Bachchans FC--Happy Birthday!! - Page 7

Posted: 16 years ago

Khel khel mein

After the recent success of SRK's Chak de! India, Abhishek Bachchan is hunting for a 'sports' film

By: Tushar Joshi

main bhi player banoonga! Abhishek Bachchan

What do Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham and Saif Ali Khan have that Abhishek Bachchan doesn't? A sports-themed movie.
However, that's about to change if AB's baby has his way. Apparently, the actor is on the lookout for a sporty movie post the super success of Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De! India.
A source reveals, "Abhishek is a huge soccer fan. In fact, a few months ago he went to watch Chelsea play soccer when he was in London. He is a sports enthusiast and is excited about doing an author-backed role in a film that revolves around sports."

Grand success

With Chak De! India, Shah Rukh joins the ranks of stars like Aamir (Lagaan, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar), Saif (a racecar driver in Tara Rum Pum) who have sports-based films to their credit. Even John Abraham has Goal coming up.
Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal and Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham were instant hits, driving home the point that the audience does have a palette for such stories. An industry insider says, "Not very long ago, it were superhero films which were the favour of the season, and that's when Abhishek had signed Drona. Now with Chak De! running successfully all oer, it's not a surprise that Abhishek or for that matter any actor would want to star in a sports film."

Roadblock

Few know that Abhishek was to play a racing enthusiast in a film called Raaste, along with John Abraham and Aishwarya Rai, to be directed by newcomer Vicky Singh. Launched in December 2006 at the GIFA Awards in Malaysia, a special promo was also made to highlight the fact that it's a sport-based film. However, there hasn't been any development on the project since then. John is reportedly playing a bike enthusiast in the project.

Edited by monika.goel - 16 years ago
Posted: 16 years ago
i'm clueless: Amitabh Bachchan
Edited by monika.goel - 16 years ago
Posted: 16 years ago

Big B in Sivaji?


i'm clueless: Amitabh Bachchan

The buzz is that the super successful Sivaji will be now dubbed in Hindi. Sources reveal that the Rajnikant-starrer will soon get a B-Town release and even have an added bonus in the form of the Big B. Apparently, a guest appearance by Amitabh Bachchan will be inserted into one scene in the movie. However, when we checked with him, AB said, "I have no idea about this."
Awww. We think it would fun to watch the Big B and Rajni in the same frame, no?


 

 

Edited by monika.goel - 16 years ago
Posted: 16 years ago
Originally posted by Day_Dreamer


in Bwt thanks Mike for the articles and pictures...Doing gr8 job πŸ˜ƒπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ€—



thanks πŸ˜ƒ
Posted: 16 years ago
Amitabh Bachchan does a daring stunt for Bhootnath

In Ravi Chopra's Bhootnath, Big B defied his age (65 years) and performed a 'heart-in-the-mouth' stunt that would have scared the hell out of actors half his age. When reminded of it, he brushes off the derring-do as part of a day's work.

"I think far too much is being made out of the stunt. Yes, every action- stunt has its potential dangers and the action directors take adequate precautions and follow safety routines. You could slip and fall while walking ordinarily and break a bone and conversely, not get a scratch by jumping off a building for a film's action sequence. The stunt I did for Bhootnath was relatively safe. But because of my recent surgery and my several other complicated medical conditions, there was an obvious anxiety. However things went off without any incident. Thank God!"

While performing a stunt in 1983 Big B had suffered a near-fatal injury. "I still remember all the prayers and good wishes of the people. I wouldn't have survived without them." He adds.

Having done this stunt at 65, Big B admits that he wouldn't allow his son to do the same. "I would not permit Abhishek to do his own stunts. I always ask him to use discretion and take immense precaution."
Posted: 16 years ago
Betting on the Big B
Soft music plays in the background even as Amitabh Bachchan's distinctive baritone dominates the film. Dressed traditionally, in a kurta-pyjama and shawl, he walks down a busy market road, addressing the audience.

"They say life is like dust. Perhaps. But hold it together firmly, and it can be a mountain peak." Another actor breaks in here. It is Jaaved Jaffrey, acting as "Vijay" from Bachchan's superhit film Don. He compares Bachchan - "Big B" - to the peak. Ignoring him, the superstar continues: "All we leave behind are our memories and our name."

"That's what the 'Big B' does," pipes up Jaffrey again, this time dressed as "Anthony" from another Bachchan-starrer, Amar Akbar Anthony. Bachchan walks on, saying everybody wonders what they will leave behind, a fistful of dust or a towering peak. "Let's toss, like Big B," says "Jai" from Sholay.

Now, Bachchan is irked: "Do you even know what is 'Big B'?" "You are," says Jaffrey. Bachchan drags the younger actor to a fortress wall with the Binani Cement logo and exclaims, "This is the real Big B, which converts dust into heights." The 40-second film closes with the tagline: "Binani Cement. For generations."

It's been a year since the Rs 780-crore (Rs 7.8 billion) Binani Cement advertised. The last campaign from the Binani group's flagship company was a humorous dig at politicians, palmists and real-estate agents, with a simple message: you can't trust their promises, but you can rely on ours.

This year's campaign - which has been on air for a few weeks now - is different not only in tone, but in treatment as well. The mood is introspective (although the humorous touches are still evident) and this is only the second time in Binani's decade-long history that it has used celebrities to promote the brand. The last time was in 1997, when the company was founded, and cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was signed on as brand ambassador.

Why now and why Bachchan, whose face appears on advertisements for virtually everything from chocolate to chyawanprash? "We felt that somebody with a strong and well-known image, such as Amitabh Bachchan, would give the brand the boost it required," explains Rahul Gupta, managing director of agency IBD, which has handled Binani's creatives from the start.

Why did Binani feel the need for brand-building just now? So much so that although its main markets are in Gujarat, Rajasthan and parts of North India, it has opted for a high-decibel, nation-wide multimedia campaign?

To understand that, take a look at the workings of the cement industry in India. Consumption of cement in India is mainly by three groups. The largest is the government sector, which doles out contracts for buildings, roads and bridges. Then come the industrial and consumer sectors (home owners).

As the economy booms, there has been a huge impact on home construction and refurbishment - the looming apartment complexes apart, there are millions of owner-built houses as well coming up across the country. Binani's campaign is targeted at this end-user-driven segment of the cement market.

But there are two other drivers of this campaign. According to industry experts, the cement industry has witnessed a bitter price battle with company after company squeezing its margins to drop prices. In such an environment, only well-known brands possess the ability to command a premium. And Binani aspires to be among them.

Moreover, in March this year, the company almost doubled capacity at its Sirohi, Rajasthan, plant from 2.25 million tonnes per annum to 5.3 million tonnes. Naturally, it now needs to find new consumers for the increased production.

"Cement is no longer a commodity, and to ensure long term profitability every company today has to build its brand. Binani needed to build top-of-mind recall," explains Gupta.

The planning for the current campaign began in March.

Working on a brief to extend and strengthen Binani's brand presence, the client and agency hit upon roping in Bachchan as brand ambassador - the actor has a 12-month contract to endorse the brand. (Incidentally, this is not the first time Bachchan has promoted a commodity - he has previously acted as brand ambassador for Nerolac Paints.) Ad-film maker Prahlad Kakar of Genesis Films then shot the commercial at a Mumbai film studio, after two weeks of set construction.

The Binani campaign is lavish in almost every way: from the choice of celebrities, the elaborate set design and the choice of film maker, to how the final advertisement is being promoted. Over 1,000 spots have been booked on 30 television and cable channels, including business, news, sports and general entertainment.

Interestingly, the choice of edit depends on the channel on which it will appear. While the 40-second original film and a 20-second edit are being broadcast on mass Hindi entertainment channels such as Doordarshan, Star Plus and Sony, a 30-second version - minus Jaffrey's humorous dialogues and impersonations - is being aired on only news channels as well as CNBC and NDTV Profit. The thinking? The first two commercials are aimed at the end-consumer, while the last is clearly a corporate brand-building exercise.

Reaching out to the masses is still key, though. Which is why Binani is making extensive use of outdoor media and also reaching deep into the country. More than 500 hoardings across the country feature images of pots and orange bags of cement.

The film is also being shown at over 300 rural cinema theatres, while distributors have been given scooter-tyre covers emblazoned with the company's logo. "This campaign is a giant leap. We want Binani Cement to be recognised everywhere," says Gupta.

Now, even as the commercial completes its television run, a print campaign is already on in magazines like India Today and Business India.

A second print campaign, meant for newspapers this time, has just come off the drawing board and is likely to be released in the coming few weeks. Gupta believes the campaign has worked well for Binani Cement. "We have received positive feedback from everywhere. In fact, sales volumes have started surging," he says.

Posted: 16 years ago
Don't compare me with AB:Prashant
In an exclusive interview with AT, debutant Prashant Raj talks about working with Amitabh Bachchan and Ram Gopal Varma

Life is never predictable, but for Prashant Raj, it seems very 'unreal ' at times.

The model-turned actor who is all set for the release of his debut film Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, says, "Unreal, that is what I will call my journey so far. I think I had never imagined myself in such situation.

Working with such big stars in a film of this calibre, it's beyond imagination . After all this happened to me, I have started believing in destiny."

Prashant is playing Raj in the movie (Jai of the original film). So how did he react when he got to know about his break? "I was over the moon when Mr Varma told me that I am going to play the character. But, as I was sitting next to him, I had to control my emotions," says Prashant, barely able to control his excitement.

So is he nervous because of the inevitable comparisons? "Comparisons are expected. But it will be very unfair if people compare me with Mr Bachchan. I think he is standing on the 100th floor of success, where I am just at the first floor," says the new comer.

Interestingly though, Prashant's filmi trek has an uncanny resemblance to the Big B's initial days of struggle in Mumbai. Bachchan was offered Zanjeer at a Mumbai railway station, while Prashant was asked to audition for Varma's film when he was flying off to Los Angeles. "I had even got business visa for 10 years.

But suddenly, I got a call from Mr Varma for the audition. Within five days everything was finalised." Prashant too would like to play Gabbar Singh some day. "Once in my career , I would like to play Gabbar, may be after 30-40 years," he grins.

Did the original Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) give him any tips? "No, he never gave me any tips, because he was engrossed in his own role.

Moreover, he is a professional, he never interferes in other people's work. So if you have any complains regarding my acting, you can blame him for that," he laughs.

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