Sania Should follow tradition, play for Pakistan after marriage:PTF chief

 KARACHI: Pakistan Tennis Federation chief Dilawar Abbas wants Sania Mirza to play for Pakistan after her marriage with former cricket captain Shoaib Malik later this month.

Sania intends to continue playing for India even after tying the knot with Shoaib on April 15 in Hyderabad but Abbas said she should give playing for Pakistan a thought.

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"It is great news for our tennis community that Sania Mirza is getting married to Shoaib Malik. We welcome her and hope that she would become a Pakistani national and play for us in future. She has a great future ahead and we would be delighted if she plays for Pakistan," Abbas told 'The News'.

"Asian women traditionally follow their husbands which is why I'm hopeful that someday she would be inspired by Shoaib to play for Pakistan," he added.

The 23-year-old Sania, who is the most successful woman tennis player from the sub-continent, will settle down with Shoaib in Dubai post marriage.

Abbas said even if she decides to continue playing for India, Sania can still help her husband's country by promoting the game among women here.

"She can encourage our girls to take up tennis, she can inspire them to become world class players," he said.

"We would hope that Sania would lend a helping hand to women's tennis in Pakistan," he added.

Abbas suggested that Sania team up with Pakistan's number one tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi in the mixed doubles circuit.

"Both Sania and Aisam are really good doubles players. I believe that their team would not just achieve great results internationally but will also help bridge the gap between India and Pakistan," he said. 

Sania should follow tradition

Rahul's Dulhaniya was a cheap show : Payal

Stories about Rahul Mahajan and Dimpy Mahajan's marriage is far from getting over. Everybody who are related to television industry has a statement to make. After Rakhi Sawant

, now its Rahul's Big Boss contestant Payal Rohatgi's turn to dig at Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega, she says that it was a ‘cheap show’.

Payal commenting on the RDLH, she feels that the show looked like a desperate way to earn money and fame. There should be a limit how far one can go and to get what he/she wants. She also admits that Bigg Boss bought her fame and publicity, which nothing else did.

She further added by saying that what would be the next reality show on TV, A honeymoon or a child’s delivery?
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Manmohan has passion for writing poems

Manmohan Tiwari, the man who made a tragic controversy with controversy queen Rakhi Sawant has finally achieved what he wanted with no regrets. Manmohan Tiwari, who is now seen in Imagine’s ‘Jamuniya’ whose shoots are going on in Chhattisgarh, explores the place with all his interest to entertain the people around.

Our source from the location informs, “Manmohan is always busy exploring the place around the shooting location as there are no means of entertainment to have some break from the work. He goes around the place and tries to learn the language of the people staying around; he also learns the way they dress and tries to study the pattern of preparing food.”

“He never stays at one place when there is no work on sets and always loiters like a free birdie, making poetry,” adds source. When called Tiwari, he says, “Actually, I love to meet different people and entertain them with my passion of writing poems. And will always try to appeal people with my hobby of exploring things.”

It’s better to engage yourself with something better than sitting idly with empty mind!

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Ranbir and Sanjay Dutt in 'The Game'

Ever played a game that gets you a chance to win Rs. 50 lacs while watching television? Get ready to show Youngistaan Ka WOW in ‘The Game’, Pepsi’s innovative, engaging and entertaining concept that brings to life the fun of gaming through TV advertising. Featuring your favourite Bollywood stars

, Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt

for the first time together, ‘The Game’ promises to be an exciting challenge for Youngistaanis, this IPL season.

‘The Game’ is set in a fantasy world and all the action takes place in a castle owned by the ‘Game Master’ played by the original Khalnayak, Sanjay Dutt. He challenges Youngistaani, Ranbir to get his Pepsi from his lair. While Ranbir faces these mind-bending challenges, it is you who can help him make the right choices and come out victorious. As you get Ranbir closer to his Pepsi, your right answers will get you fun prizes and get you closer to the ultimate cash prize of Rs 50 lacs.


‘The Game’ is played over five films with three levels, each ending with a brainteaser. Three options are given for each riddle and you have to select the right answer by using your mental smarts. To play, you can call or SMS ‘GAME’ to 093 27 27 27 27 or simply log on to www.youngistaan.com
The exciting five-week game begins with a teaser film on March 27th where the lead characters including Sanjay and Ranbir along with the ‘WOW Girl’, Jacqueline Fernandes are introduced. This is followed by three films presenting the challenges every Thursday; concluding with the fifth film. Viewers can enter ‘The Game’ at any level and can win exciting prizes including free talk-time, song downloads and ring tones. Those who answer correctly at all levels, stand a chance to win Rs. 50 lacs by succeeding in the final tie-breaker slogan challenge.

Speaking about The Game, Punita Lal, Executive Director, Marketing, PepsiCo India said, “Pepsi has always been at the forefront of creating exciting, engaging and innovative experiences which connect with the youth. With the launch of ‘The Game’, Pepsi once again acts as a trendsetter by bringing together gaming to TV advertising for the first time ever”.

“We are confident that ‘The Game’ will not only attract eyeballs owing to its huge entertainment value but also drive participation amongst youngsters thanks to the fantastic concept and thrill it promises to deliver”, she added.

Mounted at a scale of a mega Bollywood blockbuster with magical sets, edgy action-sequences and WOW special effects, ‘The Game’ takes the concept of consumer engagement to the next level. A lot of attention has been paid to the looks of the characters. While Ranbir sports an active and uber cool look, Sanjay as the Game Master will be seen in a unique look straight out of a video game.

As part of this ambitious project, Pepsi has launched a high-decibel, 360-degree campaign which takes engagement to the next level. Apart from the on-air campaign, there would be a huge focus on the online medium including social networking sites. Some of these exciting initiatives include live chat with Ranbir on Facebook on April 2, 2010 and a customized ‘The Game’ skin on Orkut page. For terms and conditions, exciting downloads and further information, log on to www.youngistaan.com.
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Salman's personal attention for Sonu Sood

First it was Ranbir Kapoor who had his torso/abs contoured and hand-painted during Saawariya by his ever-helpful co-star Salman Khan. Now it is Sonu Sood who got the same personal attention from Salman .While shooting the tricky bare-bodied climactic combat scene in Wai for Dabangg, Salman personally supervised his screen-adversary Sonu Sood's torso tanning.

Says Sonu,"Everyone knows when two guys di an action scene especially if they're bare-chested they
work out harder before the sequence to make sure each one's body is in the best shape." Salman has not only exercised rigorously for the climactic fight but he has also made sure Sonu Sood looks his best on camera.

Says Sonu, "We've been shooting the hand-to-hand combat for a fortnight now, every day Salman has been making sure I'm as comfortable with the action director S Vijayan's instruction as he is." He continues, "We've been shooting in the heat on a set depicting a warehouse and our fight is a free-for-all. We first combat with fists and then any weapon, instrument, hard object we can lay our hands on. .It's the most dangerous fight Salman and I have done. Salman made sure I was comfortable and as protected and safe as possible."

Best of all, the star gave Sonu Sood a lotion to highlight and contour his torso muscles. Says Sood, "It's a suntan lotion which makes the abs glisten on camera so that your muscles look more contoured. Salman told me to apply it and my body looks better on camera than ever before."

Interestingly, Salman did the same to Ranbir Kapoor when the debutant shot the 'Jab Se Tere Naina' number in a towel for Saawariya. In fact Salman was not even required for the Saawariya song. He had nonetheless come on the sets and personally painted Ranbir's torso with the lotion before the song was shot. That explains Ranbir's contoured torso muscles in the towel song when in fact he has a wiry physique.

Says Sonu Sood, "Unlike Ranbir who was in a towel the audience will see me and Salman like two rustic Biharis in Pyjama -kurtas. Salman plays a cop who thinks he's the unchallenged law of the region. I challenge him to a fight. We both slip off our kurtas and fight in full public view. As the fight gets more vicious the crowds are scared away .Only me and Salman are left, fighting. It's the most realistic climactic fight we've ever shot."
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Khan versus Khan

Dish TV’s new campaign presents Shahrukh in a new avatar to take on Tata Sky’s Aamir.

You could call it the clash of the titans. Tata Sky’s innovative use of its brand ambassador Aamir Khan as a ventriloquist, aging taxi driver, family man and puppet (remember the actor’s man-woman act in the first of his commercials for the DTH operator last year) has indeed made rivals sit up and take notice of it.

That is why competitor Dish TV has also decided to do away with the mundane and present its brand ambassador Shahrukh Khan in a different avatar. He appears as a 75-year-old man in Dish’s new campaign Ghar Aayi Zindagi.

The slugfest is understandable. Despite mounting losses (the company had a net loss of Rs 476 crore in the last financial year), Dish hopes to cross the seven-million-mark in terms of subscribers by the end of this financial year. Its current subscriber base is 6.3 million.

Tata Sky, on the other hand, has a subscriber base of 4.5 million and has been growing fast.

According to industry estimates, there are 17-18 million DTH subscribers in the country. Not a large figure considering that India has over 75 million cable and satellite homes.

In a market that is choc-a-bloc with seven players, Dish realises that ads that can cut through the clutter will help it stand out in the crowd. If that means having to do something unusual with its brand ambassador, so be it. “Like FMCG brands, where consumers gravitate towards one for personal gratification, we aim to position Dish TV through Shahrukh as a brand that buyers can trust,” says Salil Kapoor, chief operating officer, Dish TV.

This is the first time in six years that Dish TV has embarked on a brand rejig with an eight-week-long campaign that includes two new commercials with Khan supported by a clutch of print and radio advertisements. This need for change, explains Kapoor, was necessary in order to build an emotional connect with consumers – something that was missing in its earlier campaigns.

Says Sudhan Deo, investment director at media agency MediaEdge:CIA, “In a category such as direct-to-home, it is easy to fall into the trap of product advertising. This is a problem that confronted telecom operators as well a while ago. They managed to get out of it with some intelligent advertising. DTH operators are slowly but steadily realising this.”

Both Tata Sky and Dish seem to be taking a cue from this insight. Never mind if the acting skills of their brand ambassador are put to the test time and again, they are up to to it, in fact, even enjoying it. Says Vikram Mehra, chief marketing officer, Tata Sky, “It’s a pleasure working with Aamir. He is involved in the nitty-gritty of every ad. It’s fun because he lives the brand.”

So far, Tata Sky has released four campaigns with Aamir since taking him on as their brand ambassador in 2008. Clearly, the DTH operator is hardly dissappointed with the show the versatile actor has put up.

Now it’s Shahrukh’s turn to wow audiences with his histrionics. Says Kapoor, “It wasn’t easy giving up a message as strong as ‘Wish Karo, Dish Karo’, but we were clear we wanted to establish Dish TV as a brand that a family can rely on.” These communication changes will be backed by Dish’s investments in back-end infrastructure. “That is an on-going process,” says Kapoor.

There is no doubt that the DTH industry is growing. According to a FICCI-KPMG report, digital pay TV households including digital cable, DTH, IPTV etc is slated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate CAGR) of 35.4 per cent by 2013.

That’s an opportunity Dish, Tata Sky and the five others don’t want to miss out.

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Rahul's brave heart.

Bollywood's bad guy Rahul Dev will be seen playing a pivotal role in Vikram Bhatt's next horror flick SHAAPIT.

It so happened that while he was shooting for the movie, his wife was fighting against cancer in the hospital. Despite of going through a tragic personal life, Rahul dedicatedly worked for the movie. Since he played a crucial role in the movie, he was required constantly for the shooting. During the shoot Rahul worked the entire day and he spent the whole night holding his wife's hand. Unfortunately after a few days his wife passed away, but being a through professional Rahul was back to shoot and completed the movie with full dedication.

Well must say Rahul, who is known for his unconventional rugged looks and chiseled features, has a brave heart too!

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