march 2007:- Indian team left for cricket's biggest extravaganza THE WORLD CUP amongst all the expectations of a billion people & the hullabuloo created by the ever opportunistic media. The Indian demi Gods set asail on their voyage to cover that extra mile, which they were deprived of, in the land of Proteas in 2003.But it seemed that Lady Luck had different plans for them,and tyrannous ones for that matter.Indians were flabbergasted by the ever resellient Bangladesh in the opening encounter and could never recover from there.To the shock and dismay of the cricket fanatics back home,India was ousted in the preliminary stage itself and all hell broke loose on them.
The media,as expected, took a U-turn and used all its prowess to lambaste the Indian team.Now everything came under the scrutiny of prying eyes,let it be their
brand endorsements,discontent with the coach Greg Chappell or their public appearences,everything faced harsh opprobrium.and the scorn's lions share was faced by three GENTLEMEN,who've been stanchions of Indian cricket for more than a decade-the then indian skipper Rahul Dravid,master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and the prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly.
The so called experts of the game prognosticated that these three illustrious careers have arrived their dusk,and should call it a day. Be it any news channel,all you could see on the television was surveys,polls and analysis that endeavoured to put forth just one point- kick the big three out.
But,true to their nature, they stayed mellowed throughout this gruelling period and did what they've been doing stupendously for years-let their bats speak for them.
On the tour of England,India had a lot to prove.They were accountable to the hopes and aspirations of a billion people and also had to live up to their larger than life images.They did that in style and the real anchors of the victory were none other than, you know it,Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly. Their roles were even more pivotal this time around because India wasn't relying on them only for thair batting skills,but with the absence of a regular coach,they had to take up the responsibility of the path guiders to the young turks.India won the test series 1-0 and gave a tough fight in one dayers before losing out 3-4.But Indian team was on a roll throughout as it had already beaten South Africa as well to clinch a vital series.So in all,it was a successful tour for them.
The big three then made a bold and maybe a pragmatic decision of opting out of the 20-20 world cup.But as life is full of anomalies,India went on to do the unexpected-
They became the WORLD CHAMPIONS with a young side oozing with confidence and aggression.Again fortune wasn't on the big three's side and the only coveted title that was missing out of such sparkling careers,had eluded them again.And as the entire country was lost in the celebration with full fanfare,the unfortunate and silly question creeped up again-do the big three deserve their place in the side or is the squad is well off without them,as ostensible after the World Cup triumph.I state this unfortunate because all this hue and cry was made by people who had no idea about the nuances of the game.
During the 20-20 world cup,Rahul Dravid again made a decision that only he could make-after the success of English summer,when others would have cashed on the glory,he decided to step down as the skipper.But a thorough Gentleman that he is,he didn't get into the blame game and simply put it forth as what he considered as a slight dip in his form.But those who could read between the lines knew, that the reason was that he couldn't stand the status quo anymore which was taking the shape of a political arena.I mean the entire structure was a mess and the BCCI was running Indian Cricket as a school level team.They couldn't give the team a full time coach,the team manager changed after every tour,selection was getting biased,and even the brand endorsements of players was restricted.The irony of the situattion is,BCCI was more keen to counterfeit rebel league ICL with its own league IPL,instead of selecting a coach for the national team.Things couldn't have been more ludicrous. The whimsical selection commitee and the BCCI,took offence of Dravid's unexpected resignation and considered this as an obnoxious move.Now all they were looking for was, the correct oportunity to make him the scapegoat and the aussie tour of India gave just that. Dravid failed quite a few times and booooom,he was out.
All this was done to the guy called as THe Wall ,the rock of Gibraltar , Mr. Dependable , Mr.Consistent ,a real team man,most dedicated cricketer etc. All this was done to a guy who fought for Sehwag against all odds for almost six months,trusting his immaculate talent. All this was done to a guy who always performed any role offered without any comlaint and has been India's most consistent batsman in the last 5 years.All this was done to a guy whom the entire world considers as the Ideal Ambassador of cricket. But as they say, IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA.
But a no-nonsense guy that Dravid is,he again didn't complain and kept working hard as ever.After scoring a double century and a century in the domestic circuit,Rahul Dravid has shown clear signs of the famous cricketing phrase-FORM IS TEMPORARY,CLASS IS PERMANENT.
Meanwhile,Sachin and Sourav have been going great guns with the spectacular run feast against arch rivals Pakistan in the home series and have invigorated the fact that their respective careers are far from over,and they've got a lot more to offer to Indian cricket.But if BCCI tries to show them the door to satisfy its own whims and fancies,it would be like getting Indian cricket to get out Hit Wicket.
As a die hard cricket fan,i simply want to say nothing surpasses the pleasure of watching Tendulkar's straight drive,Ganguly's hallmark cover drive and of course Dravid's rock solid technique.They're the golden trio of Indian cricket and bring with them all the traits that make cricket really - A GENTLEMEN'S GAME.
Krishnakant
To give in your feedback,comments and suggestions on this article,send it to ourintellect@gmail.com. we're looking forward to it.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
MARKETING MARKS NEW AGE CINEMA
Cinema is a very important and indispensible part of Indian people's lives. For some, its just a source of entertainment, while for others its a reflection of our society and there are those as well for whom cinema is heaven and its actors, God's incarnation on planet earth. Barring cricket,if anything can confidently claim to bind the entire nation together in one bond,its our cinema. The laughter,sorrows,celebration,larger than life characters have become an integral aspect of our lives.Who can forget Gabbar's "kitney aadmi they" or DDLJ's "bade bade shehron me aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hai" or the new found national anthem "CHAK DE INDIA".Movies have been and will remain a powerful medium for people to have a roller coaster ride and to live in their dreams in tangibility within those three hours.
And such high aspirations associated with every movie makes the job of moviemakers even more difficult.The demand and supply theory every friday is accompanied with creative excellence as well,where the medium has to be utilized to the T to create an unparalleled product.But with changing times,the entire fabric of moviemaking has also undergone a mekeover.Now its not only a question of creative excellence or deep nuances of film making that make a movie successful.With whopping budgets and tooth sweating competition,movies have become brands within themselves. Those days are obsolete when a movie used to become a blockbuster by the word of mouth.Now if the producers rely only on that,they would be left with "no words in their mouth!!!!".So now its the pre friday efforts that decide the movies's fortunes rather than the post friday brilliance (although its not a sure shot formula,many've faltered miserably even after great previews). But its certainly a more safer option.
Now making a stupendous movie is just a part of the job,its also pivotal to emulate an important theory of brand shastra-bombard the brand's name in the consumer's mind.
That's why marketing in movies has gained paramount importance in the last few years.Producers are leaving no stones unturned to evoke curiosity before the movie's release and showcase their movies as a cornucopian experience.
All this starts with deciding the target audience for the movie.Strategies are formulated which would lure them to the movie theatres.This includes promotion of the movie with myriad promotions on mediums such as electronic media,print media, internet,radio(.....and if possible create controversies....road to sure shot good opening of the movie). The advertisements of the movie are in the form of promos which highlight the assets of the movie such as music,powerful dialogues.In short,the aim is to give the audience a small essence of the movie & to keep them craving for more.
But the innovative approach to marketing in movies is reinventing itself time and again.Merchandizing movies,launching exclusive movie products,association with brands,in movie advertising,and the latest trend of utilizing the idiot box by appearing on reality shows are the various avenues used in the brand promotion of the movie.With the constant modification in the marketing strategies,no producer can afford to remain oblivious of this pivotal phenomenon.
Ace director Rakesh Roshan really got the merchandize market kicking with his sci-fi alien flick " koi mil gaya " where the production house decided to introduce the alien character jaadoo's pencil boxes,stationary items and dolls.That really got along well with the kids who were the target audience for that movie,so this pre release marketing created ubiquitous curiosity and set the cash registers ringing.The same magic was recreated with his next release "KRRISH" , where krrish dolls and masks became a househeld rage.and again the movie became a blockbuster even though the critics lambasted the it.
Farhan Akhtar's DON also utilized the burgeoning mobile market with introduction of games on this platform,that again got down really well with the youth.THis once again justified marketing importance associated with movies.
But the behemoth battle was seen recently that eventually became the mother of all movie marketing battles-the battle between shahrukh khan's home production(red chillies entertainment) Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's SAAWARIYA(produced by hollywood bigwig Columbia Tristar).They utilized all possible avenues and mediums to promote their respective movies and spent staggering amounts to do only one thing- "outperform" each other and carve a niche for themselves within people's minds.While OSO kept a mind numbing RS 14 crores for brand related promotions, Saawariya had an additional advantage of the backing of one of the biggest global production houses,so they took up the challenge and set apart an amount of, hold your breath ,staggering 25 crores for brand promotion.Now that's a lot of moolah put at stake by both the movies.
While OSO collaborated with brands such as Nokia,Maybelline and Shopper's Stop for its promotion, Saawariya had Sony entertainment television and pantaloon retail as their partners.On television,stars of both movies appeared on rival musical reality shows(OSO in sa re ga ma pa and Saawariya in voice of india,OSO in nach baliye and Saawariya in jhalak dikhla ja and the list goes on...).
Thus there were fireworks all around before diwali itself and the when the movies released on nov 9th,OSO got people's admiration but Saawariya got rejected candidly due to lack of commercial value. Thus the aficionados of movies' theory came into action again- Script is the King and Audience is the God to decide the fate of the movie.
But nobody can anymore stay obscure to the ameliorating importance of marketing movies.This is quite ostensible with movies made by maverick and exceptionally talented directors such as Nagesh Kukunoor,whose movies are based on out of the box concepts and have gone down brilliantly both with critics and the audience.But still somewhere down the line,one feels that if his movies would have got the same promotion as,say a Karan Johar movie,then they would've been certain blockbusters. So envisaging all perspectives in mind,its quite clear that making a wonderful movie is the most important formula for success, but in the new age era it has become equally important that it has to be bombarded into people's mind and it should be endeavoured that the movie becomes not just a medium of entertainment for the audience,but an entire experience for them...a feel good one...so that the CINEMA-NIA continues forever in our country.
What the entire country looks out for in the future is a very famous phrase of Indian film industry - " THE SHOW MUST GO ON".
Krishnakant
To give in your feedback,comments and suggestions on this article,send it to ourintellect@gmail.com. we're looking forward to it.
And such high aspirations associated with every movie makes the job of moviemakers even more difficult.The demand and supply theory every friday is accompanied with creative excellence as well,where the medium has to be utilized to the T to create an unparalleled product.But with changing times,the entire fabric of moviemaking has also undergone a mekeover.Now its not only a question of creative excellence or deep nuances of film making that make a movie successful.With whopping budgets and tooth sweating competition,movies have become brands within themselves. Those days are obsolete when a movie used to become a blockbuster by the word of mouth.Now if the producers rely only on that,they would be left with "no words in their mouth!!!!".So now its the pre friday efforts that decide the movies's fortunes rather than the post friday brilliance (although its not a sure shot formula,many've faltered miserably even after great previews). But its certainly a more safer option.
Now making a stupendous movie is just a part of the job,its also pivotal to emulate an important theory of brand shastra-bombard the brand's name in the consumer's mind.
That's why marketing in movies has gained paramount importance in the last few years.Producers are leaving no stones unturned to evoke curiosity before the movie's release and showcase their movies as a cornucopian experience.
All this starts with deciding the target audience for the movie.Strategies are formulated which would lure them to the movie theatres.This includes promotion of the movie with myriad promotions on mediums such as electronic media,print media, internet,radio(.....and if possible create controversies....road to sure shot good opening of the movie). The advertisements of the movie are in the form of promos which highlight the assets of the movie such as music,powerful dialogues.In short,the aim is to give the audience a small essence of the movie & to keep them craving for more.
But the innovative approach to marketing in movies is reinventing itself time and again.Merchandizing movies,launching exclusive movie products,association with brands,in movie advertising,and the latest trend of utilizing the idiot box by appearing on reality shows are the various avenues used in the brand promotion of the movie.With the constant modification in the marketing strategies,no producer can afford to remain oblivious of this pivotal phenomenon.
Ace director Rakesh Roshan really got the merchandize market kicking with his sci-fi alien flick " koi mil gaya " where the production house decided to introduce the alien character jaadoo's pencil boxes,stationary items and dolls.That really got along well with the kids who were the target audience for that movie,so this pre release marketing created ubiquitous curiosity and set the cash registers ringing.The same magic was recreated with his next release "KRRISH" , where krrish dolls and masks became a househeld rage.and again the movie became a blockbuster even though the critics lambasted the it.
Farhan Akhtar's DON also utilized the burgeoning mobile market with introduction of games on this platform,that again got down really well with the youth.THis once again justified marketing importance associated with movies.
But the behemoth battle was seen recently that eventually became the mother of all movie marketing battles-the battle between shahrukh khan's home production(red chillies entertainment) Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's SAAWARIYA(produced by hollywood bigwig Columbia Tristar).They utilized all possible avenues and mediums to promote their respective movies and spent staggering amounts to do only one thing- "outperform" each other and carve a niche for themselves within people's minds.While OSO kept a mind numbing RS 14 crores for brand related promotions, Saawariya had an additional advantage of the backing of one of the biggest global production houses,so they took up the challenge and set apart an amount of, hold your breath ,staggering 25 crores for brand promotion.Now that's a lot of moolah put at stake by both the movies.
While OSO collaborated with brands such as Nokia,Maybelline and Shopper's Stop for its promotion, Saawariya had Sony entertainment television and pantaloon retail as their partners.On television,stars of both movies appeared on rival musical reality shows(OSO in sa re ga ma pa and Saawariya in voice of india,OSO in nach baliye and Saawariya in jhalak dikhla ja and the list goes on...).
Thus there were fireworks all around before diwali itself and the when the movies released on nov 9th,OSO got people's admiration but Saawariya got rejected candidly due to lack of commercial value. Thus the aficionados of movies' theory came into action again- Script is the King and Audience is the God to decide the fate of the movie.
But nobody can anymore stay obscure to the ameliorating importance of marketing movies.This is quite ostensible with movies made by maverick and exceptionally talented directors such as Nagesh Kukunoor,whose movies are based on out of the box concepts and have gone down brilliantly both with critics and the audience.But still somewhere down the line,one feels that if his movies would have got the same promotion as,say a Karan Johar movie,then they would've been certain blockbusters. So envisaging all perspectives in mind,its quite clear that making a wonderful movie is the most important formula for success, but in the new age era it has become equally important that it has to be bombarded into people's mind and it should be endeavoured that the movie becomes not just a medium of entertainment for the audience,but an entire experience for them...a feel good one...so that the CINEMA-NIA continues forever in our country.
What the entire country looks out for in the future is a very famous phrase of Indian film industry - " THE SHOW MUST GO ON".
Krishnakant
To give in your feedback,comments and suggestions on this article,send it to ourintellect@gmail.com. we're looking forward to it.
Government's LEFT RIGHT LEFT to the LEFT'S wishes
OOps (CP) I did it again.....
It seems that now the Government would work based on the penchant of Left and they've started believing its their prerogative.Unfortunately,these people who consider themselves as the messiahs of common man's wishes haven't been able to tackle desi Waterloo in their own backyard-Nandigram which has become a rampaging catastrophe to common man's life.
The Communist Party of India has proved time and again that the Government has to run on their whims and fancies.The Indo-US nuclear deal,a hallmark moment for India,where India could work in collaboration with US to satisfy its plethora requirements that are bound to be encountered in the future was put to a standstill because of the Left's disapproval.To be honest,there is no respite to the Nuclear deal and the bottom line is,WE NEED IT,the sooner we realize it its better for us.The paradox is, people who've been pejorative towards it,many of them do not even know what does 123 agreement mean and why is it called so.This is the status quo of Indian Politics...that's how our chosen representatives work....it all presents a really sorry picture.
The aficionados who've the cognizance of the technical know-how to make a decision on this pivotal issue,including eminent scientists and army personnel,have all given a petition to the Govt. to go forth with the deal,and scrapping it would be a big blow to India's nuclear power aspirations. The supporters of the nuclear deal include former President and the people's President Dr.Abdul Kalam as well.Can you ask for a better reference to go ahead with the deal,......I DONT THINK SO. And the lame excuse that the CPI is putting to confront the deal is,that its vandalizing to the national interests and would act as a gateway for US to control Indian nuclear policies.The Government justified saying that the few polemical clauses would be negotiated upon,and the final draft of the deal would be framed only after the consent of the Parliament, but the Left is at its characteristic obstinate best.They've not even allowed the Govt to frame the deal's document with IAEA, later they did mellow down but still the Govt. is facing constant threats that support would be withdrawn,and the country might face mid term polls.
Now this made the Govt to restructure their policy and they prorogated the deal's execution so as to attain some time fo convincing their important allies and the Parliament regarding the gravity that the deal has for the nation.It hasn't gone well with Washington and Left hasn't become any lineant.They've been giving signs time and again that, DEAL ON-GOVERNMENT GONE. The opposition NDA have found this chinks in UPA's armour and are working constantly to rip off the ally.Thus the Government is marching to the tunes of US one hand,and the LEFT on the other,but the quandary is both are extreme tunes and this baritone is heading towards an unbearable cacophony.
Apart from this,the Left also poked its nose in the historic launch of a spy satellite built in collaboration with Israel. Again the satellite had paramount importance in the future of Indian space programme,but all the CPI was concerned about was -NO JOINT VENTURE WITH ISRAEL. Come on,would they always keep interfering in strategic development plans and irony is, they call themselves epitome of people's welfare-an oxymoron for sure.
They want the GDP to reach double figures,but mind you no FDI's should come in.Are we living in a fairytale that Lady luck would bestow pecuniary abundance to our people.Its as quixotic dream as sleeping with your eyes open.Without any foreign direct investments,do they think we would've accomplished even 9% GDP growth?? Nope....
And these guardian angels of common man haven't been able to do anything to stop making Nandigram turn into a cauldron of anarchy.Infact they've been the anchors of the entire pandemonium.Their feud with local people over the SEZ issue took an ugly direction,and a horrible one for that matter.the Government's people launched a rampage against the opposition Trinamool congress' people and faced counter attack,killing hundreds of innocent people in between. One coverage of CNN IBN where a citizen journalist,sent a video showing a man being shot dead when he was going home,sends a chill down the spine.How much more worse can the situation become in the future is for God to decide and Govt to implement.
Their reckless handling of the entire Tasleema Nasreen episode has again given air to the speculation on political gimmicks that are being played by them,without allowing a proper congenial solution to creep up.
So the equation is very simple,the Left is using the nuclear deal issue to ease off the pressure imposed on them by the Nandigram issue,and maybe have made up their mind to go for a general election so that the scenario might be a bit different and the Nandigram issue can be put under the wraps amidst all this. I think its high time, the Govenment stops being a punching bag and ceases to succumb to their pressure, instead retaliate the undue pressure by going forth with the nuclear deal,which the PM has so often been apostling in his public appearences and speeches.
So rather than worrying about the LEFT,the Government needs to do what's RIGHT.
Krishnakant
To give in your feedback,comments and suggestions on this article,send it to ourintellect@gmail.com. we're looking forward to it.
It seems that now the Government would work based on the penchant of Left and they've started believing its their prerogative.Unfortunately,these people who consider themselves as the messiahs of common man's wishes haven't been able to tackle desi Waterloo in their own backyard-Nandigram which has become a rampaging catastrophe to common man's life.
The Communist Party of India has proved time and again that the Government has to run on their whims and fancies.The Indo-US nuclear deal,a hallmark moment for India,where India could work in collaboration with US to satisfy its plethora requirements that are bound to be encountered in the future was put to a standstill because of the Left's disapproval.To be honest,there is no respite to the Nuclear deal and the bottom line is,WE NEED IT,the sooner we realize it its better for us.The paradox is, people who've been pejorative towards it,many of them do not even know what does 123 agreement mean and why is it called so.This is the status quo of Indian Politics...that's how our chosen representatives work....it all presents a really sorry picture.
The aficionados who've the cognizance of the technical know-how to make a decision on this pivotal issue,including eminent scientists and army personnel,have all given a petition to the Govt. to go forth with the deal,and scrapping it would be a big blow to India's nuclear power aspirations. The supporters of the nuclear deal include former President and the people's President Dr.Abdul Kalam as well.Can you ask for a better reference to go ahead with the deal,......I DONT THINK SO. And the lame excuse that the CPI is putting to confront the deal is,that its vandalizing to the national interests and would act as a gateway for US to control Indian nuclear policies.The Government justified saying that the few polemical clauses would be negotiated upon,and the final draft of the deal would be framed only after the consent of the Parliament, but the Left is at its characteristic obstinate best.They've not even allowed the Govt to frame the deal's document with IAEA, later they did mellow down but still the Govt. is facing constant threats that support would be withdrawn,and the country might face mid term polls.
Now this made the Govt to restructure their policy and they prorogated the deal's execution so as to attain some time fo convincing their important allies and the Parliament regarding the gravity that the deal has for the nation.It hasn't gone well with Washington and Left hasn't become any lineant.They've been giving signs time and again that, DEAL ON-GOVERNMENT GONE. The opposition NDA have found this chinks in UPA's armour and are working constantly to rip off the ally.Thus the Government is marching to the tunes of US one hand,and the LEFT on the other,but the quandary is both are extreme tunes and this baritone is heading towards an unbearable cacophony.
Apart from this,the Left also poked its nose in the historic launch of a spy satellite built in collaboration with Israel. Again the satellite had paramount importance in the future of Indian space programme,but all the CPI was concerned about was -NO JOINT VENTURE WITH ISRAEL. Come on,would they always keep interfering in strategic development plans and irony is, they call themselves epitome of people's welfare-an oxymoron for sure.
They want the GDP to reach double figures,but mind you no FDI's should come in.Are we living in a fairytale that Lady luck would bestow pecuniary abundance to our people.Its as quixotic dream as sleeping with your eyes open.Without any foreign direct investments,do they think we would've accomplished even 9% GDP growth?? Nope....
And these guardian angels of common man haven't been able to do anything to stop making Nandigram turn into a cauldron of anarchy.Infact they've been the anchors of the entire pandemonium.Their feud with local people over the SEZ issue took an ugly direction,and a horrible one for that matter.the Government's people launched a rampage against the opposition Trinamool congress' people and faced counter attack,killing hundreds of innocent people in between. One coverage of CNN IBN where a citizen journalist,sent a video showing a man being shot dead when he was going home,sends a chill down the spine.How much more worse can the situation become in the future is for God to decide and Govt to implement.
Their reckless handling of the entire Tasleema Nasreen episode has again given air to the speculation on political gimmicks that are being played by them,without allowing a proper congenial solution to creep up.
So the equation is very simple,the Left is using the nuclear deal issue to ease off the pressure imposed on them by the Nandigram issue,and maybe have made up their mind to go for a general election so that the scenario might be a bit different and the Nandigram issue can be put under the wraps amidst all this. I think its high time, the Govenment stops being a punching bag and ceases to succumb to their pressure, instead retaliate the undue pressure by going forth with the nuclear deal,which the PM has so often been apostling in his public appearences and speeches.
So rather than worrying about the LEFT,the Government needs to do what's RIGHT.
Krishnakant
To give in your feedback,comments and suggestions on this article,send it to ourintellect@gmail.com. we're looking forward to it.
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