Versatility, thy name is…

…Paresh Rawal. The actor extraordinaire, who pulls off comic capers with as much aplomb as the wiles of the scheming creep, is often the un-publicised draw in most films. Here in an exclusive conversation with Neha Sarin…

What made you take up acting as a career?
It’s true that Naseer bhai (Naseruddin Shah) inspired me to get into acting, otherwise I'd have stuck to theatre alone. It’s only when I saw Naseer bhai and Om Puri, I realised that this is the right kind of acting. One must jump into it and must do this kind of acting…then you feel justified. I don’t know what I would have been into, if not for acting.

After playing the villain in the 80s and 90s, you became increasingly associated with comedy. How did the transition come about?
When you do justice to a villain’s role, you get bombarded with those kinds of offers, that’s how this industry works. But to my shock and surprise, Ketan Mehta walked in and offered me “Sardar” after auditioning a lot of actors and then he chose me – he had the faith in me. Then “Sir”, followed by “Tamanna” and “Raja”, after which I was bombarded with roles of the heroine’s brother or the hero’s father. Some of them were intense and some were plain stupid, but in the end I was playing a positive kind of a guy. And then came "Hera Pheri". Post "Hera Pheri", I was bombarded with comic roles.

What makes your chemistry with Akshay Kumar so brilliant?
He is one actor who has come up so brilliantly and I respect him a lot for that. He made it without help from any godfather. He came up doing the kind of roles that pahalwans were doing, then slowly and steadily he made his mark. And it’s not easy to go from an action hero to becoming a dependable star, which in the industry means an all-rounder – the one who can do comedy, tragedy, romance…it’s an achievement.

How do you adapt yourself to such disparate roles, each with its unique quirks?
I didn’t know if I was versatile, but my theatre training did allow me to try my hand at different kinds of roles. And more importantly, I desired to do different kind of roles and I guess that made me do justice to each of them.

"Oye Lucky" was a fun film; was it fun on the sets too?
In my entire career, I worked with very good people or very talented people but the combination of talent and goodness is very rare to come by. So it was a lot of fun working in "Oye Lucky". I played three different characters in the film and that was a lot of fun too. Dibakar Banerjee is one of the brightest directors in the industry.

How was it working with Abhay Deol?
What an actor! He is a highly underrated actor; he grows on you. He is one actor who is not concerned with his looks or six packs etc. He is only concerned about his character. He is sure, you see, unlike any other hero who probably would not pick up such risky roles. It takes a lot of courage to do such roles. That is why, he is here to stay. Bahut lambi race ka ghoda hai…

How was your experience working with other veteran actors in "Maharathi"?
It’s a lovely thriller and its appeal lay in the strong storyline and the kind of actors that are part of this film… It was joy, joy and sheer joy all the way, working with the likes of Naseer bhai, Om Puri, Boman Irani… It’s a kind of a dream come true when you work with the finest actors that the industry has to offer – the people you love and respect, they who inspire you…therefore, the end product is good.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

…AND YET, YES WE CAN!

On the night of November 26, when terrorists stormed the Taj, in a room on one of the floors, there was one of India Inc’s bright young beacons lying on the floor, alive, but terrified, confused and unsure. Next to him on the floor lay others, some bleeding, others perhaps weeping… A wall away, they could hear the crack of assault rifles, the cries of victims as they crashed lifeless in corridors and rooms and the deafening sound of explosions. As the acrid smell of the carnage wafted in with the smoke, panic set in. How much longer before the terrorists enter our room? Will they kill us all? What do we do? Questions raged in every head, including the young CEO’s… “We did not know what to do? We tried barricading ourselves inside the room… but it was rather flimsy…” he said on TV, after he was rescued the next day. He thanked providence and his spiritual practice for carrying him through those harrowing hours, for there was little else to bank on.

That same evening, in another part of the hotel, seven South Africans were dining in one of the restaurants when they heard gun shots inside the hotel. When they realised that there were terrorists in the hotel, they spoke to the other diners and told them who they were – bodyguards in the country on an assignment, protecting international cricketers – and explained that they had the training to handle this situation. “People remained calm”, one of them told a news channel, as they moved more than a hundred people out of the restaurant. “…it had a large glass area which could have been dangerous…” They switched off the lights to retain the element of surprise and then the other guests were herded into a conference room which was then barricaded by the South Africans with relatively sturdy objects like refrigerators and heavy tables. The bodyguards had armed themselves with what they could – cleavers and knives and were considering various possibilities when they realised that the building was on fire. They knew they had to evacuate, checked to see if it was ‘all clear’, got word through to the security personnel that they shouldn’t shoot and finally through the fire exit, guided 120 hostages to safety (including an old woman who was carried in a chair, down 25 flights of stairs!) ....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Dog Squad !

Dogs vied with each other at proving their skills in Kerala Police academy Passing-Out Parade too. A robbery scene was enacted by trainers, following which German Shepherd Lisa traced the ‘robber’ by sniffing his handkerchief and the weapon he left behind, as Manikantan, her trainer watched. Salma was adjudged the best tracker dog, Annie the best sniffer dog and Lisa the best demonstrator at the Academy.

C Bhuvanachandran, Superintendent of Police at the Dog Training School, proudly recalled the feats of the newly trained dogs. Brownie, who took charge in Thiruvananthapuram had detected bombs from a suitcase at the airport. Salma had even exposed a jewellery theft in Kottayam and Stella traced the culprit in the sensational killing of Chavakkad schoolboy Nizamuddin. Tarzan, merely by sniffing a stone thrown by the criminal at the Sree Narayana statue at Kollam, had nosed him out of his lair for the police.

Yeomen services notwithstanding, training centres have their own woes to contend with. “Life expectancy of a dog is about 10 years. And 18 of the 24 dogs in Kerala dog squad are 8-year olds. They need replacement. Every district needs a minimum of three dogs and spare dogs. The academy will be able to supply the required number of dogs only by 2012,” explains Alexander Jacob.

Nonetheless, amidst the awe and excitement buzzing in the crowd of spectators at the first Passing Out Parade of the four-legged commandos in the Academy, it was evident that the war on terror has a dependable, though mortal, ally in man’s best friend too; the only concern being if the lives of our brave men have gotten so dispensable, what of the dogs?....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

The new Line of Control

It is surprising, always from the benefit of hindsight, how much Indian investigators and the media now know about Mumbai’s bloody slaughter. The light and sound, the flurry or charges and counter charges by various responsible hands in the government, and the unseemly recriminations in the aftermath of one of the greatest security disasters in recent times, has added a new word to the lexicon – `actionable intelligence.’

What is actionable intelligence? Consider the following:

November 22, 2008: (two days before the attack): Shivraj Patil tells India’s police chiefs: "To control terrorism in the hinterland, we have to see that infiltration does not take place through the sea routes.’’

November 13, 2008: (a fortnight before the assaults) PM tells BIMSTEC summit, "Terrorism and threats from the sea continue to challenge the authority of the state."

March 11, 2008: A.K. Antony warns International Maritime Search and Rescue Conference of the "dangers of terror attacks from the sea in the region", admitting that the Coast Guard faces shortage of manpower and hardware.

September 18, 2008: RAW intercepted a phone conversation in which a LeT source says there is a plan to target a hotel at the Gateway of India through the sea route.

September 24, 2008: RAW identifies hotels which could be attacked: Taj, Marriott, the Land's End and Sea Rock.

If the ultimate aim of terrorists – apart from causing mayhem, murder and demoralisation– was to discredit the Indian security establishment, then it is a job well done. Waking up in the aftermath of an onslaught which has claimed over 200 lives (an understated figure?) and many hundreds maimed, the story of many gaps in the government action makes up for a picture which is not new .In line of fire is the Naval chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta. Defence Minister, A.K.Anthony, pulled up the Navy Chief asking him how they missed the intelligence warning?....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

and to begin with, it was only a B-School fest!

Other popular events included Best Manager, Creative Writing, Ad-Guru, Flip Back and Treasure Hunt. The much-awaited evenings had an exciting line-up of rounds. Whilst the choreography teams set the stage on fire, the winner of the Solo Singing Competition walked away with a free trip to Switzerland. Mr and Ms Amaze won Rs 50,000 each. The Fashion Show highlighted the Amaze 2008 raison d’etre, with a slide-show illustrating global problems and suggested solutions. Adding lustre to the glitzy affair were Mukesh Tyagi (last seen on screen in “Fashion”), Shahnaz Husain (celebrated beautician), Muzaffar Ali (fashion designer), Salma Sultan (TV personality), Karishma Agarwal (MD, Galaxy Group of Hotels and lead dancer in Shiamak Davar’s troupe). Amaze 2008 thus delivered every bit of the fun that was promised, all the way to the grand finale.

On the evening of 14th November, DJ Suketu churned his latest chartbusters at Sun City Gardens and soon the jostling crowd succumbed to the dance beats. But the best was yet to come! Delhi witnessed its finest retro fiesta ever when Boney M featuring Marcia Barrett stepped on the stage and there followed 60 minutes of exhilarating music, as an audience of over 15,000 swung to the tunes of “Rasputin”, “Belfast”, “Rivers of Babylon” and yes... “Daddy Cool”.

At the end of the day, IIPM’s fest, Amaze, proved to be an apt forum to bring together youth from across the globe and advance synergy, peace and tolerance to the world – a mission well accomplished!....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

THE DESTINATION DOSSIER

Steering the course:
Many airlines like American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air India ply from India to San Francisco…Just plan the trip and pick the airline!

The ‘season’ed traveller goes now:
If you enjoy cool weather then travel to SF during the winter as without freezing temperatures you still get an amazing winter feeling. If not, then visit during spring when a light sweater works just fine.

Cosy corners:
From low-budget hotels to five-star Hiltons, anything in your budget is available.

Savour Faire:
Indulge in some fine dining along the bay as well as the local clam chowder, the smell of which would attract you while walking down the Piers!

Get to work:
Although you can go for a guided tour of SF which would take you to all the must see places, instead, explore the city on your own. Just walk around and observe the landscape, the houses, the street shops and people, as that’s what the true experience is all about.

What’s the word?
English is the primary language, but Spanish words like Hola (hi/bye) and Gracias (thank you) always come handy.

Keepsake courtesies:
Key chains of the Golden Gate Bridge, sweatshirts, and postcards of San Francisco’s top destinations are the most famous keepsakes.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

His choice of Republicans for key posts shows his commitment

Appointment of such a high profile leader will also boost Obama’s plans to completely revamp the healthcare system of the country – an issue close to his heart. Of the other possible contenders, retired Marine General James Jones, the previous top operational commander of NATO, is leading for White House National Security Advisor post. Similarly, names of incumbent Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Chuck Hagel, a Republican senator from Nebraska, are doing the rounds for being Secretary of Defence. Appointments of these stalwarts will mean Obama is ready to give the Republicans responsibility to deal with National Security – their forte.

Obama’s rainbow coalition reflects Abraham Lincoln’s ‘Team of Rivals’ that so successfully managed to held America together during the civil war. Talking to TSI, Richard Carwardine, an expert on bipartisan polity at Oxford, said, “The appointments reflect that Obama's Lincoln connections go deeper than what people initially thought. Obama has clearly shown that he is not the one who is afraid of surrounding himself with able people, whether they are Republicans or Democrats – which was exactly Lincoln's temperament.”

Lincoln or not; it is clearly 'one-love ' for Obama.....Continue

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The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

The army has become a punching bag

Certain other questions also remain unexplained. When TSI approached the Army to check on the possibility of RDX being procured from them, a senior Army officer categorically asserted that the “Army neither uses nor stores RDX. We use only plastic explosives and TNT. The RDX seized during a raid on terrorist hideout is always handed over to the local police.” As per army rules, it requires a chain of command to procure even plastic and TNT explosives from the army ordinance and involves at least four-five officers as witnesses and a lengthy documentation process. Some former officials say that that man in uniform is the easiest target in India. “The army has become a punching bag. Since it has no ways and means to give its side of the story, all reports are believed. In a 1.3 million-strong army, if one man is convicted, it never shows the general trend. Such cases in India are rare. In the case of Col Purohit, the investigation is still on” says Lt. Gen. Raj Kadyan, a former deputy chief of army. The Congress demand of setting up a multi-disciplinary Task Force to conduct a threadbare investigation of the Malegaon blasts could help. Importantly, such an investigation could possibly keep at bay prying busybees, such as a media hungry for headlines - never mind the damage it could cause - and politicians who do not look beyond their electoral noses. India, after all, is justifiably proud to be a developing country where the military prefers the barracks to civilian office. Most people are agreed that it would help it keep that way.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

‘There is no scope for regional parties here’

Distribution of BJP tickets for the forthcoming assembly elections have sparked off protests all over Madhya Pradesh.
This is not new. It is true that the BJP is preparing to come back in the state for a second term. It is also clear that after the current term, more people are keen to contest on our party ticket. But not everybody can be given tickets. So some anger is understandable. But they will come around to it.
These public demonstrations – including a semi-nude protest display at the party office – gives the BJP a very negative image.
The display is not right. They are getting emotional. But I do not agree that it sends out a negative signal to the voters or workers. (during the course of the interview, the phone rings and Patwa directs an irate party worker to forget about everything else and work for improving the image of BJP.)
There are allegations that the survey that was conducted to weigh chances of sitting MLAs, has not been taken into consideration…
No I won’t buy that. There are other means also by which we evaluate the people whom we give tickets to contest. Survey alone can not decide the fate of a candidate. Survey is just one of those ways. Different sources in the party at different levels have been taken into confidence before giving away these tickets. I find the process fair.

What are the achievements that BJP is planning to take to the masses?
Its Congress’ 50 years versus BJP’s five years. It is for the people to compare the work done by the respective governments. BJP’s tenure has been exceptional. People can see visible changes, as far as development is concerned. But we’ll have to understand that development is an unending process and it can not be completed in just five years. And for that we want another stint.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Court ruffles muslim feathers

Council mooted to relook at Islam allowing polygamy
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court observed that India needs a law to set up bodies at Central and regional levels to regulate, control and supervise Muslim marriages and divorces. While passing a verdict in a matrimonial case involving a Muslim couple, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Harun-Ul-Rashid said that an effective system should be launched to protect Muslim women from "indiscreet marriages and divorces". The verdict came in the wake of a ruling given by the Family Court of Thrissur, which had granted divorce to a Muslim lady, Seleena, because her husband Saidali took a second wife. He had appealed that a Muslim man would find it impossible to marry more than one woman – permissible in his religion – if a divorce is granted on the basis of polygamy. The court said that a divorce cannot be granted on the basis of the husband's second marriage. However, if a woman refuses to live with another woman, she should recieve separate accommodation and alimony. While passing the verdict, the court also referred to the historical background of allowing polygamy in Islam: when orphans, widows, and dependants of prisoners of war found it tough to lead a decent life. Now, 1500 years later, some people still observe polygamy without questioning its basis. The court also held that though the Prophet had permitted up to four wives, Islam insisted on equal sharing of food, clothing and accommodation. Polygamy should not be practiced if these norms cannot be adhered to, the court added. Meanwhile, reactions to this landmark judgment have not been as enthusiastic as expected. Nisa, a Muslim Progressive Women’s Forum, welcomed the verdict while the secretary of Samastha Kerala Jama-Iyyathul Ulema said such things should be sorted within the society. MN Karasserry, a Muslim thinker, said that the Parliament should enact rules as per this verdict. But Sunni faction leader Kanthapuram AP Abubaker Musliyar disagreed with the court’. In the meantime, the Law Reforms Commission submitted its report to Kerala government, stating that polygamy is an exception among Muslims, but permissible only in socially exceptional circumstances and should be supervised by a conciliation council....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Unlike India's bad experience, Taiwan hopes for better

IIPM Publication

Both sides were at ease to take no notice of the pungent disputes that lie at the nucleus of their divide for the sake of commerce, inking agreements on non-stop flights across the Taiwan Strait and straight shipping links that will considerably slash costs. Mr Chen and Mr Chiang, who stand for quasigovernmental departments in charge of cross-Strait interactions, settled on tripling the number of non-stop charter flights from 36 a week to 108, and to expand service to 16 more cities in China. They also approved to open up supplementary air and sea cargo courses, extend postal links and lend a hand on food hygiene issues.

“His trip is a significant step forward for the tempestuous cross-strait relationship. So far, wisdom has prevailed and the leadership in both capitals has seized the opportunity to build a more stable and mutually beneficial relationship. While progress has been made, future gains are not guaranteed and recent accomplishments can be reversed,” said Bonnie Glaser, senior associate at Centre for Strategic and International Studies, while speaking to TSI.

Military tensions between the two neighbours have soared since 1949 as the “Nationalists” led by Chiang Kai-shek, routed by Communists in the Chinese civil, escaped to Taiwan. Beijing has ever since maintained that Taiwan is a turncoat territory, to be brought under Chinese rule by martial force if necessary. ...Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Why Andhra means glory!

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Why Andhra means glory!
Utpal Sen Gupta, Chairman, CII (Andhra Pradesh) speaks...

"Much has been talked about Andhra’s bright prospects. How has a state so ignored become a state most looked up to? What has got the MNCs glued to this south-Indian kingdom? IT, pharma, engineering and... well, capital inflow! "

India’s economy is growing ever-increasingly. With positive indicators like a stable GDP growth, a booming capital market and rapidly expanding FDI inflows, India has emerged as the second fastest growing economy. The economy has been growing at an average rate of 8.8% over the last four fiscal years. Significantly, the industrial and service sectors have been contributing a major part of this growth.

In this dynamic background, Andhra Pradesh, which achieved a phenomenal and a record-breaking growth rate of 10.3% in FY2007-08 deserves special mention. This was for the first time in history that this state achieved a double-digit growth! This is because of the strong performance of all the sectors at the state level. The state’s performance exceeded the national average in every sector, including agriculture, which had stagnated for a long time. The industrial sector grew at 9.8% as against 8.9% at the national level. The service sector grew at 11.5% as against 10.7% at the national level. Another significant indicator – the per capita income - increased by 9.3% as against the national average of 7.5%! Now that is growth from all quarters, and something which does the state and the nation proud!

Well endowed with natural resources, Andhra Pradesh offers several competitive advantages to investors. Being a mineral-rich state, Andhra is ranked second in India and contains a large variety of mineral wealth. In terms of human resource too, Andhra Pradesh is characterised by a large pool of scientific and technically-trained manpower. The state alone has about 226 engineering colleges in which, 30% of the total capacity is allotted to IT. The state also has dedicated institutions for biotechnology, ITeS/BPO and other fields. The State is well-known for some world-class institutions like The Indian Institute of Information Technology, ISB, The Academy for Construction, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Nutrition et al.

Andhra also provides a cosmopolitan environment with good infrastructure and quality of life. It is home to many catalytic manufacturing & service organisations in industries such as IT, bulk drugs & pharmaceuticals, agro-processing, mineral-based industries, gems & jewellery et al. Surely, Andhra is the right choice for business endeavours.

The state also has good global air connectivity and one of the best domestic connectivity. With liberal labour laws, proactive policies, quality power with competitive tariff, large pool of technical manpower, rich mineral resources and specialised industrial parks with SEZ status, it is the preferred destination for investors. Andhra Pradesh is strategically located and is considered as the gateway to East & South-East Asia. Visakhapatnam port in Andhra is the largest port and its cargo handling capacity will be enhanced with the development of ports in the private sector at Gangavaram, Krishnapatnam, Nizampatnam and Kakinada. Another city, Hyderabad, has emerged as the home to several major drug manufacturing companies which are global names.

Andhra Pradesh is the leading state in the country when it comes to e-Governance. The state has the second-largest power generating utility in the country and has also emerged as the best healthcare destination in the country with state-of-the-art hospitals.

All these factors have contributed to making Andhra Pradesh the most investor-friendly and therefore the Best Marketed State in the country.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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When phoren movies come calling on India!

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

A whole new world of cinema that never existed before for the Indian movie buffs has now come alive. UTV’s World Movies and NDTV Lumière are ready with their goodies to quench your thirst for this new genre of foreign language films. By SURBHI CHAWLA

When Dilshad Master, COO, UTV Entertainment Television Ltd., visited the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007, she thoroughly enjoyed watching the more than 3000 movies from across the globe that were screened at the event. Her only disappointment was with the fact that “India gets to see only movies made in Bollywood or Hollywood, which is such a pity, as there are such great movies being made in the world and we don’t get to see them,” she avers. And that’s when Dilshad got the idea of bringing foreign movies to Indian shores. She started working on the concept in April 2007. And the fruits of ten months of hard toil were indeed sweet when on February 3, 2008, World Movies, the world cinema channel of UTV Entertainment Television, went on-air (albeit with a soft launch).

Patrons of this kind of international cinema – till now – were totally at the mercy of film festivals, to see great French, Italian, Latin or let’s say, feature films in myriad languages, other than English & Hindi (or regional languages for that matter!). And the floodgates have only just about begun to open. Apart from UTV, another Indian media house – NDTV – is buoyant on the potential of bringing videshi films into India. Through its new venture NDTV Lumière (collaboration between NDTV Imagine, Manmohan Shetty and Sunil Doshi), the group seeks to premiere the best of world cinema in Indian multiplexes, immediately following their worldwide release. The films would then be made available through home videos or in the pay-per-view format, and will finally make it to their soon-to-be launched channel, NDTV Lumière.

Vidyuth Bhandhary, General Manager, NDTV Lumière opines, “Currently, the only supply of international movies is renting or purchase of few popular titles or through pirated DVDs. We believe there will always be demand for good cinema, irrespective of which part of the world it is from. We intend to bridge this demand-supply gap and provide ‘cineasts’ with the opportunity to watch good international cinema.” UTV’s World Movies, on the other hand, has taken an entirely different approach. Giving a miss to Indian multiplexes or home videos, World Movies has gone on-air in the first phase itself. Dilshad asserts that the strategy was crafted after positive results of all the test-marketing and focus group discussions. “We’re very clear about the movies that we want. We want the kind of movies that Indians would like to watch – action, thriller, crime, horror, romance, drama – that would click with the Indian audiences. The only pre-condition being that the movies that we get have to be hits in the countries that they were made in,” she explains.

But one important question remains unanswered. Would there be many takers for this kind of cinema? Dilshad enthuses, “The global Indian is all over the place. When we talk in terms of cuisines, people are not just going to tandoori restaurants any more. They are trying out Italian, Mexican or Spanish. There’s a tendency to experiment and people are game for different foreign language movies.” World Movies and NDTV Lumière also need to contend with the prevailing audience perception about these foreign films being boring and intellectually driven parallel cinema. However, Dilshad is quick to differ. “We’re not here to intellectually stimulate your brains, but simply to entertain.”

Small surprise that after a relatively soft launch, World Movies has now launched an aggressive marketing campaign to educate viewers, promote their movies and do away with that ‘intellectual-arty’ image. World Movies has yet to carve its niche in the Indian cable & satellite industry. But, even before the actual TRP wars begin for the nascent channel, competition from existing dedicated English movie channels on Indian television is hotting up. For starters, Star Movies (and later HBO) have adamantly refused to show ads and promos of World Movies on their respective channels.

There’s another cause for concern. Time spent per week by an individual on an English movie channel is witnessing a declining trend. As per TAM data, Star Movies witnessed its share drop from 5.9 minutes each week in 2006 to 4.91 minutes each week in 2007. Plus there has been no increase in ad revenues for these channels in the year 2007. If such is the case with traditional English movie channels, wonder how a foreign language movies channel would fare at the hands of both viewers and advertisers?

Having said that, it does seem a tad too premature to talk about the success of these two channels. Being a paid channel, World Movies has seen advertisers flocking from day one. Even then it would be interesting to watch the kind of ratings these channels would eventually fetch. So the next time you wanna catch a late night flick, drooling over a tub of popcorn, remember that you always have the option of ‘world cinema’ at your disposal.

SURBHI CHAWLA

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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Latest Advertising Communication

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

“The search for a larger cause with which the brand can tell its story is a great strategy. Cause related advertising does a lot more than conventional ads. It makes the brand a perceptual leader. It attracts immense goodwill. It becomes a platform for public expression... and helps in making the brand iconic,” agrees Josy Paul of JWT.

Take Tata Tea. The tea major is peddling Bhartiyata in the form of its latest advertising communication – Jaago Re – that harps on corrupt and illiterate politicians. In as much, for the first time, a tea brand is attempting to take tea from just being a wake up drink to becoming a medium of larger ‘awakening’. Created by Lowe Lintas, the ad showcases a politician (a pot-bellied and illiterate one at that) on the campaign trail, who is taken aback when a young voter takes his trip, commenting on his (lack of) qualifications for the job (of running an entire country).

Explains a Tata Tea spokesperson, “With this bold advertising step, the brand wants to encourage citizens of this country and make them think about the current socio-political system.” The bid is clearly to woo the growing breed of youngsters in the country, who’ve turned to coffee. While marketers and advertisers reaffirm their faith in this growing new breed of brand communication, they nevertheless put forth a word of caution. “It’s a very fine line between supporting a worthy social cause and advertising it – cross that line and it starts looking very opportunistic. For instance, will the brands stop associating with a cause if the cause becomes less fashionable,” asks Subramaniam.

Agrees Titus Upputuru, Creative Director, O&M. “The value that the brand is propagating gets associated with the brand itself and ends up being an brand attribute only if done successfully over a period of time,” he proclaims judiciously.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Given the growing demand of PV... this one could be the largest business for us

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

It was great news for all movie buffs when Moser Baer set the home video market afire with dirt cheap VCDs and DVDs last December. Speaking to 4Ps B&M, G. Dhananjayan, COO of Moser Baer Entertainment Business, says, “It’s a war against piracy and slow growth of the industry. We are trying to expand the market which is too small and our low price offer is a step in this direction.” A smart move that not only shook up the industry, but also gave Moser Baer a new avenue to expand its optical storage devices biz, which in any case is slowly losing ground to newer technologies like Blu-ray. Moreover, projected demand for CDs and DVDs is to go down by over 20% by 2007-end and the obvious forward integration for Moser Baer is to consistently add value.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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..or is diversification at Moser Baer riven by sheer volcanic ambition?

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

However, Moser Baer’s story now is no more restricted to the six odd inchesof plastic. Puri and his company have moved ahead with time. In fact, FY 2006-07 was one of the most exciting ones for Moser Baer. While it posted a 19.8% increase in its gross revenues to Rs.20.74 billion over the previous year, improving margins drove a robust 2,253% growth in its net profitafter tax to Rs.1.09 billion. But one look at the past and the smile vanishes. Coming out of global pricing pressures, the company reverted to normal profitability after two long and arduous years. Agreeing, Yogesh Mathur, Group CFO of Moser Baer tells 4Ps B&M, “The last two years were not good for the company. But, currently the industry and Moser Baer is back on the normal profitability cycle.” Cost efficiencies may have helped sustain Moser Baer, yet an important lesson that the company seems to have learnt is not to put all eggs in one basket. Since August 2006, they are steadily transforming from a single business entity into a multi-technology group.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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...Of Legal lots & Dizzying plots!

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Then followed a fresh ‘concentrated heavy-duty marketing’ approach to selling its products – like the Famous Grouse whisky, Contessa Rum et al – and within just 7-8 years, it became the 2nd largest player in the domestic liquor industry. So what does the man behind all this have to say about his sparkling success? Modesty remains strong inspite of all this as Khaitan says, “UB group by far remains the biggest in the country and we are the 2nd largest in terms of volume. We however continue to target the younger generation with the 5Ps of marketing which we want to maintain strongly. During the last 7 years, we’ve created a huge distribution network. We treated all 28 states of India as different countries. Our strongest point remains the absolute world-class spirit – the heart of any alcoholic product!”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Abhishek Khaitan, MD, Rampur Industries (Radico Khaitan)

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Just as nothing eroded the strong want of the ‘thirsty’ consumers, the producers didn’t miss a step in sharpening their creative skills... and success was theirs – that’s capitalism! One of the liquor barons in the liquor-race is Abhishek Khaitan, MD, Rampur Distillery (the new name of Radico Khaitan). His company has been around for 64 long years now, but it was only post-1993 Abhishek into the shrewd general he’s today. After having understood the environment, he decided to take a ‘U-turn’ & rose from fighting the liquor war with just a blunt ‘commodity’ harpoon to the highly-stylised branding modern weapon. And that’s where we talk about its first highlighted brand – the ‘8PM’ whisky, which also wrote history by becoming the first Indian liquor brand to enter the ‘Limca Book of Records’ for selling the fastest 1 million cases!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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“Drinking is dangerous...” or atleast they all say this...

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“Drinking is dangerous...” or atleast they all say this... And they can’t be wrong, can they?! Not atleast when (almost) the multitude of ‘non-drinkers’ jump on your head, proclaiming that liquor has caused many a million to shake hands with the undertaker much sooner than expected...

And so reacted the policy-makers, curtailing their rights to advertise their concoctions in a jiffy. A brilliant move on behalf of the people lovers, to grant a new lease of life to save many more from... errr... Now wait! Did the banning of hoardings flashing liquor products reduce density or length of squeezeyourself- through queues? Did the youth almost suddenly erase the thought of a weekend frenzy over ‘that’ bar in ‘that’ part of the city? And very honestly, don’t the very people who make the rules and proclaim that ‘drinking means death’ stack incredible volumes of scotches & wines in their own homes?!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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NOT JUST NUMBER CRUNCHING

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

To make the world’s most effective media plan does not require number crunching, but some compelling strategies

A blank first page of the newspaper – well, this would definitely make you sit up and wonder what in god’s name happened to the news. “No news” was what the first page of the newspaper, The Afternoon Despatch & Courier, said one fine day to Mumbai. It took readers a few seconds to realise that this was the doing of Nestle – to announce the arrival of their chocolates. They had bought the whole front page of the paper. I am sure any one who saw the paper that day would not have missed the launch. That’s media planning for you in all its glory. More than the creative aspect of the advertisement, it was the placing of the advertisement which created such a tremendous impact (and as usual, such a lot of controversy!).

Where should we put the advertisement – in which newspaper or magazine, how big or small should it be, should it be in colour or black-n-white, and which page? Should it be shown on TV? Should it be of 30 seconds, or 15 seconds, or longer, or shorter? These are some of the numerous questions that need to be answered while developing a media plan.

MONEY MATTERS? NO!

When you are as big as Nestle, you don’t have too many constraints as far as the budget is concerned. You can afford to splurge on advertising and can have unlimited plans and ideas for creating an impact by just buying up the media. However, the fact is, budget is a constraint for most advertisers. It is also a fact that some of the greatest success stories were written on a shoe string budget.

In a small city called Spokane was a small company called Western Insecticide. It was a pest control company with hardly any customers. It had a miniscule advertising budget and could not afford to advertise much. Worse, real estate sales people in Spokane were creating debilitating trouble for the company as to sell property fast, they were spreading the word that Spokane had no termites (and consequently, that no one required the services of any pest control product). Though Western Insecticides realised the critically urgent problem, they didn’t have sufficient funds to counter this “no termites” propaganda.

But a local advertising agency, Corker-Sullivan, came up with an ingeniously imaginative ad, which not only increased the sales of Western Insecticide, but also ensured that people who had nothing to do with termites or buying houses went out of their way to see the advertisement. The ad agency rented a 48 foot wide piece of board on which they painted the logo of Western Insecticide and besides the logo, wrote “There are no termites in Spokane.” A week after the board went up, they cut out a huge piece from the side of the board, making it seem as though a giant termite had taken out a bite. Every few days, additional bites were taken until nothing was left but the logo of the company. Local authorities reported that the daily traffic count at the brand’s site increased from 28,000 to 32,000 and the company reported an increase in business by a whopping 65%. What’s the learning? Clearly, one doesn’t require big money, but only big ideas. In this instance, both the idea and the choice of media were perfect.

When David Ogilvy made the advertisement for Hathaway shirts, the budget was very small, but it did not stop the advertisement from becoming one of the greatest ads. Of course, the copy was brilliant, but the media plan was also good. He decided to put all his money into one media – ‘The New Yorker’ magazine. He knew this was one magazine which would reach his target audience. Since the advertisements would appear very frequently, they would definitely be noticed by his potential customers. It happened as he planned and the shirts and the brand name soon became popular. A part of the success was also due to the intelligent media planning of Ogilvy.

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

All successful media plans have followed the golden rule, “The more repetitions, the better retention.” It’s finally a play of these two things – frequency and continuity. If one can achieve these two, success is assured.

People forget. That’s a fact. Your advertisement may be brilliant, but you don’t expect me to remember it forever! Hence, the media plan should ensure that people see the advertisement again and again. People’s memories are short. It has been researched that people forget 60% of what they learn within half a day. If you have to succeed, you need to remind them again and again through various ways. You have to repeat without becoming boring or overbearing. You can use various different kind of media to reach out and touch your audience, to tell them, “Hey look, it’s me... again!” It has to have the right degree of subtlety so that it doesn’t irritate the audience.

As media planners, we must remember, we never really buy media, but we buy a piece of the audience’s attention. This must be done very scrupulously. No customer buys the newspaper or watches TV to see advertisements, but to read the news or watch his or her programme. Your advertisement should not obstruct the customer in doing that.

One such brilliant buy has been done by Britannia for its 50-50 biscuits’ brand. It has bought the best space in a cricket match telecast on TV. Think of Britannia 50-50 and you would immediately associate the brand with the third umpire in cricket. By buying those precious few seconds when the third umpire decides whether the batsman is out or not, Britannia has won a place in everyone’s heart. The brand name & the moment in the game are both associated with the concept of chance. This was an excellent way of involving viewers. What an enduring way to create brand value! CREATIVITY COUNTS

It’s all about creating the right impact. A little bit of creativity in media buying can do wonders. When Polo was launched, they punched holes in a newspaper (The Pioneer). After all, it was the mint with the hole.

An element of surprise also helps, sometimes. Look what happened to the December 13, 1996, issue of Deccan Chronicle. The headline screamed, “Hyderabad becomes India’s fifth metro!” Every reader of the newspaper must have thought, “What’s that...?” only to realise that it was a brilliantly concealed four page advertisement of the launch of Tata Cellular in Hyderabad.

On the same day, the Hyderabad edition of Eenadu sold all its advertising space to Tata Cellular right from the ear panels to the last page. So on that day, every advertisement that the reader saw was of Tata Cellular. Another brilliant display of creative media buying. That day Tata Cellular did not have to worry about beating the clutter – there was no clutter! (at least in the newspaper Eenadu).

The latest trend in media buying is a combination of TV and web. The one advertisement which really proved the effectiveness of this kind of planning was that of Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. The advertisement was shown during the Super Bowl. With so many advertisements clamouring for the attention of the viewer, they knew that a normal 30 second spot could cut no ice. The Super Bowl ad showed a Mitsubishi Gallant racing a Toyota Camry to the end of a bridge in a braking comparison test. At the bottom of the TV screen flashed a line, which read, “Accident Avoidance Test.” The two sedans were shown racing behind two trailers. Men in the trailers were throwing bowling balls, grills etc. at the two cars, which obviously were trying hard to avoid the missiles. And which car would eventually avoid the expected fiery collision and finally go on to win?

This was left unanswered. For this, the audience had to log on to ‘SeeWhatHappens.com’. A mind numbing 31 million hits were received on the website, of which 11 million hits happened six hours after the ad’s debut. Unmistakably, treading the unbeaten path, is the key to drawing attention of the potential customers. For example, when the Axe perfume was launched in India, it decided to do something different. A half page flap was shaped in the form of sexy lips in Sunday Times. One could lift the flap to view the “AXE effect!”

You have to reach out to your audience in different ways. You have to almost catch them unawares. When Sony Entertainment Television was about to start its musical game show, “Kuch Kehti Hai Yeh Dhun,” instead of giving advertisements, it thought of a different strategy. A contest called “Name the Tune” was started via SMS. They received over 35,000 entries via SMS alone. Though a simple enough concept, the fact is that you have to work out the most effective combination of marketing vehicles for your brand.

UNDERSTANDING MEDIA

In this market of cut-throat competition, not only is the advertiser looking for the right media, but the various forms of media are trying to make themselves attractive by reinventing & modifying themselves; they are even encroaching each other’s turf to grab a larger share of the ad spend. For example, newspapers these days with their colour supplements are using their good looks to swipe away advertising revenues from magazines. Even the TV medium is doing the same to newspapers.

News that was earlier the stronghold of newspapers is now available on TV. Entertainment, which traditionally was the stronghold of TV, is now provided by newspapers and their glossy supplements. Radio had suffered a silent burial with the advent of the TV. But the launch of FM channels has suddenly made it hip once more to listen to radio. Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Red FM are just a few of the uniquely popular channels leading this amazing re-evolution.

SO, WHICH IS THE RIGHT CHOICE BABY?

Mediums are aplenty. What the media planner needs to decide is, which medium suits which product or brand. Placing the right message at the right time in the right media is the key to success.

Creating a good message is just half the battle won; what’s equally important is deciding where to put the message. Should it be the newspaper or the magazine or TV or outdoors or any other experimental medium?

‘Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi’ might have kept you hooked for years – but the fact is that it has also kept advertisers hooked. These serials rule the prime time and command a hefty price too. Balaji Telefilms, the production house handling some of the most expensive programmes ever made, knew what would sell. They had understood the sentiments of viewers. This led to the very famous love-hate relationship of a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law being exploited to the hilt. And the reason is because Indian women just can’t enough of this; and hence “Kyunki Saas...” and its clones have become such IMAGE MATTERS

The image, and not the cost of the advertising medium, sometimes influences the advertisers in deciding which media to choose. Various media classes are advertising about themselves to reposition their own image. It’s not a waste, but an excellent long term strategy. The image would attract the right kind of programmes and hence the right kind of advertisements. And the fact is that the promos don’t just entertain, but also inform and create the desired brand identity.

And it’s not just the promos, but even the logos, the punch lines etc, which help in building this brand identity. Zoom did this very effectively by building a glamourous image around itself. Take even the case of MTV (Music Television) or Channel V. It’s said that a lot of people watch these channels, more because of their promos than anything else. Through their promos, these music channels have created an anti-establishment attitude. Promos help you to connect with the desired target audience. So, today Zee has a different image, Star a different one, Aaj Tak yet another kind of appeal. It helps if the media planner can understand this and then decide which product or brand should be advertised on which channel.

Research has proved that when near identical ads were shown to people who were told that they had been pulled out of different magazines, the believability of the ads varied. Readers have different attitudes towards different media vehicle; and advertisements comparatively also get rated in the same fashion. Ads in magazines like Reader’s Digest and People were considered more believable than others. It’s so, because people are in different states of mind while reading different magazines. Analytically, the mood of the viewer affects the ability to absorb the contents.

As early as in 1962, the Alfred Politz research organisation demonstrated that an advertisement in “Mc Calls” (then a popular magazine) would generate a higher “quality” image and brand preference ratings than identical ads placed in general readership magazines. For example, The New Yorker is a magazine which has an exclusiveness and aloofness about it – something well suited for high status products.

At the same time, niche magazines have a different image. They behave like specialists. So, Autoworld is considered to be an expert in the field of automobiles by its readers. Any article about automobiles is more believable if published here, than in any general magazine. The same holds true for the advertisements (of auto vehicles, ancillaries, or other related products & services) that appear in it. At another level, Femina, Cosmopoliton, Elle, Vogue are all glamour magazines, but each has a different image. Ergo, the media planner needs to choose carefully. And amusingly, sometimes, it’s your competitor who decides your media plan!

If the competition is using one media extensively, it probably helps if you avoid that media and choose another one. But of course, critics might argue that that also depends upon quantitative analysis of the customer segments being targeted and the reach thereon. But the fact is, one cannot make a choice based on just TRPs (of TV programmes) or circulation figures (of newspapers or magazines). The choice is also not about the lowest rates being offered.

The job of the media planner is tough, as ‘planning’ itself requires careful planning. Media plans should be well integrated with the creative build up of the advertisement. It can be so much fun and so challenging to be able to stand out in the clutter. And this is nothing but creativity at its peak, for a brilliant advertisement may get lost if not placed properly.

Truly, gone are the days when creative work and media planning were done separately. Today, both need to consult each other to come out with an effective strategy – however time consuming this might be. So pump up the flow of fresh ideas, to help keep the brand alive and noticeable, for today, media planning is not just about number crunching.

Copyright © : Rajita Chaudhuri and Planman Media.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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