Spotlight: 'Jumping Jilanis - The Parachute Politicians'

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

Jumping Jilania or Parachute politicians: Newbie politicians bypass hierarchies to launch themselves into Elections 2014.

Actor Moon Moon Sen says her political inspiration is Julius Caesar and by contesting the elections this time, she hopes to restore Caesarean nobility to politics. Her idea of Parliament, she recently told a TV interviewer, is "that poor lady Meira who says 'quiet' ineffectively". The voters of Bankura in West Bengal willing, Sen could be among those occupying the coveted green benches in the Lok Sabha when it starts business less than two months from now.

New Filmi Initiatives: Bringing Hollywood To The Desert

By Rasul Al Harthy | INNLIVE 

EXCLUSIVE A red Porsche sports car speeds down a California street known to be popular for drifting cars. Driven at around 160kmh and with a former professional racer at the wheel, it eventually loses control, crashes into a concrete pole and bursts in flames.

While the scene was caught on film and the passenger in the car was actor Paul Walker, famous as the Hollywood star of the high-adrenalin, billion-dollar Fast and Furious film franchise, this was no film set.

Tamil Actor 'Suriya' Endorsed 'Complan' As 'Brand Star'

By Sheikh Sameer | Hyderabad

PRESS RELEASE Suriya together with Complan celebrates 50 years of strengthening India New Television Commercial featuring Suriya endorses Complan’s new brand messaging - 'Mana Uruthikku Valimai Tharum Puthiya Complan'.

South Indian and Tamil cinema hero and heartthrob Suriya pleasantly surprised the media at a specially convened press conference, as Complan officially unveiled the acting superstar as its new brand ambassador for the south region market.

Celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year, Complan has signed Suriya as one of the three celebrity brand ambassadors to unveil its new packaging and  branding. It is the first time that Complan has associated with iconic celebrities for endorsements.

A Sheer Metamorphosis: Being Human, Selling Gently

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

SPECIAL REPORT Indian adverstising is distancing itself from Western emulation and presenting ideas that are sentimentally native and pushing boundaries. INNLIVE scrutinises this evolving trend.

Awww. Somebody recorded a baby’s first walk; cautious, hesitant but willing to run. Another eager mother filmed hers cooing, drooling and rocking unsteady to the rhythm of music. Yet another caught the merry abandon of the senses and a carefree tossing of the head. Babies, their one-toothed smiles and unconscious behaviour patterns, have always elicited a smile. 

'Selling Indian Leaders In The Rs 2000 Crore Ad-Scramble'

By Likha Veer | INNLIVE

EXCLUSIVE It’s raining political ads and copywriters are reaping the whirlwind. All major political parties, national and regional, have recruited advertising agencies to sell them in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The size of the election publicity pie is Rs 1,000 crore, estimates Group M, an international media investment arm of the WPP group which may well escalate to Rs 2,000 crore. 

The Congress is spending the most, around Rs 700 crore, mostly with Dentsu India, a Japanese public relations-cum-advertising agency. The BJP’s campaign revolves singularly around Narendra Modi, though party treasurer Piyush Goel maintains that the party hasn’t finalised any agency. It’s an indicator of the changing times that Mayawati’s BSP is also hiring a professional ad agency to mount a catchy poll campaign. 

In Focus: Hyderabad Is In The Middle Of 'Telangana Tussle'

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

The ugly scenes in Parliament last week involving MPs of Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana Bill boil down to the issue of Hyderabad. Sreenivas Janyala explains why.

It was one of the most dramatic days even the most disruptive Parliament session in India’s history had seen. On February 13, MPs agitating against Telangana broke glass items, flung computers, allegedly brandished a knife and sprayed pepper from cans, sending colleagues to the hospital sneezing, coughing or with their eyes watering. 

Opinion: The Sheer Savage Greed of The Civilized Society

By Sudip Roy | INN Live

Delhi Law Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti’s midnight raid in Khirki village, during which he ordered policemen to search and enter houses, arrest people without warrants, and allegedly said that “black people, who are not like you and me, break laws”—strips naked the unashamed inhumanity of the Aam Aadmi Party regime’s moral posturing. Underneath the holier-than-thou mask of that moral posture lies the unmistakably horrible sneer of the ordinary racist thug. This is the real face of Somnath Bharti. I hope it is a face that the Aam Aadmi Party can turn itself away from.

'Begum Para' Role Takes Me To Next Level': Maduri Dixit

By Niloufer Khan | INN Live

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW The area around Mehboob Studios is buzzing with people trying to catch a glimpse of the lady with an electrifying smile. All eyes are transfixed on her as she gets out of her white Mercedes, while sipping water from her Starbucks tumbler. You can hear hearts skipping a beat as she greets everyone outside Stage 7 with her million-dollar smile. 

That's the aura of Madhuri Dixit Nene, whose acting and dance skills has earned her the moniker - Dhak Dhak girl. Dressed in a fitted little black dress, ankle strap stilettos and chunky gold bracelets, Dixit - Nene at 46 and a mother of two, still retains an effervescence and charm that can give the current lot of actresses a run for their money. And it's with that same grace and ease that she faces us to talk about films, life as a mother, her new ventures and more. In a freewheeling interview with INN Live, recently in Mumbai studios.

Why New Zealand Is Emerging A Big Threat To Hollywood?

By Alex Neil | INN Live

In the old days, filmmakers flocked to Hollywood for its abundant sunshine, beautiful people and sandy beaches. But today a new film making diaspora is spreading across the globe to places like Vancouver, London and Wellington, New Zealand.

Fueled by politicians doling out generous tax breaks, film making talent is migrating to where the money is. The result is an incentives arms race that pits California against governments around the world and allows powerful studios - with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal - to cherry-pick the best deals.

'Acting Is My Life, Film Making Is Passion': Saudi Doctor

By Sameera Aziz | Jeddah

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW  “Acting and film making is my hobby. I can’t live without acting. Though medical is a different field than arts and entertainment, but I am proud of being indulge in both of the fields in a balance way,” says Dr.Fahad Ghazoli, a top film maker from Saudi Arabia. 

Speaking to INN Live in an exclusive interview he asserted ‘’my spouse knew before marriage that I am into showbiz, so she supports me a lot to maintain my balance in both jobs – medical and entertainment media as well as home. I take vacations whenever I have showbiz activity either for acting or film making. However, it takes my hard work to manage both together,” he said.

Opinion: Old Is Gold — Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow

By Sivamani Vasudevan (Guest Writer)

WEEKEND GUEST COLUMN  Old is gold, it is always said. When I was a five-year old, some 55 years ago, my elders said their olden days were gold. Today, my son, who is around 30, says, “old is gold.”

I always wonder why everyone's olden days are better than their present. Old music and songs were good. Old films were outstanding. Old clothings were of better quality. Old craftsmanship was worthier. Old silk sarees were good. In the olden days, food was of high standards. Old vessels and wares were of high quality.

'Adult Content' Creeps Into Children’s Films In Festival

By Arhaan Faraaz | Hyderabad

The 18th InternationalChildren’sFilm Festival seems to have started out on thewrong footwithsomeofthe delegates. On the first day of the screenings on Friday, delegates were taken aback by the nudity, profanities and cruelty to animals that were shown in the films, despite there being stringent rules against showcasing thesein children’sfilms in the country. 
    
The films screened during the festival were selected by the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) from among a list of entries. However, the selected films are not made to go through the rigours of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which vets all the films in the country. This may have been the reason for the inappropriate content having crept into the films meant for children. 

Sana Khan Entering Bigg Boss-7 As Diwali 'Wild Card Entry'

By Niloufer Khan / Mumbai

The last year Bigg Boss finalist Sana Khan will enter the mad cap house as a part of Diwali special episode of Bigg Boss 7 for a day, according to channel sources. 

Entire nation is gearing up for the festival of lights and so is the Bigg Boss 7 house. The makers will be airing a special Diwali episode in which we will see last year’s Bigg Boss contestant Sana Khan entering the house. 

Is she a wild card entry? Well definitely not. Sana will enter the house just for a day as part of Diwali special episode of Bigg Boss 7 and will now be seen sharing their experience with the current housemates.

'Bigg Boss-7' Goes To The Dogs. Bechara Dog 'Heaven'

By Rajyasree Sen (Guest Writer)

Last night’s episode of Bigg Boss 7 started with a shot of Armaan Kohli, he of Jaani Dushman–fame channeling Narendra Modi and saying “kutte ka baccha” though Kohli was tossing that one out amidst a bunch of expletives. Why? Who knows. Most of the time I think Kohli is suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome and needs immediate medication. But Kohli might have been foreshadowing something this time. 

For a couple of days, Salman Khan has been saying that there’s a wild card entry. And while I expected some new washed out celebrity, horror of horrors was shown the sweetest golden retriever I have seen in a while, waiting to enter the house.

First Indian Family Inspires Drama In Films And Television

By Niloufer Khan / INN Live

As Anil Kapoor's action thriller show 24 hit the small screen a week ago, the audience could not miss the striking resemblance some characters bear with prominent political leaders of the country. It did not take much for the audience to draw a thematic parallel with the Gandhi family as the plot of the first story unfolded. 

The opening episode talks about a plot to assassinate Aditya Singhania, a prime ministerial candidate and a youth icon, who is guided by a dominating mother, played by Anita Raj. The mannerism, attire and idealism of Aditya, played by Neil Bhoopalam, remind one of Rahul Gandhi while Anita's character seems similar to Sonia Gandhi. 

Now Starring, Method Man: Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui

By Niloufer Khan / INN Live

SCENE 1: ‘I AM AN ACTOR’
There is a board with the shooting schedules, a television, and an iPad. He is waiting. There are the Aviators. I wear them as a tribute to Faisal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur, the Anurag Kashyap film that has pitched Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the new anti-hero, the dark, lean man, a struggler with no pedigree, a commoner.

He smiles. We decide to get coffee. He tells me he is trying to build his body for his next role. Then, a few minutes later, as he recounts stories of his days as a watchman, he tells me he will never build his body, for he, the method actor from a nondescript village in Uttar Pradesh, is everything that a Bollywood hero isn’t. He is an actor.

How A Smuggler Fayaz Managed To Stay Under The Radar?

By Shiraz Fazil / Trivandrum

37-year-old TK Fayaz, who was arrested for smuggling gold, had links with leading politicians, celebrities, police and customs officials of Kerala. He lived like a king. His acquaintances consisted of celebrities, politicians, police officers, customs and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials in Kerala. 37-year-old TK Fayaz from Pallur village, Kannur district, Kerala was considered a role model for the youth of the state. But on 21 September, everything changed – Fayaz was arrested in a gold smuggling case in New Delhi. 

According to customs officials, Mustafa, an NRI businessman based in Dubai, and Fayaz had smuggled 42 kg of gold worth Rs 12 crore during the last two months through the Kochi airport using women carriers.

'Maa Durga' As Battered Wife: A Step Back For Womankind

By Lakshmi Chaudhry / INN Bureau

A year ago, my little 4-year old came back from school, eager to tell me the story of how Ganapati got his elephant head. As I listened to her reciting the well-loved and familiar tale with gusto, I was struck by one jarring detail.  “Parvati felt so sad when Shiva killed her little boy, she started crying,” she said, explaining how Shiva replaced his head to soothe his distraught wife.

Superstar Salman Khan: The Man Beyond The Fairy Dust

By M H Ahssan / INN Bureau

The 'macho image' turns into 'policewala' hero, then modified into 'crusader' and now, again the 'lover bvoy' images makes him a super star in hindi film industry - presenting, one and only SAlman Khan. 

If you go by the media buzz around him now, you could believe the measure of Salman Khan is a moustache. He has a big new film — Dabangg — hitting the screens on 10 September: first-time director Abhinav Kashyap, first-time producer Arbaaz Khan, first-time actress Sonakshi Sinha, and first-time moustache, Salman.

Cooking Expert: Sanjeev Kapoor, The Chef Extraordinaire

By Aeman Nishat / Hyderabad

With his million dollar smile and affable attitude, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has stolen many-a-heart with his tantalising delicacies served with his customary style. One of the biggest powerhouse in the world of flavours became a household name with his hit Indian TV show ‘Khana Khazana’ - the longest running cookery show in Asia which aired in 120 countries for around two decades and had over 500 million dedicated viewers.