It’s Time to Play the Game with VOOT Select’s All New Original – The Gone Game

 

Voot Select, India’s fastest growing premium video-on-demand service, is all set to launch its next big original The Gone Game. Coming on the back of critically acclaimed and popular shows like Asur, Marzi, The Raikar Case and Illegal, the next from  VOOT Select - made for stories is The Gone Game – A show that breaks the barriers of space and location to deliver on a gripping and compelling story. Punctuated with moments of deception, suspicion, and unexpected twists, the show will provide an edge of the seat experience and take the viewers on a thrilling ride.

Set in a global pandemic, with a nation in lockdown, the story starts amidst a mysterious disappearance.  Sahil Gujral is gone. Did he fall prey to the virus? Or is something more sinister at play? 2020 has changed the world forever, but for the Gujral family, the nightmare has just begun.Backed with a power-packed cast including Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rukhsar Rehman, Lubna Salim, Indraneil Sengupta, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and produced by Bodhi Tree Multimedia, The Gone Game will stream on Voot Select 20th August, 2020 onwards. 

Shot entirely in isolation during the lockdown, The Gone Game has been executed through remote direction, ingenious cinematography and limited equipment. Marked by nuanced performances and inimitable viewing experience, the show will build intrigue and unravel a mystery at every step of the way. Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, The Gone Game is a one of a kind and a never-seen-before concept that put creative freedom in the hands of the cast of the series to innovate while shooting from their homes.  

Commenting on the launch of The Gone Game, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “Voot Select has had a tremendous first 150 days. Subscriber growth has surpassed all estimates by a long, long way. This spectacular success of the platform comes on the back of Originals, Before TV Content & our International offering. The lockdown has provided a further boost to the rapid rise in subscriber growth. We have innovatively navigated through the challenges of the lockdown and continued to create the best in content and viewing experience for our audience. The Gone Game has a gripping storyline, top drawer cast, and has been shot entirely from home with utmost precision and skill. The thrill and excitement of the show will deliver top-notch entertainment.”

Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat said, “The Gone Game is an original series in every sense. Be it the storyline, the characters, or the overall visual appeal, we have tried to make it authentic while keeping the current lockdown scenario as the backdrop of the show.  We also had to use some innovative techniques to ensure that the performances do not suffer because of the constraint of physical proximity. We learned and unlearned many aspects from our test shoots as due to the conditions, the process was limited, but it also gave the actors and the technicians a lot of freedom to innovate. It has been an unconventional journey and we hope that the audience will appreciate our vision.”

Sukesh Motwani of Bodhi Tree Multimedia said, “It will not be wrong to say that we made it from scratch as we were working with very limited resources and shooting entirely from home. It was challenging but our entire team in association with Voot Select and Nikhil Nagesh Bhat built the concept and storyline of the show creatively without compromising on the output. We were lucky to have a fantastic cast and crew that collectively helped us put a great show together. We are certain that the audience are in for a thrilling ride.”

Veteran actor, Sanjay Kapoor said, “Creating a show from home has been an incredible experience. We had to take care of everything from makeup to costumes, on our own. The family members became our crew companions and tirelessly helped us put a great show together. Our director Nikhil has done a phenomenal job in managing all of us virtually and the outcome is fantastic. Shooting for The Gone Game has been one of the best experiences and I hope the audience enjoys watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Arjun Mathur said, “I never thought of shooting for a show remotely, but I am so glad that I was a part of the crew that made it happen. The Gone Game has a mix of everything - creativity, a gripping plot, fantastic crew, and of course a multi-talented director. It was not an easy task coordinating with so many people virtually but we made it happen. While I cannot wait to go back on sets, no taking away from the fact that this was indeed a fantastic experience. Kudos to Voot Select for introducing the audience to a concept like that. I am sure, they are going to enjoy it.”

Digital star Shriya Pilgaonkar said, “ Working on The Gone Game was so exciting and a wonderful learning experience . Everyone from the cast and crew was extremely patient and amazing to work with. It is great that platforms like Voot Select are introducing such concepts to their viewers and making sure that they always have some good  content to consume no matter what the circumstance . This experience will always be memorable and I am so glad that Voot Select has given all of us this unique concept to work with.”

Shweta Tripathi Sharma said, “  As an actor, I am always looking to do some creatively challenging work. The Gone Game is something I was always confident of only because of the makers of the show . I just loved the concept when I heard it and I instantly decided to take it up. The entire experience has been one of a kind. It is not easy to bring out emotions when you are shooting remotely but the creators of the show impeccably brought alive every emotion on screen. I loved the experience and I hope the audience loves it too.”

“The Gone Game – Streaming from August 20, 2020 on Voot Select”

upGrad’s New TV & Digital Campaign is a Clarion Call to the 100M Indian Workforce to Grow with Specialisation & Not with Licking

upGrad, India’s largest online higher education company, unveils its latest mass media campaign, which can be considered as one of the most clutter-breaking & bold campaigns done by a brand in the recent past. The TV commercial, featuring a donkey, draws from the cultural insight that in the corporate world, everyone wants to climb the ladder and choose various ways to get ahead - one of the most common being the tendency to ‘lick ass’.

Shot in Estonia, the humorous yet charming film has been developed by the creative agency, The Womb & has been directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, a.k.a Bob, co-founder & director, Good Morning Films, who has worked on close to 100 ads in India and won two Gold Lions at Cannes - the first by an Indian filmmaker and a Grand Prix at Spikes Asia, the upGrad's film marks the first in his career where he directed the shoot crew, including the endearing animal, remotely from Goa, where he has been shooting ads since a month now. 

“Our primary objective is to define the kind of education upGrad provides, that is not constricted by the mode of learning - which just happens to be online. The next ambition was to compellingly summarise all the types of courses we provide - post-graduate degrees, certifications and diplomas. We chose the word ‘degree’ because in India, the concept of a ‘degree’ holds emotional and practical heft across all socio-economic classes. While degrees are available a dime a dozen, the conflict occurs when they tend to be generic, outdated and from not so credible institutions, that are ultimately not valued by employers. Thus, the genesis of ‘Sirf naam ki nahin, kaam ki degree’ - upGrad’s promise to provide outcome-oriented specialisations that help learners to achieve the ROI on education – job/profile switch, increment or promotion, in other words, Employability” said Arjun Mohan, CEO - India, upGrad.

Talking about the campaign, Kawal Shoor, Co-Founder, The Womb said, “upGrad and The Womb got together a few months back to start working on building its brand and business in India. COVID-19 has hastened the need for edtech as a category. upGrad is a very substantive brand in the midst of many lightweight educational institutions that have mushroomed all over India. It has a great culture, knows how to teach, and has tie-ups with some of the best universities in India, and the world. It can fulfil the learning needs of working professionals and undergraduates. We had to bring its various offerings under one, clear positioning idea for the brand that stems from and can influence culture. This spot introduces that idea, along with a clear proposition for working professionals."

"upGrad's Data Science and Management programs for working professionals have great pedigree with tie-ups with institutions like IIIT Bangalore, IIT Madras, and Deakin Business School. To make this resonate culturally, we borrowed from culture - work/corporate culture to be specific. We uncovered a very rich insight - in organisations, those who're not good enough to find other means to rise. We built our proposition around this insight. What was even more challenging was to find a way to execute this in a lockdown - so what you'll see, are Indian-origin actors from the UK, performing in an office in Estonia, being remotely directed from a villa in Goa. The clients at upGrad have to be complimented for believing,” added Navin Talreja, Co-Founder, The Womb.

The performance-driven media planning on TV channels is being executed by the agency DCMN and on OTTs and Google platforms by Tatvic Analytics. The mass media campaign will also be complemented by narrative-driven influencer campaign on social media, which the company officials has not revealed yet. In partnership with HTTPool & Twitter India, upGrad also has rolled out an emoji campaign wherein one of the key brand attributes (KBA) - a red arrow moving upwards will be automatically added to upskilling related hashtags when tweeted by any user worldwide during the campaign period.

ZEE5 Welcomes India on HiPi; A Stairway for the Next Billion Indian Creators to Stardom

 

Platform for Stardom 

* ZEE5, India’s Entertainment Super-App presents a destination for all age Indian creators ~

* HiPi onboards 400+ influencers, with 70+ Zee TV celebrities and will add 100+ by December 2020~

An Atmanirbhar Bharat! A statement, a dream, a vision that many Indians today envisage to achieve. From Indian organizations to Individuals, all are aspiring to make this self-reliance mantra a reality. ZEE5, India’s very own Entertainment Super-App began this journey over a year and a half ago to make it a reality wherein, it could present to the next billion Indians, a platform to create fun and entertaining content – connect with their millions of fans and stand a chance to step into the real fandom world.

A platform which will be the official Home of Entertainment and Entertainers!

Today, ZEE5’s much awaited project, is getting launched with the Beta rollout of HiPi - the short video platform, that promises to engage billions of Indians to embark on a journey from just being a FAN to achieving FANDOM! In the era of the Atmanirbhar Bharat, where users can be themselves and have fun in a brand safe, extremely creative and happy environment. HiPi is a perfect platform for content consumers, to content creators.

The platform has been envisioned and created in India for the diversely unique Indian audience after extensive research. A home to multiple features, that enables the users to showcase their talent through various unique filters and effects, also discover, follow and appreciate content that is being created by others. The unique format and technology that HiPi has integrated with its interface and navigation will allow users to create videos up to 90-seconds. A full-fledged release will be done in a phased manner with the Beta version for Android going live today, followed by the iOS version in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the momentous launch, Mr. Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India said, “The launch of HiPi is a proud moment for us as the short video platform was developed in India keeping with the ethos of Atmanirbhar Bharat. HiPi revolutionizes the entertainment experience, by giving a universally accessible platform to unmask the latent talent present inside each of us, taking us from being a Fan to Fandom! Continuing with a focus on customer centricity, HiPi will help Indians to connect with their millions of fans and stand a chance to step into the real Fandom world. A platform which will be the official Home of Entertainment and entertainers! As we go live today, HiPi takes ZEE5 one step closer to its ambition of becoming India’s Entertainment Super-App!”

Echoing these sentiments, Mr. Rajneel Kumar, Business Head - Expansion Projects and Head of Products, ZEE5 India added, “The vision for HiPi stemmed from an idea to further grow ZEE5 as a one-stop destination for the new and dynamic India. And a lot of care has been taken to build this platform to enable a creatively charged environment which simultaneously empowers the creators, users, brands and viewers alike. The framework of the platform has been created to encourage more creativity and engagement while also making sure that the security and safety of our users are never compromised. It is a platform truly made in India, made for India.”

HiPi has added various security features to make sure that safety is never compromised. With the entire framework made such, it is truly set to empower India by giving the audiences a platform where their talent will get the stage and reach; and even allow brands to discover and connect with a diverse set of audiences across the length and breadth of the country.

HiPi promises to be a platform that will redefine content creation and curation. It will be a  platform where every Indian will have a chance to showcase their creativity and announce their arrival in the global creative arena.

MTV Brings a Beatbox Rendition of A.R. Rehman's "Maa Tujhe Salaam", this Independence Day

For the last two decades and more, this iconic song has been instrumental in instilling a sense of patriotic pride and national unity amongst millions. Even after garnering a Guiness World Records for being the song performed in the most number of languages, the legendary A.R. Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam doesn’t cease to amuse us and infuse a plethora of emotions. As we step into the 74th year of India’s Independence, India’s No. 1 Youth Brand, MTV aims to scale up the celebrations with a musical innovation. In partnership with BBXINDIA, MTV is all set to launch a recreated version of A.R. Rahman’s iconic track Maa Tujhe Salaam, with a beatbox version.

This heartfelt rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam, purely created with human mouth and vocal chords (vocal flute, Konakkol, and Beatbox only) for the first time ever, is a modern day tribute to the resilience of our nation on 15th August. Through this offering, the channel brings MTV Beatbox Hustle, an innovative extension to its flagship property, MTV Hustle- India’s first rap reality show. With this collaboration with BBXINDIA, an organization that has pioneered the culture of beatboxing in India, MTV brings a platform for all budding talents to showcase their expertise, create awareness about the subculture and give it a push that it rightly deserves.

This unique track owes its newness to three of the most talented beatboxers in India. Raka Vee, a Chennai-based beatboxer and founder of BBXINDIA, who with his decade-long expertise, has over 100 live shows worldwide to his credit. Ajinkya, a self-trained mouth musician from Mumbai who recreates the wind flute using his vocal cords only; Shivaraj Natraj, a well-trained Carnatic vocalist and Mridangam artist from Bangalore, also known as the Konnakol beatboxer who combines the oldest vocal percussion (Konnakol) with modern age beatboxing and brings the true mix of Indian beatbox flavor. 

This partnership would also entail a series of LIVE sessions with the founder of BBXINDIA, Raka Vee, who will be interviewing talented artists from the Beatbox community for 4 weeks from MTV Hustle’s Instagram page.

So, this Independence Day, rejoice in the spirit of freedom with a vibrant beatbox rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam, only with MTV India.

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/mtvindia/posts/10158326873070102

Twitter- https://twitter.com/MTVIndia/status/1294178070518099968

“Main gaya jahan bhi, bas teri yaad thi

Jo mere saath thi, mujhko tadpa thi rulati

Sab se pyaari, teri soorat

Pyaar hai bas tera, pyaar hi

Maa tujhe salaam” 

ALTBalaji, Pay Point India Partner for Digital-Assistance and Offline Subscription Payment

Intending to deepen existing market presence and penetrate new markets, ALTBalaji and PayPoint India have entered into a strategic partnership. This initiative is primarily for the rural and semi-rural markets with a set of viewers who require digital-assistance and offline subscription payment options.  

With PayPoint’s 45,000 plus tech-enabled retailers across India wherein more than 80 percent of its customers are spread across in rural and semi-rural markets, the partnership helps ATLBalaji acquire untapped customers by making content more accessible. For the ALTBalaji fans, the PayPoint offline stores provide seamless assistance for activation as well, along with paying for subscription and renewals in cash and access the program at the convenience of their homes.

In the current pandemic,  ALTBalaji, which is an alternative for mainstream entertainment, has witnessed an increased audience in rural areas. PayPoint, a leading offline-to-online (O2O) company operating Pan India for the last 10 years, will provide access to its retail outlets to collect cash on behalf of ALTBalaji and allow the consumers to watch the fresh, original, and engaging contents on the over-the-top (OTT) platform.

Ketan Doshi, Managing Director of PayPoint India, said, “For ALTBalaji like alternatives to mass entertainment, there is a huge fan following in the rural districts of India. However, for lower digital-savvy fans activating the service, and doing an offline recharge is a hindrance. This partnership will be a boon for the population to do an instant activation and renewal recharge.”

“The offline recharge for such video-on-demand OTT service is the first of this kind and one such industry initiative. The association will help ALTBalaji achieve higher subscriber’s base, while PayPoint will be adding one of its kind product to the kitty of services that it is providing to the customers across the length and breadth of India, ” Ketan added.

The association will enable ALTBalaji to take the OTT space to the masses and aggressively increase its viewership by reaching every corner of the country. Available across multiple interfaces ranging from desktops, laptops, tablets, smart-phones to internet-ready television, the subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) service marries state-of-the-art technology with gripping storytelling. 

PayPoint is a trusted partner for Last-Mile Delivery of Fast-Moving Consumer Services. It offers more than 100 services like bill payment, recharges, DTH, Travel booking, ATM withdrawals, Wallets, and many more. Technology-enabled Retailers brings benefit to the end customers in terms of accessibility, convenience in the neighborhood.

About ALTBalaji

ALTBalaji is a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms Limited, a subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) service, which has marked the Group’s foray into the Digital Entertainment space. After conquering television and making a strong mark in films, Balaji Telefilms aims to reach out directly to specific audiences, by providing them with original, exclusive shows, that they can access at their fingertips. ALTBalaji offers fresh, original, and unique stories. Tailored especially for Indians, across the globe, the platform hosts premium, high-quality shows featuring famous celebrities, acclaimed writers, and award-winning directors, making ALTBalaji a true alternative to mainstream entertainment.

About PayPoint India

PayPoint is a technology-enabled Distribution network of Financial Services. The company's digitally connected network of 45000+ offline stores offers various Financial services like Banking (PMJDY accounts), micro-ATM services, Wallets (Paypointz), Remittances, Bill payments, insurance, Merchant QR and many more. Apart from Financial services, PayPoint also offers consumer services to the underserved like Travel booking, Recharges, Amazon assisted shopping, Gift Cards, etc. through its strong network of retail stores spread across the country. The company’s retailer-driven assisted model helps customers make an informed decision for availing services from their trained partners and its digital platform.

PayPoint offers a bouquet of services through its plug-and-play platform. More than 100 Services providers are plugged into the company's system and interact with them on a real-time basis catering to more than 5 million customers month on month. The primary objective is to bridge the financial inclusion gap between developed urban India and under-served rural India.

BSNL rolls out Internet TV services

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Wednesday launched its Internet Protocol Television services, which will enable consumers to watch TV channels using their fixed telephone line at home.

The company has launched the service in 10 cities, including Gurgaon in Haryana.

IPTV is a system where an interactive digital television service is delivered over a broadband connection instead of the traditional way of transmitting through a cable network.

Users will also get new services such as video on demand where they can watch their favourite movies for a fee. They can also pause, fast forward and rewind live and recorded content stored on a remotely located server by the service provider.

Since IPTV delivers TV channels in digital form, the quality of TV viewing is expected to be much better as compared to analog transmission.

Broadband link

To avail the service, subscribers will have to take a broadband connection from BSNL and a set-top box for an upfront payment of Rs 2,500. In addition, subscribers will have to pay Rs 280 each month for receiving all 150 channels and Rs 200 for 95 channels.

BSNL launches low-cost mobile phones for rural subscribers

In comparison, DTH subscribers pay over Rs 300 a month for receiving all the channels.

In 98 cities soon

Kuldeep Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL, said the company plans to roll out IPTV services to 98 cities by end of the current fiscal year. He also said that this will enable BSNL to tap into the growing broadcasting sector.

BSNL has partnered Smart Digivision Pvt Ltd, a company promoted by Mahendra Nahata, Chairman, Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd, to roll out the service in 54 cities.

Goyal said that BSNL will launch its 3G services over the next two months starting from Chennai.

The Smart TV Group, consisting Smart Digivision Pvt Ltd and Smart Broadband Services Pvt Ltd, has entered into long term contracts with MTNL and BSNL for providing co-branded interactive video services in 54 cities.

Source: Agencies