MUMBAI:The dharmyuddh between the film producers and distributors on one hand and the multiplex representatives on the other sees no sign of abating. India?s only entertainment trade channel ETC had, in its flagship show, ETC Bollywood Business, initiated a panel discussion to end the impasse that has led to producers / distributors calling for a national film release strike April 4th onwards.

Following its pioneering initiative of a panel discussion with the producers / distributors, ETC Bollywood Business brought together six of the country?s biggest multiplex representatives for a panel discussion - to address the issues raised by the producers / distributors ? Tushar Dhingra (Big Pictures), Vishal Kapur (Fun Republic), Shravan Shroff (Fame Adlabs), Amitabh Vardhan (PVR Cinemas), Alok Tandon (Inox) and Sanjay Dalia (Cinemax). This episode will air on ETC at 9:00pm on Wednesday, 25th March and will be repeat telecast on Zee Trendz at 10:30am on Thursday, 26th March.

The multiplex representatives have likened this impasse to a 20-20 match where the verdict is expected at the last moment. They still are hopeful that an agreement can be reached and the strike averted. Interestingly, the multiplex representatives are ready to share more than 50% of the ticket revenue provided the benchmark is performance.

?A flat 50% revenue sharing across all 4 weeks and for all films is simply not feasible for us. We don?t operate on such margins that we can give them such a deal. It is like taking rat poison and dying a slow death over a period of one year. We would rather shut down than agree to this deal.? said Shravan Shroff.

?Unfortunately we are fighting over a shrinking revenue pie. We had proposed to set up an anti-piracy cell, which could be funded jointly by us and them. Look we must work towards increasing the revenue pie. Kill piracy and your revenue increases automatically. Our offer, unfortunately, was met with silence.? explained Tushar Dhingra.

The multiplex representatives concede that should the strike come into effect, they will be forced to look at alternate content like IPL, music shows, etc. However they are afraid that the footfalls will reduce drastically. More worrisome, they say, is that if the strike continues for too long, it might change movie viewing habits of the audience.

Amitabh Vardhan explained their opposition to the 50-50 revenue sharing model,? Uniformity in revenue sharing will almost kill talent. Why would film makers invest in making better films if they know that a poorly made film will get the same percentage? For films which are good and do well we are willing to give more than 50%, but for a non-performing movie, why should we give it the same terms??

Answering to Vashu Bhagnani?s claim of value appreciation of Fame Adlabs, Shravan Shroff said,? Vashuji has said that the property that I bought for Rs. 16crores has become Rs. 125 crores today. Well, I have this to tell him ? if you think that you have quoted the correct figures, give me Rs. 100 crore and I will sell the said property to you right here right now!?

The multiplex representatives understand that they will incur heavy losses if the strike happens, but they are unwilling to accept the producers / distributors? demands as they stand now. They have proposed that a three member committee, comprising of one representative of producers / distributors, one representative of multiplex representatives and one industry arbitrator, mediate this impasse ? a proposal that they put across to the producers / distributors.

MUMBAI: There is no doubt that laughter and happiness contribute immensely to one?s well being! Keeping this simple yet powerful thought in mind, India?s No.1 family comedy channel ? SAB, brings to its viewers an additional reason to stay happy & healthy. As its latest offering, SAB presents a healthier way to begin your Sundays with the launch of its new show ?Laughter Yoga with Dr. Madan Kataria? at 8:00 am every Sunday from 22nd March. While SAB gives you a daily dose of laughter through shows like Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah, Jugni Chali Jalandhar, Bhootwala Serial and Gunwaale Dulhaniyan Le Jaayenge, ?Laughter Yoga? will kick-start a wellness filled week for the viewers.

Developed by Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995, ?Laughter Yoga? is beyond entertainment or amusement. It is a healthy exercise routine which combines laughter exercises and Yogic breathing techniques (Pranayama) which brings more oxygen to the body and brains making one feel more energetic and healthy. In this show Dr. Kataria the founder of Laughter Yoga clubs will lead the sessions by which the audience can actually learn Laughter Yoga exercises by watching the show.

The concept of laughter yoga is simple and effective. Laughter being the best medicine and it?s amalgamation with yoga has brought about quite a wave in the fitness genre. A health craze that has quite literally swept the world, ?Laughter Yoga? is a scientifically proven healthy exercise. In today?s modern times of high pressure and day to day tension, laughter is an important factor which is lacking in our lives. A daily dose of this fitness mantra calms the mind, body and soul. Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea where anyone can laugh for 15-20 minutes without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. It is done in a group as a form of exercise which soon becomes real laughter as the close knit group observes one another.

Announcing the launch of the show, Mr. Anooj Kapoor, Business Head, SAB said, ?Laughter Yoga is not only a renowned but also a very effective tool for entire well being. It is particularly effective in relieving emotional stress, something which no other form of exercise can claim to achieve. While it is our endeavor to bring the best family comedy entertainment shows, the launch of this show will help our viewers laugh their way to health with their entire families.?

This complete health show with also include a segment on health tips given by Dr. Kataria himself. His experiences will be shared with the viewers which will include useful tips on allopathic medicines, ayurveda, nature cure, healthy food habits and first aid.

So don?t miss out on your weekly doze of fun and health every Sunday at 8:00 am only on SAB.

MUMBAI: Drishti-Soft Solutions, a leading provider of Communications Solutions, powers BigTree to implement phone-based ticket booking throughout the country.

BigTree aims at providing advanced voice based customer interaction service through its portal www.bookmyshow.com. It was imperative for BigTree to lower their transaction costs, operational costs and human dependency to pass on the benefits to consumers. Bigtree were looking to consolidate on their existing customer base and win more customers through automated, customer-centric services. They wanted a solution that could facilitate call identification, and also play area-wise movie updates and special offers through IVR. As the IVR keeps changing every week with release of new movies, a solution was needed that could change the IVR without having the need to change the IVR code.

BigTree wanted that the solution should smoothly integrate with their in-house enterprise applications & Database and Payment Gateway to implement Credit Card booking directly on the IVR without agent intervention.

?Drishti?s advanced technology platform, DACX Ameyo, proved to be just the right solution that could understand our workflow, and address the core issues in order to achieve process automation while lowering operational and transaction costs. We look forward to Drishti?s support in future too? says Mr. Parikshit Dar, Director, Technology, Bigtree.

Bigtree chose Drishti?s DACX Ameyo because of its comprehensive feature set, high responsiveness, and expertise of the Drishti team. Drishti implemented data driven IVR with DACX Ameyo which facilitated the BookMyShow team to change the IVR every week without the need to change the IVR code. Bigtree achieved higher operational efficiency even after reducing the number of their agents to 40%.

Says Mr. Sharat Chandra, Country Manager (Sales), Drishti Soft ?Drishti has always strived to provide high-end innovative solutions to businesses that focus on using technology to simplify customer interaction service, which is perhaps the most significant growth factor in economically turbulent times like these. Working with BigTree was a vastly enriching experience.?

MUMBAI: Jisne aapka bajaaya, ab uski bajaao!

Polish your aiming skills coz here?s an awards ceremony that will applaud you for hitting tomatoes and eggs on their nominees!!! You guessed it right?.Bajaane ka mausam aa gaya hai with the Bingo! RED FM Bajaate Raho Awards! To kick-off the on-ground activity this year, BINGO! RED FM BAJAATE RAHO AWARDS 2008 takes the power to the people to bajaao the ?deserving? with tomatoes and eggs!

As a build up to the Bajaate Raho Awards, RED FM has rolled out a series of on-ground initiatives in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata to engage and involve the audiences in the unique and innovative voting process. A 360-degree multi-media campaign covering the length and breadth of the city and spread across two weeks has been planned to engage the audiences.

It is ?that? time of the year when listeners get to bajaao all those who have caused them grief or let them down over the past year! Eggs, tomatoes and chappals are used to ?felicitate? the esteemed nominees! The ?Bajaaney Ka Mausam Aa Gaya? theme has been extended on-ground, with road shows and canter activities at all major hangouts including malls, shopping areas, societies and colleges across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. People are asked to choose their favourite nominations and then aim the egg or tomato at that particular choice on a spinning board which contains all the choices. If they aim correctly for all 12 nominations, they stand to win a free pass for the award ceremony in addition to lots of goodies. And all this action will be reported live on all the three stations through RED FM?s OB Jocks! To ensure further visibility and participation, forms containing the nominations are also given out at all major stops which invite people to SMS their votes to Red FM.

Commenting on the marketing campaign, Anuj Singh, National Marketing Head and Station Head - Mumbai, Red FM, said; ?We believe in letting our listeners experience our brand first hand. Through our on ground initiatives, we have built apertures where listeners can interact with the brand and experience its philosophy first hand! And we have received tremendous response from our listeners, both in terms of votes and participation. It seems like we have touched a chord amongst our listeners who just can?t seem to get enough of ‘Bajaaoing‘ the nominees!?

An on air property since 2005, the BINGO! RED FM BAJAATE RAHO AWARDS 2008 is only getting bigger and better. The awards will culminate in a hilarious on-ground ceremony on the 27th of March at Chitrakoot Grounds, Andheri, with power-packed performances by various celebrities ? in true Bajaate raho ishtyle!

MUMBAI: HBO brings for its viewers the Indian television premiere of the romantic drama film No Reservations only on HBO Blockbuster of the Month. Get ready to watch this comedy of love and emotions on 28th March at 9:00pm only on HBO!

Life and love provide the opportunity for change in the life of driven master chef Catherine Zeta-Jones in this romantic comedy remake of the German film Mostly Martha. Kate is the fiery culinary star of a chic Manhattan eatery when tragedy intervenes and she‘s left to care for her nine-year-old niece. Meanwhile, her boss has gone behind her back and hired a handsome sous chef. Can these two new "ingredients" form the confection that sweetens her food-obsessed life?

Character Descriptions:
Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Master Chef ?Kate? who lives her life like she runs the kitchen at the upscale Greenwich Village restaurant, 22 Bleecker: with intensity that intimidates everyone around her.

American film and stage actor Aaron Eckhart plays the role of Nick Palmer in the movie.

Academy-Award nominated American child actress Abigail Breslin plays the character of Zoe, Kate?s nine-year old niece.

American actor, author and director Bob Balaban plays the role of a therapist in the movie.

MUMBAI: CNBC-TV18, No.1 in business worldwide declared the winners of the 3rd edition of ‘CFO Awards‘, the most coveted awards in the field of finance in India. The awards instituted to recognise the best CFOs assumed even more significance in this year which was plagued by financial turmoil. ‘CFO Awards‘ honoured the best minds in finance that have steered their organisations through the choppy waters of the economic downturn.

The awards that witnessed the best CFOs across the country come together to celebrate their peers‘ achievement were presided over by Mr. A. K. Purvar, Ex chairman SBI and Chairman, IndiaVenture Advisors and Mr. Ravi Narain, MD, NSE as the guests of honour. Some of the dignitaries present on the occasion included Mr, Anil Sighvi, Mr. S.Jayaram, Mr. Bharat Doshi, Mr. V. Balakrishnan, Mr. Sarvajit Dhillon, Mr. Keki Mistry, Mr. A. K. Mukherjee and Mr Sumant Sinha.

Talking about the changing role of CFO, Mr. Narain said, "CFO‘s role is growing more important with the increase of size and complexity of business, as increased size leads to increased complexities. A Good CFO brings strategic advantage to every company. "

Mr. Purvar, talking about the importance of the CFO said, "Globally we are facing extremely difficult scenario. We are witnessing unprecedented cuts in repo rates, without cuts in interest rates, sharp product cuts, declining demand. The enterprises that succeed in these tough times will lead in the future. Today a CFO‘s role has expanded into that of a business partner. CFO has very important role in strategic direction of the company." "Today‘s CFOs have empowered business across countries", he added. Speaking on the awards he said, "Quest of excellence needs to be recognized so that the others get encouraged" Mr. D. Sundaram, CFO, HUL added, "Continuous forecasting is critical in such a scenario."

When asked for suggestions to improve the current situation, Keki Mistry, MD, HDFC, said, "We have to convince overseas investors that we have the best practices and factors." He also added that the risk management systems need to be strengthened. Talking on the changing role of the CFO he said, "CFO‘s role has changed dramatically. He has to be well versed with production and marketing so that he can control costs. Bharat Doshi, CFO Mahindra and Mahindra opined, "Pendulum has swung on the other side. Some time back we were carried away with exuberance and now we believe it‘s a downside scenario, both are not right."

The awards are designed to acknowledge the changing role of the CFOs ranging from cross border M&A to business diversification from business expansion by venturing in newer markets to transforming organizations. Now in a tough economic scenario that has challenged the conventional rules of the game, Indian CFOs have revolutionised the financial community globally by guiding their organisations through these tough times.

The winners this year included:

Speaking on the occasion, Neel Chowdhury, VP Marketing, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC AWAAZ said, "The best minds shine the brightest during the most turbulent times. This year‘s nominees for the CFO Awards have shown great vision and resilience to weather the storm and emerge as visionaries not only for the Indian but also for the international financial community."

Methodology and Jury:
The winners of these defining awards are selected through a robust and comprehensive judging process, based on a combination of criteria.

" The first stage involved short-listing of India‘s best businesses using quantitative techniques.
" The second stage consisted of short listing of companies that were then presented to the jury.
" These nominees were then evaluated by an esteemed jury panel.

The Jury Panel was headed by Mr. AK Purwar, Ex chairman SBI and Chairman of IndiaVenture Advisors as the Chairman of the Jury. The Jury consisted of Mr. TV Mohandas Pai, Global HR Head - Infosys, Mr. Keki Mistry, MD - HDFC, Mr Anil Singhvi, Vice - Chairman, RNRL, Mr. Sumant Sinha, COO, Suzlon, Mrs. Manisha Girotra, MD & Chairperson, UBS and Mr. Bharat Doshi, Executive Director & Group CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra.