MxMIndia

Tag: Salman Khan

  • It's a magic pot with unpredictability in its core. A diehard fan of the megashow, Sanjeev Kotnala

    Bigg Boss 12: Hits, Misses, Blips

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    The much-awaited Bigg Boss12 is now on and facing the audience test. Colors has always been high on experimentation with concepts, props and tasks. The host Salman Khan on the opening night did what he does best, enhancing audience engagement, involvement and entertainment. I hope that Bigg Boss12 is going to be a lot more entertaining.

     

    THE EXTENDED FRANCHISE OF BIGG BOSS

    Bigg Boss post its inaugural night on November 3, 2006 has come a long way. The franchise now extends to Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Malayalam. I see the show as classic glasshouse experimentation in human behaviour and endurance.

    It’s a magic pot with unpredictability in its core. It is like an extended amoebic family that keeps changing its definition and membership. Members that throw an open challenge on the face and keep scheming behind your back. The contestants are completely devoted to achieving of their ultimate objective. A will-do-anything for avoiding nomination or getting the captainship that comes with immunity and powers.  The constant chatter and natural bitching, fight. There is an irreversible irrevocable omnipresent loop of fight-makeup-friendship-offence-defence-fight. There are minor variations and lot more that going in the mind of loyal viewers. Romance and dictatorial democracy. Moreover, tasks are testing the contestant’s mental and physical capabilities.

     

    HIT

    The channel has acceded to the unified audience demand of early telecast timing. The 9pm slot is going to add to audience interest and resultant viewership. However, the channel may be forced to drop some real spicy incidents and beep some words.  For watching the uncut you have Voot.

    Humans gyrate towards like minded others. In the pressure cooker called the Bigg Boss house, Jodi and at times even Tikri (threesome) has been on display in earlier seasons. So, Jodi or ‘Vichitra Jodi’ as the channel brands it, is a natural extension.

     

    MISS

    One noticeable miss was the representation of LGBT representative among the contestants after the Section 377 being decriminalised.  Calling them Vichitra Jodi would have been so politically incorrect. Not sure how it could have been handled.

     

    BLIP

    The not-so-humorous treatment doled out to Anup Jalota and Jasleen was not in good taste. It’s also okay for people to say that once you sign for Bigg Boss, you are a mere contestant and should be expecting this treatment.

    It’s okay for the contestant to raise the issue inside the house, which they have already done. However, the Bigg Boss stage with Salman Khan should have remained neutral to the vichitrata of the age gap.

    The other miss was the omnipresent never smiling Jallad. He is a brand in himself with a fan following. Hope we see him during the first weekend in his new avatar.

     

    THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS.

    Who will join Rahul Roy, Ashutosh Kaushik, Vindu Dara Singh, Shweta Tiwari, Juhi Parmar, Urvashi Dholakia, Gauahar Khan, Prince Narula, Manveer Gujjar and Shilpa Shinde as the next BiggBoss Winner?

    Will Bigg Boss 12 break the earlier season records in popularity? The stage is all set. The spread of the contestant is bubbling with energy and ideas. The contestants are smart and determined with their strong views and idiosyncrasies. A bit more of celebrity content would have always helped. I believe this season is going to be a lot more entertaining and will gain from the 9pm slot.

     

    THE EARLY PREDICTION.

    Many may wish for him to win, but I don’t see S Sreesanth ever surviving long. Urvashi Vani will have not much to play but a lot to play for in the show. The Fake Vs. Real people drama started on Day One will have many more takers and episodes in time to come.

     

    I would be surprised if Shivashish – Saurabh, Roshmi – Mital, Sabha – Somi and Anup Jalota – Jasleen, Karanveer Bohra or Srishty Rode were to win. Jodies will not find it easy in the show, as expected by the public and the contestants themselves; Biggboss will play them against each other. However, Romil Choudhary – Nirmal Singh and Surbhi – Kirti seem to be two strong Jodies in the show.

     

    Deepak Thakur, Dipika Kakar and Neha Pendse could be that surprise package. However, I have the right to change my mind at any phase of the show. Yeah to abhi trailer hai, picture abhi bahut baki hai mere dost.

     

    THE COMMITMENT AND DREAM.

    Out of some 1039 hours of the original telecast of the Hindi version, I would have watched at least 1000 hours, that’s like 41 days of viewing. The most extended version has been Season 8 of 133 days with 29 contestants.

    As of Season 11, approximately 185 contestants have been part of Bigg Boss spending more than 24 hours in the house, excluding the star guests.

    I have been to the audition in Season 9 and regret not making it to the final. I blame it on my uninspiring, noncontroversial, unexciting and harmless life story. However, dreams do not die early. Anup Jalota has made it to the show with Jasleen, and so there is still hope for me. Give me at least 72 hours to test myself in that environment.

    Till then I will manage with my yearly pilgrimage to the sets of Bigg Boss at Lonavala.

     

    MISSED THE SHOW. GET ON VOOT.

    Last night, I thought I could catch the show on Voot as my flight from Nagpur was at 2155 hrs. However, Voot does not carry live. When I checked it at 2340 Hrs on the way to home from the airport, I realised episodes are not loaded immediately after the telecast. Maybe this is something channel need to check for.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing and strategy consultant and trainer. He writes on MxMIndia every week. The views here are personal.

     

     

  • Will the megastar be remembered for squandering the opportunity to shape an industry he firmly ruled, asks Shailesh Kapoor

    Salman Khan: Lazy At The Top

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    September 10, 2010 marked the release of a film that would go on to shape the next decade in Hindi cinema in an unmistakable way, giving it a true superstar who will rule through that period. The film was the imaginatively-titled Dabangg.

     

    Over these eight years, Salman Khan’s stardom has acquired a cult status that last seen with Amitabh Bachchan in the late 70s and the early 80s. There have been phasesin the 1985-2005 period when other stars have been firmly on top. But none of those stints have matched Khan’s current one, either on their tenure or on the sheer size of the fandom itself.

     

    Salman Khan has given 13 releases in this period, from Dabangg to the recent Race 3. He has also hosted eight season of the immensely-popular Bigg Boss, has been through his share of controversies and court cases, and has been kept busy inhis philanthropy cum image makeover initiative, Being Human. He’s clearly not resting his stardom out.

     

    Very few in the media industry truly understand his star power. In times of low attention spans and rapidly-changing tastes, to hold onto a fan base for nearly a decade is unimaginable. Three out of his 13 films have been box office failures of varying degrees (Jai Ho, Tubelight and now Race 3). But each of these have opened to big numbers and done business that even the biggest hit of many younger stars struggle to do. It’s almost as if Khan has created a world of his own, with his own benchmarks, and is running a one-horse race. And that can, sometimes, be a cause for concern.

     

    With the exception Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan, Khan is used to being ridiculed by the critics for his choice of films and his ‘vanity project’ approach to them. He has been brazenly dismissive of this criticism, and his fans have supported him by delivering the numbers at the box office. Take for instance his last release before Race 3. Tiger Zinda Hai got poor reviews across the board but emerged a big success, sustaining for four weeks at the box office and doing 300+ Crore business in India.

     

    But Race 3 could be a watershed for Khan. It is the first Khan film that even his fans seem to have disowned. Even with the tacky Jai Ho and the dull Tubelight, the fans found silver linings to hold on to. But not with Race 3. The film has been the target of social media jokes and memes, and Khan’s acting skills have come under severe criticism. The fans may not have spearheaded this attack, but they have not trolled those engaged in it. For the first time, it seems, they can see that their star needs to be told that he needs to take his work more seriously.

     

    And that’s perhaps what the criticism is about, at its core:“That you are the biggest superstar of this country, have all the resources at your will, can get to work with people and on scripts that you want to, set the rules you want to work by. And yet, you choose this silly, spoof-ish film. Why would you do this to your fans?”

     

    Contrary to what many would say, I don’t believe it’s arrogance at work, where one would tend to think that “anything I do will work anyway”. It’s a sense of laziness and mild complacence, of the type that one-horse races can often bring with them. It seems Khan’s hunger to achieve even higher success has died just a bit. It’s evident not just in Race 3 (through its promotions and then in the film itself), but also in his TV show 10 Ka Dum, which premiered three weeks ago on Sony. Khan looks only mildly interested in the show, going through the motions and failing to lift it to a new level with his magical star touch. That’s far cry from his efforts on Bigg Boss, where his hosting is generally of the highest level. He’s also not looking his best in the film and the show, and that never helps.

     

    Race 3 would be a forgotten chapter when his next release Bharat comes our way. But the larger question will remain: How will the history of popular cinema remember Salman Khan? As a megsatar who set new trends, or as a megastar who created a certain type of cinema and limited himself to it, thereby squandering the opportunity to shape an industry he firmly ruled.

     

    Khan is no rookie. Having worked for 30 long years, he would understand all of this. The real question is: Does he care enough?

     

     

  • This partnership will see scripted and non-scripted content created across interesting genres for Indian and South East Asian markets

    Banijay Asia & Salman Khan TV collaborate to create content for digital &TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading independent content creation group Banijay Group which entered the country recently with Deepak Dhar as the big(g) boss has tied up with Salman Khan TV to “create novel and stimulating content for TV and the web”. This partnership will see Banijay Asia and SK TV provided scripted and non-scripted content across genres for Indian and South East Asian markets.

     

    Commenting on the association, Dhar said: “I am really looking forward for this association as creating ground-breaking content for India and South East Asia, creating challenging content has been my forte. This is an extremely substantial partnership for us to associate with SK TV. With the emerging shows, in television and digital this collaboration will build our presence in India and South East Asia”

     

     

  • The #FeelTheFizz media campaign to have a budget of Rs. 100 crore for 2018

    Appy Fizz gets Salman Khan to push its fizz story in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parle Agro has announced the launch of its #FeelTheFizz marketing campaign for brand Appy Fizz with a budget of Rs 100 crore. This will be the first campaign for the brand featuring its new brand ambassador Salman Khan.

     

    According to a communique, the aggressive campaign is part of the overall strategy of the organisation targeting Rs 5,000 crore brand turnover by end-2018 as well as building the Fruit plus Fizz category to Rs 4,000 crore over the coming years.

     

    Speaking on the new campaign, Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director & CMO, Parle Agro said: “With the new #FeelTheFizz campaign, the target is to further increase the double digit growth Appy Fizz has been consistently seeing over the past few years while solidifying it as the leader of the Fruit plus Fizz category. Salman Khan as the face of the brand plays a critical role in achieving the aggressive vision we have set out for the brand and the category it created. Driving scale in distribution, recall and preference are the key brand objectives for the brand in 2018.”

     

    Sagmeister & Walsh, continues to be the creative agency on board, while the TVC is produced by 1st Ave. Machine, New York, and directed by Morgan Harary.

     

    Speaking on the new campaign, Jessica Walsh, Partner at Sagmeister & Walsh said: “This year, we looked to undertake the unique objective of ensuring we preserve the almost premium aura of the brand while still ensuring it delivered to appeal across multiple audiences, ranging from the niche to the masses. We continued to build on the #FeelTheFizz story line while pushing the boundaries of being bold, edgy and confident, core attributes of Appy Fizz as well as its consumers.”

     

     

  • The TVC is a part of 360-degree campaign to unveil the new collection offlipflops

    Salman Khan keeps chilling, flipping for Bahamas

     

     

    We know that actor Salman Khan walked free on bail last week, hence we couldn’t help contextualising this with the news of a new footwear brand Bahamas TV campaign that’s themed ‘Keep Chillin, Keep Fllipin’. The actor stars in the ad conceptualised and developed by Arms Communication.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Gaurav Dua, Executive Director- Relaxo Footwears said: “Bahamas is all about chilling and having fun. The brand caters to the daily lifestyle needs of today’s energetic and fun loving youth. The new TVC brings in a great energy and motivate the audience to break the dull routine, go out and enjoy with friends. Salman Khan perfectly complements the brand’s persona with his charismatic personality and mass appeal.” Hmmm.

     

    Added Reet Ahluwalia, Managing Director- Arms Communications said: “I always feel that the first five seconds are the most crucial in a TVC to grab the viewer’s attention. That is why new Bahamas TVC opens with a close up of famous Salman Khan bracelet to establish the curiosity. The twist unfolds into the visuals of Salman Khan playing a DJ and setting up the Bahamas party on a beach. The catchy music, freestyle dance moves along with cool and colorful footwear’s just complete the Bahamas world.”

     

     

  • With the on-set of summer across India, Salman will feature in the new #FeelTheFizz campaign for Appy Fizz

    Parle Agro gets Salman Khan to promote Appy Fizz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parle Agro has announced actor Salman Khan as the new face of its brand Appy Fizz. The actor will feature in the new #FeelTheFizz campaign for the drink.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Nadia Chauhan, Joint MD and CMO, Parle Agro said: “Appy Fizz has established a strong foothold in the market over the years and with this collaboration, we want to further build the brand through aggressive marketing initiatives. Salman Khan’s magnetic personality seamlessly reflects the brand’s identity, and with his popularity along with the power of Appy Fizz, we aim to make this brand a household name.”

     

     

  • #LookGoodDoGood aims to sow the seeds of social responsibility, especially in the youth

    Being Human Clothing recognises achievers via #LookGoodDoGood

    By A Correspondent

     

    Being Human is set to launch its latest Spring Summer 18 campaign featuring the brand’s co-founder Salman Khan and nine unsung heroes.

     

    Said Manish Mandhana, CEO, Mandhana Retail Ventures Ltd, the global licencee for Being Human Clothing: “It feels great to see the Being Human family expanding every year through the brand campaigns. The thought is always to get like-hearted people together and collectively create a stronger communication that inspires individuals to Doing Good while Looking Good. The financial year has been really good for us, from launching new campaigns to entering the south market with new store openings. With almost 60 stores in India till date we are planning to explore & expand extensively in Tier II & Tier II cities targeting the aspirational & young India. We shall further continue to grow, supporting the twin cause of Education and Healthcare that Being Human – the Salman Khan Foundation has initiated.”

     

     

  • A new TVC, starring Salman Khan, is expected to go on air soon across all major channels

    Salman Khan to endorse edible oil brand for Emami

    By A Correspondent

     

    Actor Salman Khan has joined superstar Amitabh Bachchan in endorsing Emami’s edible oil brands. Emami has three brands in its edible oil business – Emami Healthy & Tasty, Himani Best Choice and Rasoi apart from Bake Magic – a speciality fat brand.  Salman Khan will endorse the brand Himani Best Choice.

     

    A new TVC, starring Salman Khan, is expected to go on air soon across all major channels. The TVC, produced by Opticus Inc., is conceptualised, written and directed by Nitesh Tiwari of ‘Dangal’ fame, whereas famed Cinematographer Setu of Kahani/Dangal fame is the cinematographer and Ivan Fernandez is the food stylist.

     

    Speaking on this occasion, Aditya Vardhan Agarwal, Director, Emami Group said: “After attaining the leadership position in the Eastern markets, we now have ambitious plans to take our edible oil brands on national platforms. To reach out to the consumer base nationally, what could have been a better idea than to have two heavy duty stars on board who enjoy a strong pan-India appeal that cuts across with both masses and classes. Salman Khan has a huge fan following which is evident from his slew of box office grossers like Sultan, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dabang and more recently Tiger Zinda Hai and we felt that he would be the right fit along with Big B to take our brands to a wider consumer base.”

     

     

  • To endorse CP Plus Intelligent Security Systems

    CP Plus signs up Salman Khan as its CCTV ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    CP Plus has signed up Salman Khan as its CCTV ambassador. CP PLUS aims to reach out to the masses with this partnership further making them aware of the need for the intelligent security and surveillance in the society at all levels. The brand will come up with communication on security and surveillance through its new campaign, taking it to next level with Salman Khan in action.

     

    On this partnership, Aditya Khemka, MD, CP PLUS said: “With Salman, we intend to reach out to the masses and generate awareness on security and surveillance in India.”

     

     

  • Brand ambassador Salman Khan dons the character of a savvy salesman

    Dixcy Scott promotes advantages of Spandex in latest film

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dixcy Scott has launched its latest film that promotes elastic fibre Spandex. Brand ambassador Salman Khan dons the character of a salesman, ready to take on any challenge.

     

    Said Premji Sikka, Chairman of Dixcy Scott: “Our objective was to highlight our products with Spandex elastic, which makes our product more durable and long-lasting.”

     

    Said Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and National Creative Director, Ogilvy India: ”Instead of just doing a product window, we wanted to integrate the story of the product into the story of the ad. We took the Sumo route to demonstrate the product truth of better elasticity and fit, and its a very interesting demonstration. Dixcy Scott has a lot of faith in us and we look forward to a long partnership with the brand.

     

     

  • Future films will premiere first on Amazon Prime Video after theatrical release and two months before Satellite/Television broadcast or any other form of distribution

    Amazon Prime Video cements exclusive deal with Salman Khan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amazon Prime Video announced a global exclusive content deal with Salman Khan Ventures. This ensures Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home of future titles of Salman Khan commencing with the recently released Tubelight. Apart from the new releases, existing titles like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kick, Jai Ho and Hero will also be available on Amazon Prime Video.

     

    Said Nitesh Kripalani, Director and Country Head, Amazon Video India: “Salman Khan is the biggest star in India with a massive worldwide appeal, having played roles and iconic characters that are loved by audiences across the world. We, at Amazon Prime Video are elated to announce this epic, ground-breaking global deal with Salman. This is another big step to change the way how Indian customers consume entertainment with Salman’s movies coming first to Prime Video customers, before their television broadcast.”

     

    Added James Farrell, Head of Content, Prime Video, Asia Pacific: “Salman is a huge star with a massive global fan following.  This exclusive worldwide Prime Video streaming deal with him is one of the biggest star deals to have ever been done in the world.  India is a top priority market for Amazon and we believe that this love India has for films, the passion, the energy and the talent of India needs to be on a worldwide stage for global audiences to see.”

     

  • Yellow Diamond is the brand of Prataap Snacks, which has a diversified portfolio of savoury snacks

    Yellow Diamond unveils new campaign featuring superstar Salman Khan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yellow Diamond has rolled out a TVC campaign “Dildaar Hai Hum” featuring Indian Bollywood celebrity Salman Khan. Yellow Diamond is the brand of Prataap Snacks, which has a diversified portfolio of savoury snacks which includes extruded snacks, chips and namkeen in varied range of flavours that caters to the Indian taste buds.

     

    The commercials begin with a musical shot which opens with a funky guy sharing a selfie while eating snacks and actor Salman Khan appears and detests his way of sharing. The actor then whistles and a troop of dancers appear, dressed in sportswear. The actor then explains the meaning of sharing by showing his quirky dance moves on “Share karo toh dil se” soundtrack. This soundtrack is the recreation of the song “Selfie le-le re” from Bollywood movie, Bajrangii Bhaijaan.

     

    Said Amit Kumat, MD and CEO, Prataap Snacks: “Through this TVC, we have tried to convey the age old message that ‘Sharing is caring’, with the entire TVC campaign focusing on sharing. With “Dildaar Hai Hum” as our brand philosophy, we aspire to be loved and accepted by our consumers. The TVC concept brings this out in a lively and humorous way. The presence of superstar Salman Khan is the major highlight of the TVC campaign which contributes towards creating a mass appeal for our brand and products.”

     

    Speaking about the conceptualisation, Arun Iyer, Chief Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas said: “The campaign thought of ‘Dildaar hain hum’ is specifically directed towards the youth who are highly influenced by technology today. One trend that the youth are addicted to is sharing and posting activities on social media platforms. The video film urges the youth to drift away from this habit of being obsessed with only digital media and rather focus on sharing other aspects of life that are more meaningful. This is because ‘real sharing digital se nahin, dil se ki jaati hai’. We believe this trait will be well-accepted and adopted by the consumers and will ensure that the Yellow Diamond brand finds its place in the hearts of the consumers.”