82% Indians say IPL not a drag: Ipsos Survey.

MUMBAI: —Ipsos IPL survey shows that 82% Indians polled view the IPL as an extravaganza for cricket buffs and are fine with the tournament stretching to 7 weeks, given our high interest in the game; 12% respondents however find the duration of the tournament too long leaving little time for other things; though 7% respondents desisted from voicing their opinion.

“Weariness from watching too much IPL is unthinkable for a cricket crazy nation like ours. IPL does hijack complete attention of cricket enthusiasts,” said Amit Adarkar, Managing Director - India, Ipsos.

Given the popularity of the IPL, we’d asked respondents to name star batsman of the IPL who would notch up the highest runs. 46% named Virat Kohli and other batsmen chosen were: MS Dhoni (21%); Chris Gayle (9%); Rohit Sharma (7%); AB De Villiers (6%); Suresh Raina (5%); Brendon McCullum (2%); David Miller (2%); Steven Smith (1%) and Glen Maxwell (1%).

Interestingly, the Orange Cap Holders, batsmen with highest run tally in pecking order so far are: Virat Kohli (RCB), DA Warner (SH), AB de Villiers (RCB), RG Sharma (MI), AM Rahane (RPS), G Gambhir (KKR), S Dhawan (SH), M Vijay (KXIP), Q de Kock (DD) and SK Raina (GL).

We’d also asked respondents to name bowlers who would take most wickets. Star bowlers chosen were: Ravichandran Ashvin (21%), Sunil Narine (19%), Zaheer Khan (14%), Umesh Yadav (12%), Mitchell Johnson (9%), Lasith Malinga (8%), Dale Steyn (6%), Jasprit Burmah (5%); Mitchell Star (4%) and Tim Southee (3%) .

In IPL 9, Purple Cap Holders (bowlers bagging maximum wickets) are: YS Chahal (RCB), B Kumar (SH), MJ McClenaghan (MI), Mustafizur Rahman (SH), SR Watson (RCB), AD Russel (KKR), Sandeep Sharma (KXIP), JJ Burmah (MI), DJ Bravo (GL) and DS Kulkarni (GL).

“A lot of dark horses have created new benchmarks in their career in this season of the IPL,” said Adarkar.

Virat Kohli, skipper Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has kept the momentum going and has notched up the highest run tally in the IPL Season 9 and had recently displayed a scintillating performance at the ICC T20 World Cup as well. Comparing Kohli with Tendulkar has been rife for some time; we asked respondents if Virat Kohli was a legend in making a la Sachin Tendulkar? 51% respondents agreed that Kohli is a legend in making and inching towards being next Tendulkar; 28% however felt that Kohli was a legend in making but far from being the next Tendulkar; 11% felt that Kohli still has to play some more good cricket to either be a legend league or be the next Tendulkar. 10% had no views.

With all the hoopla around the IPL, our survey asked which team would lift the trophy. Overall we got, divided views: 26% voted for Mumbai Indian (MI); 23% for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR); 20% chose the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB); 14% voted for the Delhi DareDevils (DD); 6% for Sunrisers Hyderabad; (SH) 4% for Kings Eleven Punjab (KXIP); 4% for Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and 3% for Gujarat Lions (GL).

Adarkar is all praise for Gujarat Lions: “Debutants have notched up highest points when we look at the matches-won-tally (this is likely to change as more matches are played). Underdogs have zipped past the rest.”

Point wise pecking order, till now was: Gujarat Lions is leading and at the top, followed by RCB, SH, KKR, MI, DD, RPS and KXIP.

Interestingly, our survey shows allegiance by most cities for their state team, barring a few exceptions: Delhiites feel DD will bag the coveted IPL Trophy (56%); Mumbaikars say MI (75%); Chennai chooses MI (44%) and DD (21%); Kolkata sure about KKR (80%); Ahmedabad torn between KKR (48%) and RCB (38%); Bangalore for RCB (58%); Hyderabad for SH (40%) and RCB (26%); Lucknow fan following is split between RCB (30%), KKR (29%) and MI (21%).

“This season we have seen the two debutante teams of Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants. It will be interesting to see whether defending champions Mumbai Indians lift the trophy or will it be the Gujarat Lions, Delhi Devils or Kolkata Knight Riders. Still a lot more action on the anvil; and frenzy among fans will only increase as the final matches draw close,” adds Adarkar

How Media quotes Makarand Wadekar 3

Centre may declare Sahyadri a red zone

The decision may adversely affect development projects.

Mamta Chitnis Sen  Mumbai | 23rd Aug 2014

he Central government may declare the Sahyadri hills a "red zone" where construction activities are banned, say officials in Maharashtra's environment department. If implemented, this could affect the future of over 36 townships that are coming up in western Maharashtra. "The Sahyadris are ecologically sensitive. After the landslide in Malin, which led to the death of 160 people, the Ministry of Environment may declare the entire area as a no-development zone. The declaration may come after October," said the Mantralaya official. "As of now, over 700 builders, big and small, are involved in different construction projects in the belt. After the Malin tragedy, those promoting the concept of second country homes are desperately trying to dispose of these plots," he said. The source added that if the area is declared a "red zone", builders and developers will face huge losses. Credit policy analyst Makarand Wadekar agrees that in case the Sahyadri belt is declared a red zone, builders who have invested heavily in the construction of new projects will suffer and the value of the land will go down. "I believe that most plots that are located in the Sahyadris, especially within a 100 kilometre radius of Mumbai (stretching from Panvel to the outskirts of Pune), are being developed violating all ecological norms. Huge amounts are being invested to cut the mountains but no attempt is being made to rehabilitate the ecosystem. The builder lobby purchases land along these hills either from local villagers, through questionable means or encroaches upon the forestland. Usually, these lands are acquired for throwaway prices like Rs 10 lakh per acre and sold off at escalated costs. After digging deep at 10 metres in these areas, you tend to hit water which rusts the steel plinths that are made to stand in this soil. This causes the houses to fall after a few years. With trees being uprooted, the soil, which becomes loose tends to flow downhill causing landslides," he said. Ashutosh Limaye, head, Research & Real Estate Intelligence Survey, Jones Lang LaSalle India, points out that once the area is declared a red zone, not only will there be restriction on development in various gradations but the projects currently under construction will also suffer. "I believe that in critical areas, development would come to a stop. While in partially critical areas, it would continue. A majority of projects are being promoted as second homes in these hills and we have seen that their appreciation value tends to go down irrespective of the fact whether it is a no-development zone or not. Most buyers enjoy the property initially but tend to neglect it over the years. Also builders, once they hand over these projects to their owners, back out completely from the maintenance of these projects, causing the selling rates to plummet," he says.

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/centre-may-declare-sahyadri-a-red-zone

Interview in Media 2

Bihari Babus want Mumbai to start Bhojpuri film awards

Mamta Chitnis Sen  MUMBAI | 12th Jun 2011

Bhojpuri heroine Monalisa is a Maharashtrian. he Bihari bureaucrat lobby in Maharashtra wants the state government to come up with awards recognising Bhojpuri cinema. These bureaucrats feel that the awards will not only commemorate the 50th year of Bhojpuri cinema in 2011, but will also help Bhojpuri films attain national status. If the proposal gets cleared, the maiden awards ceremony will be held in November at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex, at a stone's throw from Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's bungalow Matoshree. "Top female actors in Bhojpuri cinema such as Monalisa and Bhagyashree are Maharashtrians. Even Marathi film producers are raking in crores by producing Bhojpuri films," said a bureaucrat on the condition of anonymity. He added that the Bhojpuri film industry is the second largest in Mumbai and it is time it got national recognition: "Mumbai is an obvious choice for such awards as Bhojpuri films are shot and produced in the city. Single-screen theatres that do not show Marathi films will screen Bhojpuri films because they are super hits and money-spinners." The bureaucrat however, dismissed the speculation that the attempt was a political move by the Congress government to control the North Indian vote bank in Maharashtra. Ravi Shankar Srivastav, the chairman of Bihar Foundation, said that they have been urging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to hold an award ceremony in Patna, but that they would not mind if any such ceremony is hosted in Mumbai. The foundation, which is patronised by Nitish Kumar, is controlled by bureaucrats from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "We thought of the Bandra Kurla Complex as the venue is centrally located and closer to Dharavi, where the Bihari population resides in large numbers," said Srivastav, who is a bureaucrat himself. Makarand Wadekar, principal consultant of television programming company In Search, said that the popularity of Bhojpuri cinema has increased so much that the Adhikari brothers-owned SAB TV has requested the state government to give subsidy to Bhojpuri films made in Maharashtra. "SAB TV plans to produce and direct Bhojpuri films and talks are currently being held with the state government to construct infrastructure for the same," he said. "The audience for Bhojpuri cinema cuts across all classes. These films have a huge fan following among Biharis — not just among labourers but also the educated and the elite abroad. With UP elections around the corner the Congress will use this opportunity to derive maximum political mileage. The Maharashtra government is taking a lot of interest to capture the North Indian vote bank," Wadekar said. On 6 June, the film magazine Cine Bhojpuri hosted its maiden awards ceremony at Mumbai's Rang Sharda auditorium. Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who was the chief guest, is said to be planning to come up with his own award ceremony to keep North Indians in Mumbai happy. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena spokesperson Shirish Parkar said, "We don't mind any number of Bhojpuri awards being hosted in Mumbai but will not like subsidies to be given to Bhojpuri films in Maharashtra." http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/bihari-babus-want-mumbai-to-start-bhojpuri-film-awards

Makarand Wadekar interview in Media - 1

Fear of increased taxes made markets crash

Mamta Chitnis Sen  MUMBAI | 2nd Mar 2013

ixed reactions are pouring in from the business fraternity over the Budget and more importantly the one and a half hour stock market crash that followed. Rakesh Samatha, an investor from Dalal Streetsays, "The market started functioning irrationally after the Foreign Investment Institutions (FII) saw that instead of making more profits they're forced to pay more taxes. This shows that in spite of the BSE having many ndian investors, the market clearly depends on foreign investors. It's high time that Chidambaram identifies small investors to avoid such situations," he says. Debashish Basu, editor of Moneycontrol.in, says, "One of the reasons the markets reacted was because there is a lot of disbelief about the way the FM has projected the figures and growth. Then there was confusion about the Mauritius tax angles, which was not that important, but enough to create chaos for one-and-half hour in the market," he also added that this shows that the upward movement of the market has been broken. On a different note, Robin Banerjee, deputy managing director, Bilcare, said that the budget was a good one, keeping in mind the coalition politics involved. He believed the market crash was only a short time phenomenon and will not have future impact. "India has preferential treatise with various countries, like Mauritius. When investors from this country buy shares in the stock market, there is a preferential tax treatment. In fact, it pertains to Capital Gains tax, which is eligible on shares sold, when the original investment arises from Mauritius. However, in the Budget proposal, it was proposed that the government will not only obtain certifications from the country of origin but would also require 'some other proof' to satisfy the genuineness of the origin of the money. This is known as the 'residency test' and is where the problem lies," he analysed, adding that investors thought that through the new proposal of verification of tax residency, additional taxes could be levied when shares will be bought and sold in future, as the government may disallow the Mauritian status of certain investments. He added that, when the government clarified this issue, the markets bounced back. Credit policy analyst Makarand Wadekar also says that the stock markets mainly run on foreign investors, who for now believe that it is not a favourable time to invest in India and do not have faith in the government's long term policies. http://www.sunday-guardian.com/business/fear-of-increased-taxes-made-markets-crash

What Media project Makarand Wadekar

 CHILDREN OF THE IDIOT BOX

Following was article published in CoverT in 01 Jan 2009 Magazine.
Even if you read last two para you will understand more about me or my profession. Look forward to hear your comments
Regards





CHILDREN OF THE IDIOT BOX

By Mamta Sen

Maharashtra Labour Minister Nawab Malik has created a stir in the entertainment industry by sending notices to all television producers through the labour commissioner about the safety norms for child artistes working on the sets and the long hours they put in. Most television channels declined to comment on the notice, with some claiming that they had not even received it. But measures are being put in place to ensure that the child actors do not disclose information about their work conditions and schedules.

Television channel Colors which is airing at least four serials with children in the lead — Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Jai Sri Krishna and Chhote Miyan — was not particularly forthcoming on this. Programming head Ashvini Yardi pointed out that these serials try to focus on social issues that have never before been dealt with on Indian television. “Our single biggest priority is to offer programming that will help break through the clutter and this is why you will see us deliver a strong proposition of differentiation and distinctive content,” she said.

The channel has ensured that children acting in its serials do not interact with the media. This has reportedly been incorporated in formal agreements, according to a family friend of Balika Vadhu’s lead character Avika Gor who plays the role of Anandi.

Eleven-year-old Avika is today the most sought after face on Indian television. She has won an award for Best Female Child Artiste, as well as for Best Female Newcomer, Best Female Artiste, and Best Fresh Face, outdoing senior actresses. Rumours are, Avika, who is earning lakhs of rupees, has stopped going to school. Numerous calls to her father Sameer by this correspondent went unanswered. Avika has also started modelling and recently walked the ramp for an imitation jewellery designer at a five-star hotel. She is also making her debut in a movie Paathshala with actor Shahid Kapoor. It also stars her “rival”, ten-year-old Swini Khara.

Swini had made audiences sit up with her crisp performance in Balki’s Cheeni Kum starring Amitabh Bachchan, where she played the role a terminally ill patient. She began her career as a three-year-old modelling for Ajanta toothpaste and hit the big screen with Kalpana Lajmi’s Chingari and Hari Puttar. Her forthcoming films include Paathshala [with Avika] and Kaalo, as well as a voice over in Nikhil Advani’s Ab Delhi Door Nahin. Swini, who was nominated for Best Child Artiste [female] along with Avika for her role in Baa Bahoo aur Baby on Star Plus, confesses that though she does get tired, it is the sheer enjoyment of acting that keeps her going. Her mother Shilpa though believes work schedules often differ with each production house. “Swini generally does shooting after school, but we prefer commercials to films or serials since they wrap up pretty fast. We often tend to bunk school for commercials since they usually take up an entire day,” the mother said, adding that children too should be compensated since school is kind of “work” for them. “Juggling school and shootings together often takes a toll, but Swini carries her school books to the film sets and studies between shots,” said Shilpa, refusing to answer how much her daughter is paid for her long hours of work. She admitted, however, that the competition was getting extremely stiff.

Casting director Mona Irani, who has been working with child actors for the last 16 years, said, “Earlier there used to be a mere ten kids auditioning for one role. Now around 150-200 kids land up, out of which only one will probably be selected.” She said that this increase in numbers has become noticeable over the past five years. “There is a lot of talent, it is just a question of getting the right break,” she said. Mona was of the view that more than producers, parents need to be pulled up by the Government for pushing their children to the brink.

“Parents themselves give permission for their kids to shoot for 14 hours at a stretch. The notice should have been sent to them instead. Most parents want their kids to be mini-stars. Once the child gets a taste of fame they stop him or her from going to school. Quick money and instant recognition is what drives parents to push their children to such limits. They are trying to live their dreams through the child,” said Mona, adding that the remuneration ranges between Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh a day.

Money, and not safety, is of utmost importance, according to several coordinators in the entertainment industry. A modelling coordinator confided that film sets were often not safe for child actors. “You often have men, specially technicians, landing up drunk on the sets and I have seen kids left alone by parents to fend for themselves, with no separate rooms for them to relax. So yes, they are vulnerable and it is almost as if we are waiting for a disaster to happen,” he said.

Hansika Motwani, a former child artiste who made her debut opposite Himesh Reshammiya in Aap Kaa Surroor: The Real Luv Story last year, is a case in point. “Her mother used to call the shots. The child at eleven years was even made to act as a rape victim in a movie called Jaago based on a real life incident. This movie catapulted her to the status of the highest paid child actor then. Though the girl is only 18 years old today, she looks over 30 and has hardly made an impact as a heroine,” insiders point out.

“The child should be given an opportunity to decide,” according to theatre artiste Debashish Chanda whose two daughters Swarna and Prothoma have been acting in serials since three years old. While Swarna [9] has acted in Neelanjana on 9X, Prothoma [6] is busy doing commercials. “Work only depends on the number of scenes per day and yes, though juggling school and shooting is tiresome, one cannot help it,” Debashish said. He admitted to being disappointed if his children failed the auditions, adding, “Favouritism is rampant here as well; which is why I have registered my kids in the Cine Artiste Association as members to protect them from being taken for a ride.”

Swarna, of course, did not know what the fuss was all about. “Sometimes I do get tired but it’s okay. In school I am the only one who is famous and I love it when everyone notices me,” she said with a big smile [¼]

REALITY BITES FILM STARS

The small screen has always been regarded as the last hope for resurrecting one’s acting career. Amitabh Bachchan gave a shot to his career with Kaun Banega Crorepati?, a lead that several actors followed. TRP ratings for Salman Khan’s Dus Ka Dum, Shah Rukh Khan’s Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai? and Akshay Kumar’s Fear Factor remained low and dissuaded others from anchoring similar shows. Instead, film personalities decided to play the role of celebrity judges in several song and dance reality shows, rather than actually acting in teleserials as was the case over a decade ago. Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, Star Voice of India, Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dhikhhla Jaa are some of the more popular shows where celebrities take on the role of strict judges, often relaxing sufficiently to sing or dance with the contestants.

To spice up their shows, the channels are wooing film personalities who are in great demand. Nach Baliye 4 has Farah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Karisma Kapoor as its judges, while the relatively new dance show, Dancing Queen has Hema Malini and Jeetendra.

Rajesh Kamat, chief executive officer of Colors, says that proper weekend programming along with a good choice of celebrities as anchors is the formula for a successful show. However, as sources pointed out, for many of the film personalities the show becomes an opportunity to project their ongoing films. For instance, Deepika Padukone has paired up with MTV Roadies with the return benefit of publicising her new movie Chandni Chowk to China. “I too have been an avid watcher of the show and I think it is a complete blast,” she said when asked about this.

Makarand Wadekar, principal consultant for In Search which tracks TRP points, said that several reality shows were running on advertising revenue and a celebrity was taken on as a judge simply to raise the ratings. “But if the script and idea of a particular show are clear and bold enough to pass on the real message then celebrities are not used for the show,” he said giving the example of Sony TV where the song-based shows enjoy the highest TRP ratings currently.

As for reality channels, two will be launched by CNBC-TV 18 and Turner International on 1 January 2009. The total investment for these over the next three years is expected to be US $39 billion of which $12 billion has already been invested in India. Sports 18 of CNBC will also start operating with an adventure reality show called Volvo Ocean Rally.

http://insearchindia.blogspot.in/2009/06/children-of-idiot-box.html?m=1

SPN acquires exclusive broadcast and digital rights for 2016 Copa America Centenario in India

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa America Centenario in India and the Indian sub-continent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). This year’s tournament being held in the United States of America from June 3 to June 26 will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD channels.

As part of the rights package, the network will air all 32 matches of the tournament played across 10 venues in the United States. In addition to the live coverage, Sony ESPN channels will also broadcast the highlights of matches during the tournament. On the digital front, consumers will be able to livestream all the matches on Sony LIV.

The Copa América Centenario is a historical once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating 100 years of the Copa América and is a special edition between the usual four-year cycles of the Copa América tournaments. For the first time since its inception, the tournament will be held outside of South America and feature the top star players from North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean like Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) Javier Hernandez (Mexico) and James Rodriguez (Colombia) to name a few.

The Copa América Centenario is anticipated to make history with some of the biggest encounters in football. Top international teams like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Columbia, and more will face off each other on the field, all playing for the coveted trophy specially designed for the tournament.

Sony sports cluster executive VP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “This summer promises sports history in the making with the Copa América Centenario, a once in a lifetime event which sports fans will not want to miss. The acquisition of the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa América Centenario in India and the Indian Sub-Continent re-validates the SONY Sports cluster’s leadership in being the destination for football fans.”

“Copa América Centenario, South America's most prestigious international competition, alongside UEFA EURO 2016, Europe’s biggest tournament on our network will undoubtedly capture the interest of every football fan. During the event, viewers will see the currently ranked top ten International teams with some of the world’s greatest football players in an amazing line-up of matches from both Copa America Centenario and UEFA EURO 2016 on the Sony sports cluster”, he added.

Customarily contested by the 10 CONMEBOL (the South American football confederation) nations and two outside invitees, the 2016 Copa América will have 10 South American national teams joined by six 

Marriott India partners Rising Pune Supergiants for IPL Season 2016

MUMBAI: The digital campaign #MarriottForRPSG, conceptualized in partnership with MindShift Interactive amplifies the Rising Pune Supergiants and Marriott India association for IPL 2016.

With the #MarriottForRPSG campaign, the agency wanted to highlight the association of Marriott India as the official hospitality partner of Rising Pune Supergiants. The campaign began with over 40 Marriott India properties - Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Renaissance. They came together for a holistic campaign to cheer for the first season of the Rising Pune Supergiants. The month long campaign focused on the common ground between cricket and Marriott - passion. Building on that idea, the campaign started off with profiling the team members - MS Dhoni, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Peterson, Faf Du Plessis amongst others whilst highlighting JW Marriott Pune being the official hosts to the team throughout the series.

An flash mob conducted by the JW Marriott Pune staff was created and captured through a video that received high outreach digital platforms. Keeping the insight behind video content being a key to leveraging engagements, a fair share of videos were created around the associates of Marriott and the teams. A cricket playoff between key players from RPS and students from the Mahindra Pride School, a cause dear to Marriott India was conducted capturing the true essence of two worlds colliding, shared through all the Marriott properties across India. The entire campaign was aptly led by content focusing on the cricket fever through the hashtag #CricketOnMyMind, in the form of rich media such as GIFs and videos presenting the subtle ways cricket  is seen .

The month long campaign had an overall outreach of 60,00,000 organically, owing an outreach of over 5,00,000 on Facebook and more than 55,00,000 on Twitter. Instagram was leveraged as a secondary platform for properties that were present too.

MindShift Interactive CEO  Zafar Rais commented, “This was an exciting opportunity for MindShift to partner with not just a few Marriott India properties but with each and every one of them to leverage their association with Rising Pune Super Giants, making it the first of its kind. Leveraging the association on social media was the apt route to take given the level of engagement IPL receives digitally.”