this recent judgment on Pathan, things are going to change. The judge also directed the other respondents/ stakeholders in the matter to work together and formalise standardised guidelines to ensure accessibility for all future productions. This means that the CBFC will need to include accessibility requirements in its certification process.

     

    As for the cost of providing accessibility features, Yash Raj Films incurred an additional expense of INR 6 lakh, a tiny drop in its Rs 1,000 crore ocean of earnings!

     

    As per Section 42 of the RPWD Act 2016, all persons with disabilities have an equal right to access information and communication technology. The government has to ensure that all content available in audio, print and electronic media are in accessible format. And that persons with disabilities have access to electronic media via audio description, sign language interpretation and close captioning.

     

    Audio Description is a verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions, involving description of the visuals on screen to enable imagination by person with vision impairment.

     

    Subtitling provides a text alternative for the dialogues on screen, by characters, narrators, or any other vocal participants, in the language of the production.

     

    Closed Captioning not only supplements the dialogues but also other relevant parts of the soundtrack, describing background score, phones ringing, noises, or any other audio cues.

     

    The court has ordered for these accessibility features to be included on OTT as well as theater screenings. For now, the cinema halls and producers can work with certain mobile application providers (XL Cinema, Shazacin) which offer access to an audio described track that synchronizes on the user’s smartphone as the movie plays up on the big screen.

     

    And lastly, a movie trailer starring Rajkumar Rao as a visually impaired person flooded WhatsApp groups and LinkedIn feeds on April 9. Set to hit the cinema halls on May 10, this is a biopic of industrialist Srikanth Bolla, the first international blind student in management science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Srikanth endured several challenges, rejection and apathy in life, before he set up Bollant Industries with the objective of providing employment to others like him.

    Whether it’s bold activism, asking for equal access and a normal portrayal, ensuring compliance through workable measures or recounting real life struggles of successful persons with disabilities, the case for inclusion is strengthening by the day.

     

    What is preventing the media to initiate baby steps and add disability inclusion into its overall agenda?

  • Orr joins DCA’s existing roster including Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Tiger Shroff, and more

    Uff! Karan Johar’s Dharma Cornerstone signs Orry

    Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA), a joint collaboration between Karan Johar and Bunty Sajdeh, announced the signing of social media personality Orhan Awatramani popularly known as Orry. The partnership will strengthen the influencer marketing portfolio of DCA, notes a comadding to the existing bouquet of services of the brand.

    Said Kim Sharma, EVP – New Media, DCA shared her excitement: “Orry represents the epitome of the modern-day influencer dynamic with his creativity and forward-thinking. We are delighted to welcome him to our family at DCA. This association not only strengthens our presence in influencer marketing but also fosters trust in us.”

  • With the tagline "Glasses Badlo Vibe Badlo"

    KJo & Kiara feature in latest campaign of Lenskart

    By Our Staff

     

    Lenskart, the eyewear brand, has launched its latest campaign featuring Karan Johar and Kiara Advani. The tagline: ‘Glasses badlo, Vibe badlo’.

     

    Said Ramneek Khurana, Co-Founder, Lenskart: “We are thrilled to have Karan and Kiara as the faces of the new ad campaigns solidifying their relationship with the brand once again. Their unique chemistry and comic timing have added a whole new dimension to these ad campaigns. Through these ads, we aim to express ourselves, frame by frame and build our eyewear collection as diverse as our moods and also make the process of choosing eyewear a fun and enjoyable process.”

     

  • To promote Air Conditioners, Refrigerators and Washing Machines

    Karan Johar is as brand ambassador for Black Decker

    By Our Staff

     

    Indkal Technologies, the licence partner for Black Decker Large appliances in India, has roped in Karan Johar as ambassador for Air Conditioners, Refrigerators and Washing Machines business in India.

     

    Speaking about the partnership, Anand Dubey, CEO of Indkal Technologies, said: “We are thrilled to have Karan Johar as the face of Black Decker Large Appliances in India. We believe Karan’s style compliments our customers’ appetite for premium products with cutting-edge technology, top performance, and elegant design.”

     

  • For a 'videsi mein desi chatpatapan' campaign

    Kurkure collaborates with Karan Johar

    By Our Staff

     

    Kurkure snacks has collaborated with Karan Johar for its latest fusion flavour, Kurkure Chatpata Cheese, a mix of international cheese and Indian chatpatapan. The collaboration has launched a  mock-up of a matchmaking platform created specifically for desi and videsi matches, known as desividesijodi.com. The Kurkure TVC plays on the ‘Videsi Mein Desi Chatpatapan’ campaign.

     

    Sharing her thoughts on the campaign, Neha Prasad, Associate Director and Brand Lead, Kurkure added: “Kurkure is known for its quirky personality. We believe in creating content that is engaging and clutter breaking. Our recent collaboration with Karan Johar is no different. As one of the most loved brands in the country, we’re known for our masaledaar entertainment, just like many of Karan’s projects. Thus, we thought that this was the right leap for us to not only create conversations around our new product, but also strengthen the banter and engagement with our new-age consumers.”

     

  • With Viacom18's leading broadcast channels at play, the network has also acquired satellite rights for these films

    Viacom18 Studios hooks up with Dharma

    By Our Staff

     

    L to R: Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Ajit Andhare

    Viacom18 Studios has announced its collaboration with film-maker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. As part of the association, Viacom18 Studios and Dharma Productions will collaborate on some of forthcoming films over the next 18-24 months. With Viacom18’s leading broadcast channels at play, the network has also acquired satellite rights for these films.

     

    Speaking about the partnership, Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Studios, said: “As Viacom18 Studios scales up and begins a new chapter, we are looking at key partnerships with creators who shape mainstream entertainment. Collaborating to build a slate of films further strengthens our long-term association with Karan and Dharma Productions.”

     

    Added Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions: “The partnership with Viacom18 Studios is a significant step for Dharma as together we gear up to bring back the best of Hindi cinema to theatrical audiences. We believe that strategic alliances are the way forward for the film industry and this partnership is the stepping-stone to a long-term alliance.”

     

     

  • Casts KJo and Twinkle Khanna – the first time the pair to be seen onscreen

    Mullen Lintas films for Tata Cliq’s summer campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Tata Cliq, the Tata group’s premium products e-commerce offering, has launches a multi-film campaign to promote its offerings in home appliances and fashion categories. Conceived by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, the integrated campaign features celebrities Karan Johar and Twinkle Khanna.

    Said Kishore Mardikar, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Cliq: “Using a never-seen-before pair of Karan and Twinkle provided a clear differentiation for the brand. The witty banter between the duo will surely keep the audience engaged and entertained.”

    Added Garima Khandelwal and Azazul Haque, Chief Creative Officers, Mullen Lintas: “In the Cliq summer campaign, we see a celebrity pair that stands out from the usual couple chemistry we see in advertising. Having BFF’s roasting each other, the brand gets scale and flavour to stand out from the competition. Keeping 15 secs as a format a snackable content with banter between the endorsers, we borrowed from their real-life chemistry and made the category the third character in their conversation. The intent is to “Cliq” with the TG the brand is targeting, by standing out with this tonality, pushed to make it savage and in turn make Cliq an upgrade story, the urgency to get with it. The communication has a distinct look and language, we in fact brought the hyper-real sitcom vibe to the communication and we are very excited with the chatter about all these elements that make the campaign.”

     

     

  • Shouldn’t Star World have deleted the remark? As a network that cares for women, this act shows some chinks in the armour and/or the fact that the earlier “power social change” bit was spoken because it made for good copy

    1 Minute View: Shouldn’t Star have deleted the obnoxious Hardik Pandya comment?

    1 Minute ViewIt didn’t make us cringe, we were repulsed. It was downright obnoxious. Vulgar. And just for that, we lost all our respect for someone whose skills we admired.

     

    We are referring to Hardik Pandya and his utterances on Koffee with Karan, the chat show hosted by director, failed actor and reality show judge Karan Johar. Okay, let our descriptor of the director not give you an impression that we dislike the man. In fact, we think he’s a great entertainer and has given us some good cinema. Some.

     

    His chat show is entertaining, even if it is more about the sex lives and relationships of stars. A more appropriate title for the show would’ve been Starry lives or Sex lives of Stars with Karan Johar or whatever.

     

    Koffee with Karan is one of Star World’s flagship shows. It’s buzzy, and has made Star World popular and relevant despite being a channel that airs content people prefer to watch first on the internet. Or bingewatch on OTT. Hotstar.

     

    Star is a broadcaster we admire. It’s grown hugely over the years. Over the last decade, its ‘Nayi Soch’ campaign has worked well for a channel (Star Plus) that championed the saas-bahu genre on Hindi mass entertainment.

     

    In recent years, Star has also spearhead the cause of women. Not just for Star Plus but for the entire network. In 2016, it used the route of the Indian men’s cricket team jersey to “power social change” by each cricketer sporting their mother’s name on their jersey backs.

     

    Now how would the mothers, sister, wives, partners, daughters, girlfriends watching the show feel about how a Hardik Pandya would view them if he is ever a few yards away.

     

    We are upset with the way Karan Johan and KL Rahul reacted to Hardik’s remark. But we aren’t surprised. We don’t think Rahul could’ve done much and, frankly, we don’t expect the a film-maker who belongs to Bollywood, an arena that has regarded eve-teasing as an art form, to do much either. Though if he cared, he could have.

     

    Care is the word.

     

    But shouldn’t Star World have deleted the remark? As a network that cares for women, this act shows some chinks in the armour and/or the fact that the earlier “power social change” bit was spoken because it made for good copy.

     

    Did the Star standards and compliances fail? It’s now part of Disney which doesn’t look at these things too kindly. We don’t think this Koffee with Karan show will fail the broadcasters’ self-regulation code, if someone complains to it.

     

    Our peeve is that it didn’t fail Star’s own self-regulatory standards. For the Purani, Regressive soch, we are disappointed. Very.

     

    Update (as at 10.30am, Friday, Jan 11):

    Star India’s popular OTT platform Hotstar has taken off the controversial Koffee with Karan episode. But on going to the page that aired the episode, there’s an Error 404 screen. No apology. No terse regret note either. No reason given for the episode. No ‘nayi soch’ again. Sad.

    See screenshot:

     

  • He goes down the memory lane in his new office as Johnnie Walker celebrates his personal progress as part of the #LoveScotch campaign

    Karan Johar to endorse #LoveScotch for Johnnie Walker

    By A Correspondent

     

    As part of the global #LoveScotch initiative, Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky has announced the first India personal progress story with director-producer and now author.

     

    The Johnnie Walker film with Karan has been executed by Dharma 2.0 team. The digital film is the directorial debut for Sharan Sharma, a member of the Dharma 2.0 team.

     

    Said Nitesh Chhapru, VP – Marketing at USL – Diageo: “Johnnie Walker globally is creating communication that is based on the insight that extraordinary achievers move themselves and culture forward by seeking answers within. We are very proud to present Karan’s inspiring personal progress story andby building on this narrative we hope to inspire a positive culture shift in India that promotes and encourages the idea that it’s the walk within which propels you forward”.

     

    #LoveScotch is a global movement by Diageo to recruit the next generation of Scotch drinkers and spark a global love affair with the world’s favourite whisky.

     

  • When it comes to style tips, top-rated professionals such as Anushka would only trust the best

    KJo highlights Anushka’s hair issues in new campaign for Pantene

    By A Correspondent

     

    Known for his affiliation towards style and beauty, film-maker Karan Johar has pointed out Anushka’s hair fall troubles that lead her to call him her biggest hair critic. The actress, who had been struggling with this hair fall problem credits Pantene to have come to her rescue and solving it once and for all.

     

    “After I have switched to Pantene, I have to admit I have seen a change in my hair. The Pro-V formulation in this shampoo makes my hair so strong that I’ve forgotten what hair fall actually is.”, Anushka Sharma said on her struggle with hair fall.

     

    Pantene brand ambassador Anushka says, “I have known Karan all this while as that ‘critical’ friend; I would trust his judgment wholly on various things and I’m glad he is finally impressed by my hair!” she laughs. The film maker talks about her gorgeous hair. “Anushka’s hair is her crowning glory now and I’m glad she switched to and is going to continue using Pantene. Her hair has never looked better!” he expressed.

     

    Pantene continues to appoint ambassadors like Anushka Sharma, Selena Gomez, Giselle Bundchen to portray the benefits of the shampoo to millions of consumers.

     

  • The channel will have a SD and HD offering

    Viacom18 to launch English GEC ‘Colors Infinity’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 has announced the launch of its English general entertainment channel – to be called Colors Infinity. The channel will have a standard definition and HD version. Although Viacom18 has not revealed the date, trade sources inform that it could well be launched later this month (July).

     

    The network has entered into major multi-year deals with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, BBC and Endemol Shine amongst others.

     

    The channel will be co-curated by film-maker Karan Johar and popular actor Alia Bhatt, both of who profess to be passionate viewers of international content.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18: Today, we are the world’s second largest English-speaking population and live in an environment where English is seen as a ladder to personal progress. English is an extremely important space for us and with this move, we will further strengthen our share in the category.”

     

    The channel will see scripted and unscripted content that will span genres such as Drama, Superheroes, Comedy, Fantasy, Crime and Thrillers. Additionally, there will be a special focus on reality television with some of the world’s biggest shows across dancing, singing, cooking, and other lifestyle interests. The channel will also play home large format live events and awards.

     

    Ferzad Palia

    Talking about the channel, Ferzad Palia, EVP, Viacom18 and Head, English Entertainment said: “With its sheer breadth of offering and carefully selected content from across global markets, Colors Infinity will be the definitive platform for the best in English language entertainment across genres. Our objective is to grow the category by broadening the appeal and reaching to a wider base.”