As Bollywood fans out overseas, its biggest global marketing machine is also spreading its wings further. The London-headquartered Eros International, which has been known over the years to have been tinsel town's most powerful distribution outfit abroad, is gearing up to boost its distribution network. "Bollywood films have definitely become much more popular and are being noticed quite a bit more by NRIs and overseas audiences after movies like Lagaan. Lagaan was followed by blockbusters like Devdas," he said. Eros, whose operations largely straddle the international scene, controls close to "70 per cent marketshare" in overseas territories, according to Das. Based on its release slate every year at present, the company hits theatres internationally with around 25-30 Bollywood flicks. Going by a rough yardstick, of the 150-200 releases that come out of Bollywood annually, only about 40-50 titles open theatrically abroad.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, April 09, 2004

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An American has taken unto himself the task of compiling Indian classical music with a missionary zeal. Sitting at the console, his bald pate with its rim of scruffy white hair a shining halo, Lyle Wachovsky is an unlikely missionary. But for over 15 years, with more than missionary zeal, this man from New York has worked to gather and release one of the world's largest collections of Indian classical music under his label 'India Archive Music'. So intense was his love for Indian classical music that for his 17th birthday his parents gifted him a record of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. India Archive Music now has a tie-up with Virgin Records India to, as Wachovsky said, "bring Indian music to the Indians." For the last 10 years, the label has released some of India 's most legendary names in classical music, as it has strived to seek out new talent, the "best kept secrets" as Wachovsky calls them. He is in India to record two such people Shamsuddin Faridi Desai who plays the rudra veena and Syed Zafar Khan on the sitar. The example he gives is of the tabla. "In the tabla, there's a way, a method of just getting the right notes. It's a scientific form unlike the drums, which are basically hit and trial. "That's why two unknown Indian musicians can come together and within moments, create a perfect duet because as long as they are working on a method, the sound will be the same.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, April 06, 2004

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Jaipur: Young mohan veena player Salil Bhatt has created a new version of veena to suit his "dynamic style of rendering" classical ragas. "I was finding mohan veena not fully adapt to my style of rendering nuances of classical ragas. To suit my style, I created the new veena which is yet to be named," he said.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, April 05, 2004

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It's a win-win situation - advertisers looking to build brands and Bollywood producers looking for extra revenue. When the two meet, it spells big bucks. So there is Lintertainment (Lintas), Percept Picture Company (Percept), Brands & Films (WPP Mindshare), Publicis and Concept Communications that not only deal with film-making and in-film brand placements but all kinds of promotional activities that enhance the value of both films and brands. A major player in this segment, Leo Entertainment (Leo Burnett), was set up three years ago. Brand placement in films may be growing, but it's not a new concept. Perhaps, the first instance in Bollywood was that of a yellow Rajdoot bike in Bobby. Subsequently, brands were noticed occasionally in films, but now the trend has finally caught on. But 2003, was the big year with at least 25 films going for tie-ups with brands. The next five years will see nearly 100 per cent growth spanning not just in-film brand placements, but also cross promotions during the various stages of a film's release." The nascent industry is currently worth around Rs 50-60 crore. For film producers, the brands bring in revenue of anything between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore, depending on the film's budget and the star cast. There were five brands in Baghban, and four in Chalte Chalte and Koi Mil Gaya. The Castrol engine oil in Chalte Chalte increased sales after the film's release. For the advertising industry now, tinsel town is the new destination.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, April 04, 2004

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The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards function in Singapore on May 20 will mark the world premiere of Mani Ratnam's Hindi film "Yuva" and its Tamil version "Ayutha Ezuthu". The IIFA awards were launched four years ago at the Millennium Dome, London. After the inaugural awards it travelled to various countries such as Sun City, South Africa, and Genting Highlands, Malaysia. The function for last year's awards was held at Johannesburg, South Africa. The star-studded awards weekend in Singapore will comprise the IIFA World Premiere, IIFA foundation soccer challenge, IIFA forum and awards night. It will showcase the best of Indian cinema and provide a platform for interaction between the Indian film industry and global media. The "Yuva" cast boasts of Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Esha Deol and "Ayutha Ezuthu" features Madhavan, Surya, Siddarth, Esha Deol, Trisha and Meera Jasmine. A.R.Rahman has scored the music. Mani Ratnam, his technical crew and lead stars are scheduled to attend the world premiere.

Courtesy: The Hindu, April 04, 2004

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Sotheby's March '04 sale of Indian art in New York has yet again driven home the fact that the country's sphere of contemporary paintings continues to flourish. Among the Indian modern canvases that have fetched top prices under the hammer are Souza's 'Girl And Two Men In A Landscape,' which went for $18,000, and 'Evolution of Apollo,' that enjoyed a price tag of $36,000. "Souza's prices have increased on average by 200% over the past three years," Mr Dean said. In the same breath, a Ram Kumar untitled abstract was sold for $30,000, Bendre's 'Gossips' lapped up $36,000, Husain's 'Maya And Hanuman' $24,000 and Ganesh Pyne's 'The White Hand' $20,400. Underscoring the growing flavour of contemporary canvases, A Swaminathan untitled took in $11,400, Panicker's 'Words And Symbols' $20,400 and an Akbar Padamsee 'Nude' $19,200. While the thirst for contemporary art among buyers is increasing, India 's ancient creations, which figured in a major way at the auction, also gained a great deal of pace. A huge second or third century Gandharan figure of the standing Buddha hogged $736,000. Additional features of the sale also indicate a "resurgent Himalayan market." A 14th century Tibetan painting of Buddha, Amitabha, surpassed a "high estimate" of $120,000 to sell for $131,200, while a Tibetan gilt-copper figure of Maitreya sold for $60,000, five times its estimate of $12,000.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, April 02, 2004

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Sotheby's sale of Indian art in New York in March has driven home yet again that the country's sphere of contemporary paintings is continuing to spread. Francis Newton Souza's Mystic Repast has set a record at the auction. The 1953 work has swung a final bid of $1,53,600 against a pre-sale estimate pegged at $50,000-70,000 for the canvas. "We feel the sales of Indian contemporary art at the auction was very successful. Fifty one works were offered; 37 were sold for a total $6,89,400. That puts the average value of works picked up by buyers at $18,600. Together with Souza, M.F. Husain's diptych, Mother Teresa, was another highlight, selling for $78,000. A Ram Kumar Untitled abstract sold for $30,000, Bendre's Gossips lapped up $36,000, Husain's Maya And Hanuman $24,000 and Ganesh Pyne's The White Hand $20,400. Underscoring the growing flavour of contemporary canvases, a Swaminathan Untitled took in $11,400, Panicker's Words And Symbols $20,400 and an Akbar Padamsee Nude $19,200. While the thirst for contemporary art among buyers keeps increasing, India's ancient creations, which figured in a major way at the auction, seemed to gaining a great deal of pace. A huge second-third century Gandharan figure of the standing Buddha hogged $7,36,000.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, April 01, 2004