MUMBAI: Keralam Samsarikkunnu , Amrita TV?s new talk show that will be telecast every Saturday at 6.30 pm(IST) and on Sunday at 9.30 pm(UAE ) is a current affairs discussion, featuring a group of guests, an assemblage of audience and a well known host, in which the guest panel and the invited audience take part in the discussion on an equal footing, under the moderating influence of the anchor.

Each weekly episode is built around an issue that is currently in circulation- which may be a grave environmental problem, a sensational social affair or an explosive political controversy . The theme helps provide a pointer to the list of guest invitees of the show, who have to be thoroughly familiar with the subject and its ramifications.

The show is anchored by a host whose enviable experience in television journalism and radio jockeying makes him the ideal choice to play the role of mediator . Popular amongst Gulf radio listeners as ?KK?, this Hit FM Radio Jockey was a well-known newsreader with Amrita TV before moving to Dubai. Krishna Kumar?s political acumen, quick wits and diplomatic skills, guarantee that the show will be kept on a lively track without allowing it to get out of hand.

The anchor opens the discussion with a short introduction to the topic of the day, poses a few pertinent queries to which the guests respond, after which the issue is put up for public debate. It is the turn of the audience to quiz them or raise doubts. The experts do their best to allay their fears and answer questions. As the atmosphere warms up and tempers get frayed , the anchor keeps things in check drawing in more and more members from the audience into the fray, until the entire guest panel and all the viewers are involved in the debate, so that Keralam Samsarikkunnu literally becomes a microcosm of the entire Kerala society.

What makes the show stand out is that the audience - instead of being a faceless mass who are silent observers of the deliberation - become an indispensable part of the show participating & contributing to the war of words. In contrast to other talk shows where the viewers are herded into a corner, here the audience and guests are seated together on the studio floor.

Keralam Samsarikkunnu gives an opportunity for the common man to raise issues directly to the concerned authorities, who in turn get to know the attitude of the general public at first hand. By helping them to vocalize their opinions, resentment and doubts, it becomes a venue where the Vox Populi can be heard loud and clear.

MUMBAI: Circa Aug 15th 1988, "Mile Sure Mera Tumhara" - The iconic song was premiered on Doordarshan and instantly became India‘s beloved melody. It featured many national icons of the time , including, Amitabh Bachchan, , Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kamal Hassan, Balamurlikrishna, Lata Mangeshkar, Prakash Padukone, just to a name a few.

?Mile Sur Mera Tumhara? showcased the diversity of India to establish its message of unity. The song captivated and enthralled every Indian and an entire generation vividly recalls the iconic opening lines sung by Bharat Ratna Shri Pt. Bhimsen Joshi.

?Mile Sur Mera Tumhara? was conceptualized & conceived by the late Suresh Mullick of O & M Advertising.

Today, the message of the song and its concept are as relevant. ZoOm has therefore conceived and produced the Phir Mile Sur project which is an initiative of The Times of India Group and Vodafone Essar. Arti and Kailash Surendranath have once again recreated their magic with Phir Mile Sur. Other associates involved with this project include Kingfisher Airlines, Radio City 91.1 FM and Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

Phir Mile Sur was appropriately launched on the eve of Republic Day, at a grand event at the Taj Land‘s End, Mumbai. The film was released in the presence of various stars, celebrities and dignitaries including the legendary, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

More than 68 of India?s icons have lent their support to this initiative which has taken almost a year to create. It took more than 60 days of on-location shoot, across 15 cities of India, 30 days of post production, 22 of India?s biggest superstars, 18 of India?s best musicians, 13 of India?s best singers and dancers, 15 of India?s most renowned sports person to create this magnum opus. Each artist speaks of a cause and the video is shot at places which have historical value and significance.

Phir Mile Sur ?the song of India airs exclusively on ZoOm on 26 January, 7am and will be played out at the top of every hour thereafter. ZoOm?s partner network, Times Now will also air the program several times starting 26th January. Zoom has also given airing rights of the iconic song to all major TV and Radio networks in the country. Doordarshan with all its kendras is also expected to air the program.

Accentuating the need of the hour and further re-enforcing the initiatives of the Group, MD ? Times Group, Vineet Jain, added ?In the face of any issue, the nation has always looked to its leaders, its icons and its media to show them the way.

And we at Times Group have always taken pride in supporting change through positive re-enforcement using our mediums of news and infotainment which is why, when Zoom produced Phir Mile Sur using celebrities and music to culturally unify the youth of the nation, the Group fully supported this endeavor.

The song is like an alternative anthem and a rediscovery for todays younger demographic. An important lesson in harmony and unity using popular culture, in a trying time. We are proud to re-present Phir Mile Sur!

Speaking on their association with the project, Mr. Marten Pieters, Managing Director & CEO, Vodafone Essar, said, ?Phir Mile Sur captures the true spirit of contemporary India and will hopefully also resonate with new generations. As a responsible company, being part of this society, we are delighted to support this commendable endeavour.?

Phir Mile Sur has a freshness that reflects the enthusiasm of modern India, a tune and lyrics that every Indian today can relate to and which would further ignite the passion for India and its diversity. The languages are many, however Phir Mile Sur speaks a common and universal language - that of love for the motherland and its people.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr Kailash Surendranath from KPC said, ?It has been an incredible journey creating ?Mile Sur Mera Tumhara? which was a mosaic of so many different personalities from various walks of life and regions in India. Today, we feel the same emotions gushing, after a span of two decades. So many things have changed in India - growth, prosperity, the economic scenario, however, as citizens of this wonderfully diverse country, our feelings for India have only grown stronger and we hope that Phir Mile Sur will further strengthen this bond. ?

With more than 40 million viewers, ZoOm is the destination for young India, says Suresh Bala, CEO of ZoOm. Besides, ZoOm is also India?s dominant Bollywood infotainment channel. And Bollywood has the greatest impact and influence on young India. These two features along with our Timesgroup pedigree make ZoOm the perfect home for Phir Mile Sur.

He further added, ?When we first conceived the project we found it daunting. But once again the biggest names of Bollywood, the music world, sports stars, regional superstars, all came forward to make this happen. We are deeply indebted to each and every one of them for their selfless contribution towards this project. I sincerely believe that young India will embrace this song and make it their own.?

MUMBAI: In keeping with PepsiCo India?s impeccable record of innovations, Mirinda, the mega-selling orange flavoured beverage from the soft drink and food major, today introduced ?Home Pack? for the entire family.

Priced at an amazingly affordable price of only Rs 32/- for a proprietary 1-litre PET bottle, the ?Home Pack? will be first available in select markets of northern & western India and then southern India by February-end.

The innovative consumer proposition of ?Home Pack? is Poori Family Ke Liye Perrrrfect, driving home the point that this 1-litre pack is the right size pack for a small family or for a group consumption of 4-5 people.

According to Ms. Alpana Titus, Executive VP-Flavours, PepsiCo India, ?Extensive research showed us that consumers are increasingly consuming soft drinks at home & Mirinda is one of the lead brands entering these homes. We realized that for small group consumption at home, there was no pack offering in our portfolio. Hence we decided at launch 1L pack at a value pricing, an innovation that will undoubtedly increase the penetration of the brand Mirinda in consumer homes..?

Speaking at the launch of the Mirinda ?Home Pack?, Bollywood heart-throb & Mirinda brand ambassador, Asin, said, ?Mirinda has been my favourite orange drink for quite a long time now, and it has been an absolute privilege for me to be associated with this brand. I am delighted at the launch of the Home Pack as it will certainly make it more convenient and affordable for more and more families to share my favourite drink.?

The launch of the new pack will be supported by outdoor campaign, TV commercial and retail POS.
 

MUMBAI: Madison Communication‘s creative arm, Madison Creative has decided to shed its old identity and revamp itself, keeping in tune with the changing world of advertising. It has been rechristened as mc2.

Mc2, derived from Einstein‘s energy equation, has a new logo too. It reflects the energetic, bold and young crop of talent it has on board. Painted in New York Taxi colours, black on yellow, the agency picked a logo that would make them happy to be working there everyday.

Apart from the bright and cheerful colours, the logo has pac man on it, to show just how much fun they intend on having.features a new logo against a yellow backdrop.

To improve the agency‘s creative stock, there‘s a new team that is being put into place. The ‘new‘ agency will deliver ‘as of this moment‘ advertising solutions for clients - from those with deep pockets to the thrifty, we will deliver solution ranging from ad films to guerilla.

MUMBAI: The teasers have done their job and Abhishek‘s Aaram Classes saw full attendance. However, it‘s finally time for the first ever episode of the most electrifying show on television National Bingo Night with non other than the hottest youngest superstar today - Abhishek Bachchan. And what‘s more? Participating as the first contestant on the show is none other than his own - Paa - the enigmatic Big B himself - Amitabh Bachchan. Abhishek believes that his PAA needs the maximum aaram these days and hence decided to give his dad a time of his life through his new game show IDEA National Bingo Night! on COLORS.

The audiences have known both the Bachchans as actors for so long, but tonight, they‘ll get to witness the true father - son relationship that only those close to the Bachchan family have had the privilege to witness. To make things even more exciting, Amitabh Bachchan will be experiencing a role reversal of sorts as he now will be sitting on the hotseat playing a game of Bingo while his pyaara beta will be the one anchoring the show! To add to the fun Mr. Amitabh Bachchan will also be seen delivering the famous dialogues of his blockbuster films like Amar Akbar Anthony , Agnipath and Deewar and revive the episode with stories and memories of his 40 year old film career with a fun game of Bingo!

An exciting show filled with a lot of interesting firsts, National Bingo Night, is one of those shows you wouldn‘t want to miss. So, don‘t forget your date with AB Junior tonight...join him in fun, masti and excitement as he celebrates life and plays a game of Bingo with his Dad!
Hence don?t forget to get your Bingo ticket and tune in to play on National Bingo Night, 23rd January, 2010 Saturday at 9:00pm only on COLORS!

MUMBAI: Popular Marathi singer Movie Producer & Director of ?Zenda?, Avdhoot Gupte will speak exclusively on IBN-Lokmat. In this episode of Great Bhet with Nikhil Wagle, Editor IBN-Lokmat on 23rd January 2010 at 9.30 pm., Avdhoot Gupte will talk about the various facets and finer nuances of his successful music and film career.

The interview will focus on and capture some intense moments of Avdhoot expressing himself on ?Zenda?, the contentious marathi movie and the various political censorship hassles faced by him. He will share his experiences on the making of the much talked about ‘Zenda‘ and the inspiration behind its making. The controversial movie has garnered publicity way before its release as it is reportedly based on a feud between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, the Executive President of the Shiv Sena. 

Avdhoot‘s career as a singer took flight when he won the national level competition of TVS Saregama. Ever since there has been no turning back and Avdhoot has lent his euphonious voice to several Marathi melodies and Hindi songs. Having had a number of remixes and albums to his credit, Avdhoot introduced the pop genre in the Marathi music industry. His debut album titled ?Meri Madhubala?, in 2003 was a runaway success and highly appreciated by the masses. Viewers can watch this multitalented singer cum composer cum lyricist get nostalgic about his musical journey. The ambitious and dynamic Avdhoot will also talk about his future plans of coming up with an audio CD on ?Tukaram Gatha?.

To watch the most awaited interview with Avdhoot Gupte, tune into ?Great Bhet? on IBN-Lokmat on Saturday 23rd January 2010 at 9.30 pm.

You can also watch the rerun of this ?Great Bhet? episode on Sunday i.e. 24th January 2010 @ 12:00 pm & 5:00 pm.