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Category: Cinema & Storytelling

  • The Rise Of India’s Independent Cinema

    The Rise Of India’s Independent Cinema

    The 12th Phalke Memorial Lecture was ‘Multiplicity in Motion: The Rise of India’s New Independent Cinema’ by Dr. Ashwin Immanuel Devasundaram. The lecture series organised by South Asian Cinema Foundation has featured eminent speakers like Shyam Benegal, Saeed Akhbar Mirza, P K Nair amongst others.

    Noted film-maker had spoken about India’s independent cinema at the same forum and hence the second lecture on the topic proves the importance of the new wave of Indian cinema. Dr. Ashvin has been passionate about new independent Indian cinema and his thesis has explored the socio-ideological impact of the new independent Indian cinema. Dr. Ashvin is currently working on a book that promises to be the first dedicated and comprehensive analysis of new Indian Independent Cinema and hence he was the apt person to speak on the subject.

    Dr. Ashvin has been a fan of ‘The Ship Of Theseus” and he creatively and aptly presented the “Ship Of Indian Cinema”. There are different parts to the Superstructure Ship:
    – Post 1947 Art Films of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Bimal Roy
    – The Parallel & Popular Cinema of 1960s
    – The Parallel Cinema of 1970s-80s – The Cinema of Shyam Benegal, Mani Kaul, Gulzar etc.
    – The Hinglish Cinema of 1990s-2000s
    – The Regional Cinema
    – The 1990s Rupture – Bollywood Beyond Liberalization
    – The New Indies – Post 2010

    According to him, the new Indies in India has been “inspired” by these various parts like Parallel / Art cinema movement, Regional Cinema and World Cinema in ample proportions. Thus it can be compared to a mutant hybrid ninja. It is very Glocal – Global in ambition and and local in content and cultural nuances.

    The new Indies are more ambitious than the earlier parallel cinema movies. They seek wider audience, open to alternative source of funding and address the ‘state of the nation’. They liberally experiment with language, technology and narrative. The Indies seek creative funding and are open for new channels of distribution. Q showed the movie on Internet only. Film Festivals and Online are some of the preferred avenues for distribution. Indies are open for crowdfunding and cross-country deals. In fact, the collaboration with foreign entities goes beyond the funding requirement.

    The session also raised important questions about the Censorship. The Audience was treated to the wonderful clips from movies like The Lunchbox, Peepli Live, Gandu and The Ship of Theseus. These clips were enhanced by Ashwin’s wonderful perspectives and socio-economic inferences.

    The season concluded rather early and we were still waiting for more from Dr. Ashvin. The event concluded with wonderful interactions with Dr. Aswhin, Farrukh Dhody Saheb and Nasreen Munni Kabir. The even was chaired by none other than Professor Rosie Thomas, Director of CREAM: Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media, University of Westminster. Rosie Thomas is a renowned expert and pioneer in academic study of Indian Cinema.

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  • Piku – The Perfect Digestive Of 2015

    Piku – The Perfect Digestive Of 2015

    Piku is the triumph of the Indian Film Industry. A very interesting subject powered with perfectly written screenplay, extremely strong performances, sensitive treatment and awesome direction.

    Piku is a must watch ! It is one of the best movies of 2015 !

    Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi move from the front to back this time – from Vicky Donor’s sperm to shit.

    An ageing father Bhaskhor (Amitabh) has challenges his with daily motions. A caring, determined and independent daugther Piku (Deepika) lives with her had and has a daily question – Hua? She is a strong-headed architect and has frequent run-ins with the car agency cab drivers. The car agency owner Rana (Irrfan) becomes their unlikely companion when they drive from Delhi to Calcutta on a road journey with the portable potty (Sinhasan)

    Watch out for the Bhaskar’s open declaration of her daughter’s sexual independence to potential suitor, Rana’s theory on Indian toilet styles and Bhaskar’s brutal comments on Rana’s dad’s death. Rana says that “Death and potty can strike anytime, anywhere”.

    The constant dad-daughter fights, the car agency owner’s direct rebuttals, the aunt’s remarks, dad’s tantrums, the highway journey, the traditional house sale question, the undercurrents of different relations, the unlikely romance, the visuals, wonderful songs – all register a strong mark – they make you smile, they make you think.

    Piku (Deepika) and Bhaskar (Amitabh) steal the show. They own the movie and give a stupendous performance. Deepika is independent and kick-ass yet deeply devoted and caring for her father. Amitabh selfish irritating person but pleasingly brutal and honest. Irrfan completes the trio and creates his own space in an effortless universe of dad-daughter. Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghubir Yadav give a credible support.

    At the end of the movie, you want more !

    The real winner of course is Shoojit Sircar. Take a bow ! The movie seems like a slice of life – a conversation happening somewhere. Yet very observant. Very simple yet touching and enduring ! And Juhu Chaturvedi. Her writing is amazing and very observant. Brings out the special touch to everyday conversations of life.

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  • Dream Like Ronnie !

    Dream Like Ronnie !

    The Trio of Ronnie Screwala, Zarine Mehta and Deven Khote got my attention early in life. I was in school and Doordarshan was a staple diet. United Television came across as a different company – production, content and overall packaging. The logo of UTV was stuck in mind.

    Since then UTV and Ronnie Screwvala and his team have continued to impress us. India’s first soap – Shanti was a big step at that time. It continued to grow in leaps and bound. In-flight entertainment business, post-production, IPO, broadcasting, VAS business etc. It ventured into the movie business via movie distribution and soon turned into production as well. I am sure each milestone had its share of challenges.

    Everyone sees the success and the limelight. Especially in the glamour business. Ronnie’s UTV was sold to Disney – a watershed moment for Indian entertainment industry. It was a great and a heartening story – a company that its Indian entertainment brethren and camps did not take seriously initially was bought by one of the biggest and iconic entertainment companies in the world.

    Ronnie has played an important role in India movie business. During the course of my doctoral thesis on the role of modern management in Indian Film Industry, I came across many exemplary practices of UTV. I have documented them and they are a part of my thesis.

    UTV gave special importance to movie marketing and production values and content.

    Ronnie has recently penned his journey in his book – Dream With Your Eyes Open. Trust him to do the same with his book. Indian non-fiction does not get great attention. But Ronnie is trying a lot of things here as well. Check his list to redefine this space:

    1. Great Marketing Campaign Around The Book – Unless You Are Lost In Hawaiian Vacation, Very People Will Miss The Book Launch
    2. Ranbir Kapoor Launches The Book – A Perfect Launch
    3. Testimonials From Captain Of Indian Industry & Disney
    4. Testimonial From Narendra Modi
    5. India’s First Television Ad For The Book
    6. An Active Social Media Campaign, Website

    The success of the book is important as it helps to promote the message of Entrepreneurship. He says the books is about “It can be done” and not “I did it” Great. The message of entrepreneurship need more ambassadors. Importance of failing. Importance of taking risks. Dreaming Big! May thousands of Ronnie bloom !

    Related Links:
    Book Website – Dreams With Your Eyes Open

  • “Broken Horses Is About Breaking Prejudices”

    “Broken Horses Is About Breaking Prejudices”

    “Broken Horses Is About Breaking Prejudices” said Vidhu Vinod Chopra at the interactive evening discussion at SOAS, London.

    Vidhu Vinod Chopra was the Guest Of Honor at the ‘In Conversation’ interview session hosted by the National Indian Students Union UK and SOAS South Asia Institute. The evening discussion was chaired by renowned author and SOAS’ Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema – Professor Rachel Dwyer.

    Vidhu is the first Indian filmmaker to write, produce and direct a Hollywood film. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s emphasis during the entire evening was to drive the point that Indian cinema can match Hollywood but we choose to speak our people in our language. Our Indian people are different and hence Indian cinema is different. Expressing love through song and dance is normal – he also did the same in his early days. Indian cinema is not deficient or subservient – It is different.

    His motivation for Broken Horses was the same mantra. Hollywood has looked down upon Bollywood. There are prejudices. He wants to break those. He wanted to tell the world that an Indian can produce a Hollywood movie. A Hollywood movie that only had Vidhu as an Indian name in the entire credits – all lead actors, crew and team were Hollywood. The movie was also a true blue mainstream movie – not a diasporic or NRI linked themes.

    Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s earlier movie Eklavya had an impact in Hollywood. It was India’s official Oscar entry as well. It led to opening of few thoughts for a Hollywood movie. And after viewing a screening of The Departed, the urge grew stronger. Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu started worked on a script. Parinda was the initial inspiration (Parinda was also nominated at Oscar) – but after 63 drafts – the 64th movie emerged which was Broken Horses.

    Professor Rachel Dwyer brought many important perspectives and Vidhu’s answers to those were the highlight of the evening. There was an interesting conversation about business sense in Indian cinema. Vidhu has been successful with PK, 3 Idiots, Munnabhai etc. His movies seems to bring loads of money and deliver a social message as well. It was rare in Indian cinema. So what contributed to his strong business sense? Vidhu intact said that he had poor business sense. If he was to be interested in business, he should have made 4 Idiots and 5 Idiots after 3 Idiots. He cast Sanjay Dutt in the lead when he was undergoing trial. He made cinema for the sake of cinema. He wanted to deliver a good body of work and hopefully people will remember him. He is successful is a miracle, not a science.

    Vidhu said that he has never followed a beaten path. Maybe because he has educated in school of life and not formal education.

    Vidhu shared interesting anecdotes – the making of Kuch Na Kaho song, the revival of R D Burman, the fight for “Give Me Some Sunshine” song, the initial reaction to Munnabhai, his return to Kashmir to see his pooja room being cleaned and maintained neat by a namaazi etc.

    On differences between West and Indian Film Industry, he noted that Indian industry was very warm but inefficient while Western industry was cold but very efficient. Indian cinema is improving but West is more professional.

    The session was wrapped up rather quickly – everyone wanted more. Nevertheless, it was a great evening and a commendable session. The evening had started with a wonderful dance performance – it was mind blowing performance to songs of Vidhu’s movies. Then there was an amazing rendition to the wonderful songs of Vidhu’s movies.

    Then, Professor Michael Hutt, Director of SOAS South Asia Institute, welcomed the illustrious guest of honor, Shri Vidhu Chopra and Professor Rachel Dwyer. In his welcome note, Professor Hutt noted that SOAS was the first British university to offer a degree on Indian cinema. He mentioned about the encouragement and support provide to Indian Cinema and South Asian Cinema at SOAS.

    A 90 minute talk show was highly desirable. I am sure Sanam Arora and her wonderful team will listen to our wishes. They did a great job organizing this event !

    One must credit to Vidhu for the great body of work – from Parinda to 1942 to Munnabhai to 3 Idiots to PK. He has allowed other talent to grow – Sanjay Leela, Raj Kumar Hirani, Pradeep Sarkar etc. Even Eklavya, Mission Kashmir, Ferrari Ki Sawaari were brave attempts. After 3 Idiots, he supported Sharman Joshi when the entire industry was waiting for his call.

    He is releasing Broken Horses in India in English only – for proving a point that it is English movie. Not dubbed in Hindi. It is indeed risky. Ash thinks that when even Spiderman is released in Bhojpuri and South Indian Languages, he should reconsider this. Point is already proven I guess. James Cameron is endorsing Vidhu. Movie is ready. Point is proven.

    Wishing him all the success. Broken Horses is a brave attempt. It is a statement. It is breaking new ground. And for that he deserves all our support !

    Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Broken Horses releases on 10th April 2015 through UTV Motion Pictures. Set in the shadows of the US–Mexico border gang wars, Broken Horses is an epic thriller about the bonds of brotherhood, the laws of loyalty, and the futility of violence.

  • The Best Of Bollywood – 2014

    The Best Of Bollywood – 2014

    2014 was a normal year for Bollywood – The Hindi Indian Film Industry. A mixture of Comedy, Action and Emotions ruled the Box office. But nothing path-breaking was achieved in the year. The Hindi Film Industry continued its march on profit maximization and adoption of management practices.

    The overseas market continued to grow. Production qualities continued to enhance. From content perspective, it has been a mixed bag. Though new content and new packaging is rising, the moolah still went to the traditional content – action, comedy – driven by “Tentpole” cinema.

    All three Khans and top male actors had their hits. Aamir Khan had PK, Shah Rukh Khan had Happy New Year and Salman had Kick and Jai Ho. Ajay Devgan had his Singham Returns, Akshay had his Holiday while Hrithik had Bang Bang. Arjun Kapoor shined with 2 States and Gunday. Alia Bhatt was clear box office queen with 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Highway.

    (Related: The Best Of Bollywood – 2013)

    Top 5 Movies of 2014

    1. Queen
    Kangana rules! Story inspires! Perfect treatment of a great script. Nice direction. Lisa Haydon, Europe and Rajkumar Rao provide great support. The ‘London Thumakda’ and the movie rocked the box office as well!

    2. Haider
    Vishal Bharadwaj’s Shakespearean magnum-opus. Breath-taking Kashmir. Shahid’s portrayal of Haider. Tabu in another class act with equal support from Kay Kay and Irfan. Mind-blowing music. Movies are like this ! A rare blend of critical acclaim and commercial success.

    3. Highway
    Alia Bhatt’s terrific act. Imtiaz Ali’s direction. A R Rahman’s music – Phataka. Randeep’s strong presence. And a brave movie. Perfect!

    4. PK
    A very courageous movie. Sarcasm on Indian religious beliefs. Rajkumar Hirani – Aamir Khan delivered the goods. Anushka shined. ‘Bhagwan Tu Kahan’ moved us.

    5. Ek Villain
    A surprise package of the year. Riteish Deshmukh in a completely new avatar. The songs “Teri Galiyaan’, ‘Humdard’, ‘Awaari’ were on everyone’s playlist.

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    Honorable Mentions of 2014:
    1. Rang Rasiya
    2. Khoobsurat
    3. Mary Kom
    4. CityLights
    5. 2 States
    6. Holiday

    The Top Box Office Grossers 0f 2014:
    1. PK
    2. Kick
    3. Happy New Year
    4. Bang Bang
    5. Singham Returns
    6. Holiday
    7. Jai Ho
    8. Ek Villain
    9. 2 States
    10. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

    What was your favorite movie?
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  • PK : Pretty Kool Or Pseudo Klassic?

    PK : Pretty Kool Or Pseudo Klassic?

    It is all about expectations ! If we are talking about the pedigree of Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan, there is a certain expectation. And measured against that expectation PK is a big letdown.

    Remove the pedigree and this is a good movie – but not extraordinary. This is Rajumar’s most mediocre work – though Rajkumar’s mediocre is above average of Bollywood’s standards. Aamir’s ‘template’ work inspite of his best efforts. Aamir did Dhoom for money – now after PK proving to be his usual fare, it is going to be interesting to see his next movie outing.

    PK has been marketed as a satire on God and Gomdan. The movie questions the practices around religion in our lives. Paresh Rawal – Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Oh My God’ touched upon the same topic and was quite successful – hence comparisons are obvious. PK has its heart in the right place. There are excellent moments especially in the first half. A school girl’s message that her God is not so small that he would get upset about her going to school is a great moment. Aamir’s search for God via song is presented wonderfully – musically as well as visually.

    PK (Aamir Khan) lands from a different planet and is an alien. His device that will allow him to go back is stolen. He wants to get that device back and return home. While pursuing his search for the device, he comes across God and God’s managers (Godman). He coms across our prejudices, beliefs and hypocrisies. He is not successful in getting the device. He starts questioning lot of things on earth – as he has zero baggage and a new perspective. Jaggu (Anushka) is a TV reporter who befriends PK and helps him. Saurabh Shukla as Godman is the antagonist who wants to build a temple and has hold of PK’s device. He also has been instrumental in spoiling the love life of Jaggu. The movie addresses all these issues layer by layer.

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    Aamir Khan has done a good job – though it looks like his normal template job. He does not surprise like Shahid in Haider or Kangana in Queen. The person who does surprise us is Anushka – the life of the movie. She is better than Aamir Khan in certain portions. She will benefit the most from the movie. Boman Irani, Sanjay Dutt and Sushant Singh Rajput are wasted. Parikshit Sahni is out of place. The music is good but not extraordinary.

    Rajkumar Hirani brand of cinema stands for universally relevant social message delivered in an entertaining way. Think Munnabhai talking about medical system or relevance of Gandhi. Or Rancho challenging our notions of educations and beautifully highlighting the concept of excellence! PK becomes too preachy and common fare. PK does not live upto the movies mentioned earlier. But I am sure Rajkumar Hirani will be back. He is our last man standing in Bollywood.

    PK – A film that challenges us and our beliefs . A RajKumar Hirani brand of cinema. A movie worth a watch. But not extraordinary.

    What do you think – Is it Pretty Kool or Pseudo Klassic?

  • Haider – Making Shakespeare Proud !

    Haider – Making Shakespeare Proud !

    Haider – A Must Watch Film

    Haider Is The Third Film In Vishal Bharadwaj’s Shakespearean Triology – A Fitting Finale !

     

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    Vishal Bharadwaj Is One Of The Finest Talents In Indian Cinema. He Proves It Again With Haider. Vishal Has Wore Multiple Hats For The Film – Proving His Genius.

    Vishal Took Shakespeare To Eastern UP and Mumbai Underworld Via Omkara And Maqbool Respectively – This Time His Spotlight on Kashmir. The Kashmir Situation Provides A Perfect Backdrop To The Complex Human Relationship Drama.

    Shahid Kapoor Delivers His Best Ever Performance – Clearly Scoring Several Brownie Points And Showing His Real Talent ! Shahid’s ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ Speech Is Just One Example Of A Perfectly Optimized And Balanced Performance. ‘Chutzpah And AFSPA’ Is Another Example. Shahid’s Transformation From A Poet To A Rebel Is Very Commendable.

    Tabu Outgrows Everyone. This Is The Tabu We Have Been Missing. An Woman With Ambivalent Feelings. Watch Her Talk About She Being The Villain Always! Or Her Looks When Shahid Meets Her After Her Second Marriage. Her Fragile, Heartbreaking, Vulnerable Portrayal Is The Stellar Performance Of The Film.

    Kay Kay, Irrfan, Shraddha Kapoor Deliver Power-packed Performances In The Important Characters In The Opera. The Grave Diggers, The Two Salmans, Haider’s Father Are Equally Important Portrayals. Cinematography Is Captivating Indeed.

    The Film Could Have Done With Sharper Editing, Removal Of Forced Romantic Song.

    Shahid And Vishal Did Not Charge For The Movie – Proves That Best Things Are Priceless.

    This Is Definitely Vishal’s And Shahid’s Best Film. National Award For Vishal, Shahid And Tabu? Fingers Crossed !

  • RIP ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ Robin Williams

    RIP ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ Robin Williams

    Robin Williams left for his heavenly abode on Monday August 11, 2014. Generations of people have inspired by his many roles – but his most memorable role will always be the one in Dead Poets Society. The scene in which his students recite “O Captain! My Captain,” an homage to Walt Whitman’s poem, has become an indelible part of cinematic journey. It’s an onscreen moment where Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles and others stand on top of desks and honor Williams. Together, they honor his intellect and compassion. ‘O Captain, My Captain’ remains a strong cinematic moment!

    Another strong expression was – Carpe Diem – Seize The Day !

    RIP Robin Williams!

    Full Text Of Poem – ‘O Captain! My Captain!’

    O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
    The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
    The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
    While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

    But O heart! heart! heart!
    O the bleeding drops of red,
    Where on the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.

    O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
    Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
    For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
    For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

    Here captain! dear father!
    This arm beneath your head;
    It is some dream that on the deck,
    You’ve fallen cold and dead.

    My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
    My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
    The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
    From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

    Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
    But I, with mournful tread,
    Walk the deck my captain lies,

    Fallen cold and dead.

  • MoMo Session On Technology In Bollywood

    Mobile Monday Ahmedabad has organized a session to unveil the technology mantras behind the entertainment Industry.
    Mr. Siddhesh Bhobe, CEO of eMee and AVP of Persistent Systems Ltd – a leading player spearheading the role of technology in the entertainment industry, will conduct the interactive talk. The session will highlight how Mobility, Big Data and Social Media have been helping out Indian Movies in reaching INR 500 Crores in revenue. This interactive session will be held on Saturday, 23rd Aug 2014 at CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad between 03:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Like all Mobile Monday sessions, the event is open for all and registration is free at the Mobile Monday website.

    The influence of technology is rising in all spheres of business and commerce including the entertainment industry. Through use of Big Data Analytics, Social Media and Mobility, Mr. Siddhesh and his team have created a huge impact in the success of big banner productions including King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’. They were also the brain behind Mr. Perfectionist Amir Khan’s much talked television debut series ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Their most recent project is on the verge of release and is already creating huge impact across the nation – the highly awaited action sequel of the famous director-action superstar Jodi where the lead character plays the role of a lion hearted brave police officer.

    Mr. Siddhesh graduated from IIT Mumbai in 1998 and joined Persistent Systems Ltd in Pune and went on to become the President & CEO of eMee – a digital and new technologies arm of Persistent Systems. eMee helps Bollywood and Hollywood production houses with their Social Engagement Analytics, which includes Consulting for End to End Social Media Strategy, measurement and monitoring of social media trends along with User behavior tracking and analysis.

    Mobile Monday is an open community platform of mobile industry visionaries, developers and influential individuals fostering brand neutral cooperation and cross-border P2P business opportunities through live networking events to demo products, share ideas and discuss trends from both local and global markets. Mobile Monday Ahmedabad exposes local developers and companies with their global counterparts and discusses new trends, innovation, business strategies and results within the mobile area.

    REGISTER HERE

  • How Big Data Is Changing The Entertainment Industry!

    How Big Data Is Changing The Entertainment Industry!

    Big Data is here – The latest buzzword of the Information Technology Industry !

    The world is generating humungous amount of data every second. Rapid advances in technology is making analysis of such data a cake-walk. Big Data is influencing every aspect of our lives and will continue to grow bigger and better. Retailers will push us to buy extra chips and soft drinks from the nearest outlet as we will watch the T20 match with our friends and our favorite teams are playing. They will even recommend our favorite party songs CD and encourage us to donate a dollar to our often visited charity. Preventing diseases, share trading, marketing efforts and lot of other use cases are emerging.

    Big Data is changing the sports and the entertainment industry as well. Sports and entertainment industry are driven by fans and their word of mouth. Engagement with audience is the key and Big Data is creating opportunities for driving this engagement and influencing audience sentiments.

    IBM worked with a media company and ran its predictive models on the social buzz for the movie Ram Leela. According to the reports, IBM predicted a 73% success for the movie based on right selection of cities. Such rich analysis of social data was conducted for Barfi and Ek Tha Tiger. All these movies had a runaway success at the box office.
    Hollywood uses Big Data big time ! The social media buzz can predict the box office success – more importantly based on the trending of the movie, strategies can be formulated to ensure favorable positioning of the movie. All science !

    Netflix is the best case study of analyzing user behavior and hitting the jackpot ! Netflix original show The House Of Cards’ was commissioned solely on the basis of the big data results of the preferences of its customers.

    Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express, one of the biggest box office grossers on 2013, used Big Data & Analytics solutions to drive social media and digital marketing campaigns. IT Services company Persistent Systems helped Chennai Express team with the right strategic inputs. Chennai Express related tweets generated over 1 billion cumulative impressions and the total number of tweets across all hashtags was over 750 thousand over the 90-day campaign period. Persistent Systems CEO Siddhesh Bhobe said “Shah Rukh Khan and the success of Chennai Express have proved that social media is the channel of the future and that it presents unique opportunities to marketers and brands, at an unbeatable ROI (return on investment)”

    Lady Gaga and her team browse through our listening preferences and sequences and optimize the playlist for the maximum impact at live events. Singapore based Big Data Analytics firm Crayon has worked with leading Hindi Film industry producers to understand the kind of music to release to create the right buzz for the movie.

    Sports is another area where big data is making big impact. FIFA 2014 champion Germany have been using SAP’s Match Insights software. It has made a big difference to the team. Data was crunched relating to player position ‘touch maps’, passing ability, ball retention and even metrics such as ‘aggressive play’. Even Kolkota Knight Riders, an IPL team, to determine the consistency of the players based on 25 data point per ball. It helped in auction as well as ongoing training.

    Big Data can definitely be a boon to the entertainment and sports industry. It can improve the profitability of the movies – always a high risk business. The green-lighting of the story to the cast selection to the timing of release can be determined. It can help to pick the right players for the sporting leagues – allowing talent to win !

    Entertainment Industry leaders need to collaborate with the leading big data startups and visionaries to create new uses and deliver new success stories !