Known for his boy-next-door good looks and natural flair for acting, Shahid’s hosting skills laced with his very own straight-faced hilarious dialogue delivery will give the IIFAs a different look this year. While the night will have its share of the awards, glitz and glam that goes with the mega event, the host for the evening will also have celebrity co-hosts.

The Videocon IIFA Weekend celebrations, presented by Videocon and organized by Wizcraft International Entertainment, will see the entire Indian film industry in Singapore for the 3-day weekend. The weekend will feature various film briefings, the IIFA World Premiere of SHANGHAI featuring Kalki, Emraan Hashmi and Abhay Deol, IIFA Rocks – a fashion and music extravaganza, culminating with the night of nights, the IIFA Awards presentation ceremony.

That’s exactly what Mindshare (the leading media agency of the country) set out to do when they brought to life experientially the new Lay’s proposition of ‘Pal Banaye Magical’ (a positioning revamp from the older proposition of ‘Be Dillogical’ aimed at adding ‘magic’ to ‘everyday moments’ for the youth) through an interactive Augmented Reality activity.

A first in India, in terms of scale, the activity saw thousands of consumers dancing  virtually with the Lay’s brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan and saw their own projection in the recent ‘Pal Banaye Magical’ commercial on a giant screen – across several malls in Delhi and Chandigarh- making their moment truly magical!

This AR activity experience was conceptualized and brought to life by Mindshare through the Dialect and Digital teams, which worked together in handling the activation and its digital amplification respectively. The icing on the cake was the consumer videos of the AR activity, made viral on social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook by Mindshare Digital.

Speaking about the concept, Rahul Thappa, Client Leader for Mindshare North India, said: “Augmented reality campaigns are an effective means of effectively engaging with an audience. This campaign provided an unforgettable experience for people present at the malls. The activation has helped us bring alive Lay’s new ‘Pal Banaye Magical’ proposition for consumers, the essence of the proposition being that Lays makes every moment magical!”

The Augmented Reality experience was organized at Promenade Mall, New Delhi on 17th-18th March and at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon on 24th-25th March and Downtown Mall in Chandigarh on 31st March-1st April whereby more than a thousand consumers engaged with Lays and Saif – making their moments magical. The magic is increasing with each passing day for the participants – as their videos of dancing with Saif have been captured and are now reaching everyday lakhs of people through social media as each of the participant videos now rests on the Lays India YouTube Channel.

Such exhilarating experiences provide brands with the chance of interacting with consumers in an original and remarkable manner. Augmented Reality adds new dimensions by letting users discover emerging technology whilst enhancing brand awareness through virtual reality game play within their own everyday life environment.

As a follow up to the first phase of the campaign, Lays is now engaging its young consumers with another magical campaign fashioned around the IPL. Six big hitting cricketers have created six distinct flavors, and consumers have to associate the right cricketer with the right flavor.

The campaign is supported by leading music label Aditya Music and popular on-line music portal Raaga.com. As part of the campaign, a special composition sung by well-known singer Hemachandra was launched today at Prasads Imax by renowned film producers Suresh Babu, Dilraju and actress Lakshmi Manchu.

The anti-piracy song in Telugu titled as ‘Original’ Music Ni Gelipinchu, Life Andinchu’, is an apt description of making win the original music, and celebrating life.  To build awareness amongst the masses, the song will be extensively promoted on 92.7 BIG FM across Hyderabad, Vizag & Tirupathi stations. During the promotion of on-ground voting drive for the BIG Telugu Music awards, BIG RJ’s will take the song to the masses and ask them to sing it and ensure pledge from them not to buy pirated music.

As part of the campaign, volunteers who report music piracy will be acknowledged by the entire music fraternity at the Bharathi Cement BIG Telugu Music Awards night scheduled to be held on 12th May, 2012 at Shilpkalavedika, Hyderabad.

The dignitaries from the film and music industry present on the occasion expressed concern on the loss it has suffered over the last so many years. They were of the view that Radio drives music to millions and is an effective medium to build awareness amongst the masses. This unique campaign from 92.7 BIG FM will certainly help the industry dealing with this menace.

Commenting on the occasion, Company spokesperson said, “the only way to discourage piracy is not to consume it. 92.7 BIG FM, in its constant endeavor to promote regional music has taken up this cause as part of our 2nd edition of BIG Telugu Music awards to build awareness and acknowledge not just music but reward the real people who care for it. We are thankful to our partners and industry for their support towards this noble cause” .

After conquering Asia with India’s first ‘glocal’ intellectual music property, Sunburn, Percept is well on its way to establishing India as the hottest music travel destination on the planet. Joint Managing Director of Percept and Entertainment Mogul, Shailendra Singh, has joined forces with entertainment powerhouse, Arjun Rampal, to fulfill a mutual dream and launch “Lost”.

Scheduled to be held in Pune on November 23rd, 24th and 25th,  “Lost” is the world’s first music festival driven by culture, tradition & soul. But, it is so much more than a music festival. It’s an experience.

Performance driving experts are, right now, designing a world class, music intensive road rally to reach the festival. Each festival-goer will get a roadtrip kit, complete with car decals, flags, merchandise, roadmaps, and GPRS co-ordinates to reach the interactive party pit stops. Everything enthusiasts need to reach the festival, while exploring new roads and terrain.

The festival itself is a music extravaganza with International & domestic talent coming together from across various music genres like Pop, Rock, Dubstep, House , Reggae , Drum & Bass , Metal & R&B. India has so much killer talent to showcase, and “Lost” has the spirit to bring them all together on one platform. If you have the music to play, play it. Bring your instruments. Bring your songs. Bring your passions on to one of the three main stages or two experimental stages.

“Lost” will bring families and friends together and remind people of a greater sense of belonging. It is a festival of the fans, by the fans, for the fans. It is about getting lost, to discover yourself.

Percept Ltd. is a pioneer in conceptualizing and launching various successful properties and is excited to join hands with Arjun Rampal to take one more step in making India an international music travel destination.

Captained by Shailendra Singh, Percept is eager to continue introducing festivals that affect the cultural dimensions of the country. He says “there is no better feeling than to give our crowds an ultimate music experience; we are excited to take it to the next level. You have nothing but full power entertainment to look forward to at LOST”.

A-list big Bollywood star, Arjun Rampal created history with the LAP FI after parties, bringing Lady Gaga to India and creating the Lap Nightclub Experience in Delhi. His passion is music, and he’s been known to spin some killer tracks in the night. He is equally excited about this venture, saying “My belief is that when one is lost they connect with themselves, and get to know themselves. Lost, the festival, promises to evolve you in your sense of music from different genres amidst a stunning setting. There are rock stars and musicians in this country that are lost and don’t have anything to do so this will give them a platform to find themselves. Lost is to find yourself, that is the whole vibe of it, our heritage our culture, that’ll be integrated, the props the backdrops, I see it being very Indian.”

Expect three LOST festivals in 2012. Are you ready to get lost, to find yourself?

In the wake of an open and competitive multi-agency pitch, Jagran Solutions got the mandate of executing this project having worked with Red Bull earlier too. Jagran Solutions was responsible for the end-to-end execution of the event from knockout phase to final. Red Bull Campus Cricket gives the dreams of young cricketers’ wings by fuelling their passion and provides these budding college talents an opportunity to perform at an international level and get an opportunity to train overseas.

Young cricketing stalwarts of different college teams of India from Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai participated in this prestigious tournament. All matches were played in T20 format with Mumbai’s Rizvi College emerging as the winner of the tournament. Red Bull athlete and leading Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir worked closely with the brand to develop the concept of the tournament. Red Bull Campus Cricket experts and Gambhir together chose Swapnil Salvi from Rizvi College (Mumbai) for a 22 week stint with Urmston Cricket Club in Manchester, United Kingdom.

On the opportunities provided by Red Bull Campus Cricket, Red Bull athlete Gautam Gambhir said, “The reason Red Bull India and I came up with this event is because today college cricket isn’t taken too seriously. There are great players out there in colleges, but they don’t really have a platform. So, by being able to draw on the best talent in colleges, we have a unique chance to watch their calibre. We also believe that conducting a South Asian competition will benefit the upcoming crop of cricketers by exposing them to international conditions early on. And if the training sessions with Urmston Cricket Club work out well, it can lay the platform for creating better rounded and complete cricketers.”

Speaking about the successful completion of the event, Pawan Bansal, COO, Jagran Solutions said “We wanted to give the audience, participants and clients, an all around cricket experience. Jagran Solutions has managed to capture the minds of many, elevating the experience of cricket. We have associated with Red Bull for the past few years and executed similar sports events in the form of Chris Pfeiffer India Tour and Speed Street F1 event. We are confident that all this thrill-packed excitement in the gaming will enhance Red Bull’s brand image further with the consumers”.

Red Bull’s Campus Cricket enhanced youth’s passion towards cricket and created opportunities for the young cricketers at the collegiate level, an otherwise unexplored space by giving them a platform to exhibit their skills and showing them a path for a career in cricket .

This privately attended screening saw Actors of this Film – Akshay Kumar, Asin Thottumkal, Zarine Khan & Shazahn Padamsee interacting with the kids as they looked at them with complete admiration.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Anirudh Dhoot said, “Videocon is proud to be a part of this evening. It was an absolute delight to watch these kids have a great time here. My heart goes out to them & watching them is absolutely awe-inspiring. They keep smiling & look cheerful against all odds. Its indeed a pleasure to do something for them in whatever little way we can.”

Videocon Group has always been at the forefront in supporting various causes. By co-hosting the screening of this Film, the Group continues their endeavor in doing so.

Please find attached press release and photographs for your reference.It would be really great if this can be a part of your publication.

The city of the Taj Mahal is infamous for its water pollution and toxic waste which is being discharged on a daily basis. To create more awareness of these issues Priyanka Chopra and local school children, along with concerned citizens of Agra, participated in a clean-up drive to spread the green message. Vimlendu Jha, Founder and Head, Swechha, a Delhi based youth-run and youth-focused NGO engaged in environmental and social development issue, was also part of this clean-up drive in Agra.

Launched in April 2008, the NDTV-Toyota Green campaign is India’s first ever-nationwide campaign to save the environment. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about environmental issues by involving the people of India to make a difference. The campaign is supported by TERI and India’s Minister for Environment.

As part of this year’s drive Milind Soman will run 1500 kms from Delhi to Mumbai, starting on April 20, 2012 and ending in Mumbai on May 20, 2012, when Greenathon 4 will have its gala annual fund raising telethon.

Keep watching NDTV 24×7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit for more exciting events planned as part of the NDTV Network’s commitment to a green and clean environment!

The second edition of ‘The Foodie Awards’ encompassed the journey of the eminent jury that travelled the length and breadth of the country to choose the winners from various categories. Joining the official ‘Foodie’ Kunal Vijayakar were three eminent figures Rashmi Uday Singh food critic and author, Chef Manjit Gill corporate executive chef, ITC Group and Karen Anand food and wine expert. The awards enjoyed an unrivalled credibility with nominees spread across eleven categories ranging from 5 star spreads to even road-side dhabas.

Commenting on the success of the event Mr. Sunil Lulla, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Times Television Network, said “At TIMES NOW we celebrate the culture created by popular food in the ever popular show, The Foodie. The Foodie Awards are a preview to the year of engaging content on TV. We are happy to announce shortly The Foodie will be available on DVD, for viewing at home.”

Kunal Vijayakar, the ultimate foodie and host of the evening, was at his wittiest as he brought out the true foodies amidst the stars present. Joining him on stage was the critically acclaimed actress Tisca Chopra as the co-host for the evening.

The award ceremony started in a unique fashion by honouring a highly acclaimed personality, Jaspal Inder Singh Kalra, popularly known as Jiggs Kalra, for his Outstanding Contribution to the F&B industry. The lifetime achievement award was presented to ‘Gaylord’, Mumbai, whereas the earnest ‘Raju Omlette’, Baroda was named the Best Roadside Dhaba.

Added Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief, TIMES NOW, “The Foodie show has achieved an iconic status over the years and continues to captivate food enthusiasts across the nation. We take great pride in honouring those who with their unmatched excellence and dedication have been contributing to the ever evolving food & beverage industry.”
Zeba Kohli, Kabir Bedi, Raageshwari, Shaina NC, Kalpana Lajmi and Lalita Lajmi were among those who gave away the awards to the deserving winners. Also gracing the event were popular names from the entertainment industry like Mandira Bedi, Cyrus Broacha, Dolly Thakore, Poonam Dhillon amongst others.

The presence of the entire star cast of the upcoming movie ‘Housefull 2’ further enhanced the celebrations of the evening as they unveiled The Foodie DVD, having twenty four of the most memorable episodes of The Foodie show. John Abraham, Akshay Kumar and Boman Irani were amongst the few who spoke about their favourite childhood eateries with much nostalgia.

Combining music with food in a highly fascinating manner, taking the splendour of the evening to the next level was the inimitable musical stylings of the popular band ‘Merlyn & Band’ who mesmerised the audiences by their performance on the famous song “Food Glorious Food”. ‘Dfrenstrokes’ the percussion band from Bangalore also delivered a highly captivating performance leaving the audiences enthralled.

Kunal Vijayakar said “I am extremely overjoyed with the success of the event since it was a very fulfilling culmination of a year full of tasting, travelling and discovering food all over. These awards were an attempt to celebrate artistry of chefs, restaurants, dhabas and eateries and to honour those who love food and live for it.”

Having completed over 275 episodes, TIMES NOW’s show The Foodie is the only show that showcases a new eatery every week highlighting the diverse food cultures from all over the country along with exploring International destinations.

In an historic partnership with The Woolmark Company, Vivienne Westwood celebrates the finest Australian Merino wool featured in knitted and woven garments as seen in the new collection. Highlights include 100% Merino wool jersey ‘intimo’ button down one pieces tailored to the body and pleated style fine knit skirts in Autumnal shades.

With a design record spanning over forty years, Vivienne Westwood, the designer and iconic British brand is recognized as one of the most influential fashion designers in the world today. With a rich history of creating fashion and generating influence, Vivienne Westwood is renowned for using different forms of wool and noble fibres in her collections and has always been an avid support for the use of wool in fashion.

‘Wool is one of the world’s great natural fibres, famous for its versatility and comfort – warm in winter, cool in summer, it is incredibly versatile,’ explained Ms Westwood.

‘When I began as a fashion designer, well over thirty years ago, I succeeded in re-introducing into fashion the idea of fine knitwear, the English twinset. Everybody loves this fine knitwear. It’s so light, so comfortable. You can add more than one layer and it looks great.’

Stuart McCullough, CEO of Australian Wool Innovation, owners of The Woolmark Company said, ‘We are very pleased to have one of the world’s most influential and important designers of our time, Vivienne Westwood, showcasing Merino wool at its finest. Merino wool is a beautiful natural fibre; Vivienne Westwood highlights its modernity and relevance in high end fashion.’

The Vivienne Westwood Autumn – Winter 2012/13 Gold Label collection and special edition Merino wool pieces will be available worldwide from selected Vivienne Westwood stores.

The glamorous evening saw blockbuster performances by some of the biggest names from the Music industry. Bollywood superstar Saif Ali Khan jammed with the popular band Parikrama as they belted out the most memorable tracks from his films. Shreya Ghoshal and Bappi Lahiri sang Ooh La La and Chikni Chameli. Mika had the audience grooving to Subah Hone Na de and Pungi while Sonu Nigam paid a musical tribute to the legends who left us in the last year.

The highlight of the evening was for the first time a live jugalbandi by some great musical talents in the country-Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Lalit Pandit, Salim-Suleiman, Ram Sampath, Sajid Wajid and Leslie Lewis.

The other music artists who added spark to the evening with their performamces were Ash King, Harshdeep Kaur, Neha Bhasin, Anushka Manchanda, Tochi Raina, Shweta Pandit, Dominique and Clinton Cerejo, Kamal Khan, Suman Shridhar, Shefali Alvares, Benny Dayal and Ritu Pathak.

The winners were decided by a  jury that consists of notable personalities from the Indian film & music industry – Javed Akhtar, Ramesh Sippy, Ashutosh Gowariker, Sooraj Barjatya, Prasoon Joshi, Sameer, Shankar Mahadevan, Anu Malik, Aadesh Srivastava, Lalit Pandit, Kailash Kher, Louis Banks, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik, Sadhna Sargam, Suresh Wadkar, Talat Aziz and Ila Arun.

The Royal Stag Mirchi Music Awards will be aired exclusively on Colors on Saturday, March 31st at 9pm.

Mirchi Music Awards – Winners List

1.    Best Programmer & Arranger – Abhijeet Nalani & Giorgio Tuinfort for Chammak Challo from RA One

2.    Best Song Representing Sufi Tradition – Kun Faya Kun from Rockstar – A.R. Rahman, Javed Ali, Mohit Chauhan and Irshad Kamil

3.    Best Raag Inspired Song – Khoya Kya from Kashmakash – Hariharan, Sanjoy Das, Raja Narayan Deb

4.    Special Recognition to Pandit Channulal Misra

5.    Best Upcoming Singer of the year Male – Kamal Khan for Ishq Sufiyana from The Dirty Picture

6.    Best Upcoming Singer of the year Female – Tia Bajpai for Sheet Leher from Lanka

7.    Best Upcoming Music Director of the year – Harshit Saxena for Hale Dil from Murder 2

8.    Best Upcoming Lyricist of the Year – Seema Saini for Sheet Leher from Lanka

9.    Best Song Recording – Vijay Dayal and Mark ‘Exit’ Goodchild for Chammak Challo from Ra One

10.    Best Background Score – Ram Sampath for Delhi Belly

11.    Best Item Number Song – Ooh La La from The Dirty Picture – Bappi Lahiri, Shreya Ghoshal, Rajat Arora and Vishal-Shekhar

12.    Best Album of the Golden Era – Awaara (Shankar Jaikishen and Raj Kapoor)

13.    Royal Stag Make it Large Award – Dhanush and Anirudh – Special Award

14.    Jury Award for Outstanding Contribution to Hind Film Music – Babla Shah

15.    Best Indipop song – Mera Kya Hain Sab Hain Tera – Dil Ki Baatein – Javed Ali, Alaap Dudul Saikia & Ravi Basnet

16.    Best Song of the Year Mirchi Listeners Choice – Nadaan Parinde from Rockstar – A.R. Rahman, Mohit Chauhan and Irshad Kamil

17.    Best Album of the Year – Mirchi Listeners Choice – Rockstar

18.    Best Lyricist – Javed Akhtar for Khaabon Ke Parinde  from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

19.    Best Music Director – A.R. Rahman for Nadaan Parindey from Rockstar

20.    Best Female vocalist – Sunidhi Chauhan for Ishq Sufiyana from The Dirty Picture

21.    Best Male Vocalist  – Kamal Khan for Ishq Sufiyana from The Dirty Picture

22.    Best Song of the year – Senorita by Shankar Ehsaan Loy

23.    Best Album of the Year – Rockstar

24.    Lifetime Achievement Award – Khayyam