The business of Bollywood

ETC, India's first Bollywood channel, is set to unveil its ETC Bollywood Business Awards 2010 tonight at 8.30.

The awards will judge Bollywood on the basis of business the industry has generated this year, with more than 100 film releases. This is the first time in India when marketers, distributors, production houses and exhibitors are looked upon as being equally responsible for the success of a film, in addition to actors, actresses and directors.

"Presently, in India, all those who represent the industry like actors, musicians, directors, etc, have only been judged on creative parameters. No one had thought of evaluating them on how much business they had generated. Having identified this opportunity in the evaluation system, we decided to explore it. Thus was born the concept of these awards.

Such an evaluation will bring forward the workings of Bollywood as an industry. Behind the shine of glamour and creativity lies a lot of hard work, technical wizardry, marketing and strategic initiatives. Movie making is an art, getting audiences to pay to watch it and make it a hit is commerce. It is our belief that the viewers should appreciate both these facets of Bollywood," said Anurag Bedi, Business Head, ETC.

An emotional Ajay Devgn, winner of The Most Profitable Actor (Male) Award, said, "I normally never go to pick up an award, but I went to accept this because it is the first Business Award in Bollywood. Figures talk, you cannot manipulate that, you cannot play games with it either." AddedArbaaz Khan, winner of the Most Successful Producer and Top Grossing Film awards, "This is a welcome initiative which is based on facts and figures."

In appreciation to Hollywood's growing India connect the awards will also recognise the most successful Hollywood film of the year, with Inception, The Social Network and The Chronicles of Narnia being the front runners.

Ajay , Katrina announced most profitable actors of 2010

Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Katrina Kaif will be crowned the most profitable actors of 2010 at the "ETC Bollywood Business Awards 2010 - Evaluating Movie Moghuls" Tuesday. First timer Abhinav Kashyap will get the most profitable director trophy.

On evaluating the industry players on the basis of return on investment for the first time, the actors have won the top spots after the economic quotient of their movies was taken into consideration as a cornerstone for mapping their success.

"Figures talk, you cannot manipulate it, you cannot play games with it," said Ajay, who has had six releases this year including Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? Raajneeti, Golmaal 3, and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and except Aakrosh and Toonpur Ka Superhero, all his movies did good business.

The research done by ETC indicated that Indian audiences paid a cumulative sum of Rs.282 crore to watch Ajay's films throughout the year vis-a-vis Rs.142 crore to watch Katrina's Raajneeti and Tees Maar Khan.

Breaking all records is Salman Khan starrer Dabangg that has been named as the top grosser of the year. Debut director Abhinav Kashyap bagged the most profitable director trophy for the corrupt cop saga with audiences paying a cumulative sum of over Rs.140 crore to watch his film.

"It is a fair assessment of the recipient's work and his popularity and mass appeal," said Arbaaz Khan, winner of the most successful producer forDabangg.

This will be the first time in India where an initiative has sought to recognize even the marketers, distributors, production houses and exhibitors on the basis of business the industry has generated in 2010.

"All those who represent the industry, actors, musicians and directors have only been judged on creative parameters. No one had thought of evaluating them on how much business they had generated," Anurag Bedi, business head, ETC, said in a statement.

"Such an evaluation will bring forward the workings of Bollywood as an industry," he added.

The ceremony also has first time categories such as marketing (best marketed film of the year - My Name Is Khan), distribution (special award for film distribution) and promotion (most successful banner/corporate house/production house of the year), among others.

While the award for the most profitable multiplex chain of the year goes to PVR Cinemas, the most successful small-budget film of the year trophy will be handed over to Peepli Live. Corporate house of the year is Shree Ashtvinayak Cinevison Ltd.

The ceremony will also recognise the most successful Hollywood film of the year with Inception taking centrestage.

Bollywood wishes more blockbusters for Salman

Bollywood's Dabangg star Salman Khan, who is celebrating his 45th birthday in Dubai Monday, has been wished many more blockbusters and lots of happiness by his friends from tinsel town.

Some actors took to micro-blogging site Twitter to wish Salman, who gave the highest grosser of 2010 with Dabangg:

Sonakshi Sinha: Chulbul Pandey/Robinhood Pandey/Salman Khan ko janamdin ki shubhkamnayein (Wishing Salman a very happy birthday)! Pretty sure he is bringing the house down in Dubai!

Preity Zinta: Hey Salman! Wish you a very happy birthday and may all things wonderful big and small always come your way! Lots of love always.

Amrita Arora: Happpppy b'day Salman Bhai. Hope you have a superrrr year!

Sophie Choudhry: Wishing you a very very happy b'day! May the year ahead be filled with happiness, good times & blockbusters! Lots of love!

Riteish Deshmukh: Wishing Salman Khan a very happy birthday.

Even Salman's brother Arbaaz wished him on the social-networking site.

Arbaaz Khan: Happy birthday Salman bhai. Have a great day and a 'Dabangg' year ahead. We all love you.

Manghopir hot spring attracts people for skin cure

* Most visiting patients suffering from leprosy and scabies

KARACHI: The myth related to Manghopir’s hot spring continues to attract hundreds of people from far-flung areas even today as they flock and take bath for skin care.

“Over 100 men, women and children visit to take bath in the hot-spring to an average every day and the number rises on Sundays,” said 23-year-old Khan Mohammed Baloch, who mans the ticket section outside the gate where the hot spring is located a kilometer away from the main shrine of Manghopir.

The Manghopir shrine, also known for the crocodiles, can be reached after almost 45 minutes travel in the west of Karachi from city centre in Gadap Town.

“I am visiting this place for bath every two to three days with a hope to heal my problem of skin itching,” said 40-year-old Gul Khan, who hails from Swat valley.

He said though a skin specialist in Peshawar advised him medicines but due to continuous pain, he was asked by one of his relatives in Karachi to visit Manghopir and take bath in the hot spring.

“I don’t know about its affects but like others here I am also hopeful to get relief,” Gul Khan said while referring to other visitors there.

The visitors come here from far-flung areas of Balochistan, interior of Sindh and even Kashmir, said Khan Mohammed Baloch, whose ancestors remained guardian to this place. People are given mugs and clothing to take shower from the electrically pumped out water nowadays, he added.

All the visitors are charged Rs 15 each without any age restriction for 10-minute bath in the hot spring and the males and females are allowed turn-by-turn entry into specially built hall for the purpose.

Most of the visiting skin related patients are that of leprosy and scabies. “The hot-spring of Manghopir contains sulphur which works as anti-septic element in our medical world,” said Dr Mohammed Hashim, a senior medicine practitioner at Lyari General Hospital.

He said that many patients visited him and took advice but being a professional doctor he would not give any favourable advice to his patients with skin disease symptoms to visit Manghopir. “However, at the same time due to psychology of our society I cannot deny them (patients) their natural rights to visit Manghopir to get relief,” he added.

Dr Hashim said, “at least 20 percent visiting patients do complain of skin diseases and are mostly referred to specialists at the Skin Hospital in Saddar area”.

“We do give them medicines but again we cannot ask them to not to visit Manghopir due to its historical myth,” said Dr Manzoor Memon, a visiting consultant at Skin Hospital in Saddar area.

It may also be due to the costly medicines for skin diseases that poor and middle class people visit Manghopir spring, he added. app

India launches sharia stock index for Muslims

The managing director and chief executive of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Madhu Kannan, said the index would attract Islamic and other “socially responsible” investors both in India and overseas.
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MUMBAI: India’s Bombay Stock Exchange launched a share index of sharia-compliant companies on Monday in an attempt to open stock-trading to more Muslims.

The BSE TASIS Sharia 50 consists of the largest and most liquid sharia-compliant stocks within the BSE 500 index.

All the companies have been vetted to ensure they comply with Islamic law, which does not allow investors to put money into firms that benefit from interest or the sale of sinful goods such as alcohol, tobacco or firearms.

The managing director and chief executive of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Madhu Kannan, said the index would attract Islamic and other “socially responsible” investors both in India and overseas.

“This index will create increased awareness of financial investments among the masses and help enhance financial inclusion,” he said in a statement.

“The index will also build a base for licensing for the construction of sharia-compliant financial products, including mutual funds, ETFs (exchange traded funds) and structured products.”

Several studies have found that the majority of India’s 160 million Muslims have been excluded from the country’s formal financial sector due to the restrictions imposed by Islamic law.

Companies included in the index have been screened by Taqwaa Advisory and Shariah Investment Solutions (TASIS), an Indian Islamic finance company based in Mumbai, whose board members include Islamic scholars and legal experts.

TASIS said the index would “unlock the potential for sharia investments in India”.

“Bombay Stock Exchange has the largest number of listed sharia-compliant stocks in the world,” said Shariq Nisar, director of research and operations at TASIS.

“All Muslim countries of the Middle East and Pakistan put together do not have as many listed sharia-compliant stocks as are available on the BSE.” Stocks will be reviewed every month to ensure continued compliance. Any stocks that do not meet the criteria will be removed.

Afghanistan needs Pakistan help on security

PM Gilani meets with president karzai

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KABUL: The Afghan president’s spokesman says security cooperation with Pakistan is key if his nation is to be able to quell its virulent insurgency.

Wahid Omar said on Monday that President Hamid Karzai discussed the issue with Pakistani officials during a recent mini summit in Turkey where he stressed that Afghanistan will not allow its territory be used as a springboard for operations against its neighbors.

Omar says Pakistan can help with security in Afghanistan by not allowing its territory to be a terrorist safe-haven.

He says there can be no improvement “unless were are sincere in our cooperation.”

The Taliban-linked Haqqani network often stages operations in Afghanistan from its sanctuaries in western Pakistan.– AP