How to vote ?

This week it would be finals of Airtel Super Singer 2008 and finally we have reached the finals stage ;) .. in case u got to know how to vote for the finals contestants.. here you go..

Contestants -

Renu (SS15)
Ravi (SS06)
Ajeesh (SS09)
Ranjani (SS14)
Prasanna (SS22)

Viewers can SMS SSXX (XX - Super singer no) to 57827 or
log on to www.vijay.indya.com and cast their vote.

Voting lines are open from May 18, 2009, 10 p.m. onwards.

Lawrence & Mumtaz...

It was dance master/actor/director Lawrence and glamour queen Mumtaz in Koffee with Anu ysterday... it was a very touching episode for me.. I was moved by the different role played by Lawrence.. First about the show.. show was good.. Lawrence came in first and he spoke about his childhood and dancing skills. He had got brain tumour at the age of 7-8. His mother was told to go to Raghavendra swami temple.. she was aware about Raghavendar only after seeing the film of same title by super star Rajnikanth.

Soon after he was taken to temple in Mantralayam his tumour started to decrease and he became healthy.. his dance dreams and skills made him meet Super Subbarayan and worked under him almost like a servant.. whenever any actor meets the stuntmaster Lawrence will show his dance skills.. and finally Rajnikanth helped him to join dancers union and from then no stopping.. Now Mumtaz and Lawrence are in a project "Rajathi Raja" and they were even speaking about it..

Koffe taro was there and it was Sneha, Saran and Rajnikanth for Lawrence and Ajith, Nagarjuna and Vijay for Mumtaz.. both exchanged their photos and spoke about them even.. it was really good.. touching moment of the show was the 15 minutes about the Lawrence Charitable trust that is been maintained by Lawrence.. he had even donated his own house for the trust when there was no place for the disabled children to stay.. he is in a rented house but still his trust is managing atleast 150 children/oldage people who doesnt have anyone to help.. Hats off to him.. Thanks to Vijay TV for showing this and making us aware about the same and I wish the trust gets more charity from the people to help those kinds of human beings..

Ippadiku Rose..

what had happened to Ippadiku Rose program.. is the timings got changed or the show is shelved.. we dont see the program for quite sometime and was there any intimation from the Vijay TV about it ?? any idea guys ??? day before I thought of seeing the show and finally it was not scheduled.. i dint see the show for few weeks.. :(

Dance for life.. Really !!!

I was amazed with the performance of Sherif and Nanda in the semifinals round 2 of dance show Ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva.. earlier in the show they used to have something called dance for life that will be as a tie breaker.. but after seeing their performances in the semifinals.. it looks like they dance for their life really.. their hard work and talent is showcased in the dance sequence that they provide everytime. with the show reaching its peak it will be good to see the finals soon.. but still we have got wildcard to come..

What to Expect from Finals ?

With the Airtel Super Singer 2008 finals this week... it will be really very very interesting to see how the show will proceed. The finalists Renu (SS15), Ravi (SS06), Ajeesh (SS09), Ranjani (SS14) and Prasanna (SS22) will perform in an ‘Unplugged’ round this week, with Stephen Devassy at the piano; Keith Peters on bass guitar, Vikram and D. A. Srinivas at the rhythm section and mridangam.

There are three categories —

melodies from the black and white era Monday
latest melodies on Tuesday
classical melodies on Wednesday.

Legendary music composer M. S. Viswanathan and vocalist Sudha Ragunathan will join as special guests for the finals along with judges Unnikrishnan, Srinivas and Sujatha.

Raghava Lawrence Charitable Trust

Raghava Lawrence Charitable Trust details are here.. I found this in the internet hopefully these are right details.. If there is any changes to it please do comment in this post..

Larencce Charitable Trust
Regd No : 1372/20052/4,
First Cross Street,
# 3rd Avenue,
Ashok Nagar,
Chennai - 600 083.
Phone :
+91 - 44 - 3253 6575
+91 - 44 - 2471 9387
E-mail : larenccecharitabletrust@rediff.com

Website :
http://www.lawrencetrust.org/

Account no : ( This detail is from internet only.. please do call and speak with the charity before donating any money)

CANARA BANK,
ASHOK NAGAR,
SB, A/C: 46149,
MOBILE NO: 9962243647.
TAX EXEMPTION UNDER 80 G.

IPL ratings on the downswing

The Indian Premier League's (IPL) performance on television is starting to mirror that of the Kolkata Knight Riders. A steady and sure fall in performance. The 11 matches played from 3-9 May managed an average TVR of 3.8, according to Tam C&S 4+ data. In comparison, the ratings from 18-25 April was an average of 4.6. Subsequently, from 26 April -2 May, the 13 matches played managed an average 4.08 TVR.

If one was to take the period of the event from 18 April to 9 May, the IPL has managed an average rating of 4.04. Last year, the average TVR was 4.8 for the entire event. The dip in ratings is happening despite the fact that there is a desperate scramble by the teams to reach the semi-finals. Apart from Kolkata Knight Riders, the remaining teams have a chance to make it to the knock-out stage. The Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers appear to have cemented their place in the last four. Chennai is also coming on very strong.

Out of the 11 matches played from 3-9 May six managed to cross a TVR of 4. The highest rating was a key match between the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 3 May which got a rating of 5.2. The match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore played on 7 May recorded a rating of two.

Courtesy - Indiantelevision

MSV in Finals..

Legend Music director MS Viswanathan will be appearing in Airtel Super Singer 2008 in the final round of the competition.. from the promotional videos it looks like he would be there for a day atleast in the finals.. but am not sure who else would be available.. but the judges seems to be same with Srinivas, Sujatha and Unnikrishnan..

What to Expect in Finals ??

With Airtel Super Singer finals is all set to be this week.. what should we expect from the show now.. will it be for a week or a 2 week final round ??? ;) I am sure there would be legends and big musicians appearing in the show soon.. for judging and also for prize distribution.. I have created a poll and its with quite good number of voting now and Ravi is set to be clear leader with Prasanna & Ajeesh closely following him. I expected the final to be held atleast after 2 months but its good that this week itself it would be done..

Interesting Tie Breaker..

It was very very interesting tie breaker in UYAP Semifinals round 2.. with Nanda & Sharif giving very good performances in both the group and solo stage and SAi Pallavi was opted out for the wild card round.... the excitement began when the announcement for the finalist spot came in.. it was a sudden twist with Jeyam Ravi announcing that.. both Nanda and Sharif would perform a dance sequence for the music that is played at that moment.. It was a sequence of "Somehting Something.. unakum enakum something something.." and other song from Dhaam dhoom.

Sharif gave a real mindblowing performance given the time for preparation and he was really too good. following him was Nanda with teh same song sequence.. Nanda was also good but not equally to Sharif's. Now, with this happening because of tie breaker.. judges came up giving the trophy to Sharif..and also selected Nanda for better competition in the finals round. I feel its fair to select both of them since they are equally good...

Miss Chennai & Chennai Man from 2mrw..

Viba Miss Chennai & Chennai Man had been advertising for quite sometime in Vijay TV and now its time for the show to begin.. Dont miss to watch the show from tomorrow May 17th at 6 PM... I was thinking that the Super Mom will be started but this show is now started.. I guess this would have some fashion shows and all the rounds that took place in selecting the Chennai Man and Miss Chennai...

May 17, 2009 - 6 PM - Miss Chennai & Chennai Man..

Sai Pallavi for Wild card !!!

Next week in Amul's ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva show will have wild card round... it will be for 1 spot in finals.. already there are 3 finalists in the show and this wild card will hopefully bring one more contestant for the finals which will be in front of the legend dancer Prabhudeva himself.. Sai Pallavi who contested in both the Semifinals 1 & 2 is now into wild card round and she got prover herself to come back to the finals.. In the Semifinals 2nd round she performed really well with a salsa and a different classical performance.. but since others were better her performance was overshadowed..

Bad in choosing life partner - Men or Women ???

This week in Neeya Naana the topic of discussion is who is bad in choosing their life partner... whether Men or Women.. from the promo it looks like it will be an interesting topic & both the men n women speak out very frankly on what they look from their partner..

Whats in Semifinals 2 ??

With Premgopal getting selected for the finals in Ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva, it is semifinals part 2 this week where Sai Pallavi, Nanda and Sharif will be competing for another final spot. It will be a very tough fight among these contestants.. There will 2 performances by each of them.. first day it would be group performance of all 3 and followed by solo performance.. the show will have actor jeyam Ravi with Raghuram master and Johny master..

'NDTV Hindu' from May 16

NDTV Ltd and The Hindu have come together to launch Chennai's city-specific English news channel, called NDTV Hindu, which goes live from May 16. The channel will cover breaking news and current affairs, as well as user-friendly information. It will be broadcast free-to-air on SCV and Hathway. Announcing the launch of the channel, Dr. Prannoy Roy, chairman, NDTV Ltd, said, "We firmly believe that the future of news is in going local. The Hindu Group with its impeccable credentials has been a household name for generations in Chennai and this partnership will help NDTV Hindu to capitalise on the brand strengths and journalistic values of both the media houses."

N Ram, editor-In-chief, The Hindu, said, "Though there are a few Indian language channels that exist for local news, yet there is no English channel catering exclusively to this vibrant city. With NDTV's strong television broadcasting and editorial capabilities, NDTV Hindu will bring out the true flavor of the city through its high-end content." N Murali, managing director, The Hindu, added, "With its non-stop programming across genres, catering to a young urban India, NDTV Hindu aims to change the perspective of every Chennaite about their city, by the minute."

Rajiv Lulla, managing director and CEO, NDTV Hindu, added, "This channel is a winning combination of editorial excellence and superior programming, targeted at the young. We are sure we will be able to capture the pulse of the city and give the viewers what they have been missing so far." NDTV Hindu will invite students from Chennai schools for the weekly show, titled I Spy with My Digital Eye, where they will be taught how to make films, all caught on camera. The channel will also offer a show for shopaholics called Super Shopper that will introduce Chennaites into the world of style. In an another show, Shift Focus, the channel will showcase who went where over the weekend, what's the latest show in town and latest updates on exhibitions, within Chennai and around the state.

Jennifer Arul, managing editor/COO, NDTV Hindu, on Night Vision show will round up the day's happenings in and around the city and national news of importance. Coinciding with the counting day, viewers can watch Jennifer on the election special Night Vision with TV journalist Sashi Kumar.

A Televisionpoint News

TRAI's fresh tariff for cable services

The Supreme Court has allowed the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to work out a fresh tariff regime for cable services in general cable TV (non-CAS) areas, based on a classification of cities and the number of pay channels provided. A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, while directing TRAI to carry out the exercise de novo (afresh, without being influenced by the TDSAT ruling), clarified that the comprehensive tariff order would include a cap on carriage and placement charges.

However, it rejected the objection raised by senior advocate C S Vaidyananthan, appearing for the multi-system operators (MSO), that the issue of capping the carriage charges was not the subject matter of the appeal and it should also include advertisement charges. The Court also continued its earlier order that said tariffs which were there when the sectoral tribunal rejected Trai's order that put a ceiling on cable service charges would continue.

This means that multi-system operators and local cable operators will charge tariffs, as per Trai's directions, between Rs 132 and 260 for cable services in non-CAS areas and broadcasters cannot enhance tariffs by not more than 7 per cent for cable services and they will have to offer channels to consumers in a manner whereby they can choose.

Jeyam Ravi @ UYAP Semifinals 2

Actor Jeyam Ravi will make entry in Vijay TV this week in Amul's Ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva.. the show is getting tensed with the Semifinal taking place. Only one contestans (Premgopal) had got selected for the final round which is for the title and this week it would be second semifinal round with Sai Pallavi, Nanda and Sharif.. this week it is suppposed to have one more final contestant.. and most probably there would be a wild card round ??? ;).. this week for the semifinals Jeyam Ravi will be the special judge.

Super Singer goes to City Center..

It was fun filled moments in Airtel Super Singer 2008.. as the final of the competition is getting closer.. the top 5 contestants were having a bash in City Center at Mylapore. There was huge crowd around in the mall and all the 5 contestants gave superb live performance in front of huge crowd. It was not over.. there were big/large/huge hoardings of fianlists around the city center and it looks like they would be there for quite sometime. This is one of the successful moment of Airtel Super Singer 2008..

Chennai Super Mom 2009

‘The Hindu Chennai Super Mom 2009′ was a salute to motherhood on Mother’s Day. The day long event also had three sub-contests, games and other activities to keep the entire family entertained. In this day of role reversal, mommies were the bosses, as they got themselves styled and pampered while the fathers handled the kids. The sub-contests saw participants showcase their culinary skills in the cookery contest, make art out of waste in the junk art contest and perform in the talent rounds. The main event, however, started with 75 contestants answering a simple question in 50 words. The final 15 contestants had to multi-task in round one, make a photo frame and a mat in round two and quizzed to judge their IQ.

Winners

Five special titles were awarded: Confident Mom, Energetic Mom, Graceful Mom, Intelligent Mom and Orator Mom. The deciding question was “What role does education play to be a good mother?” Srimathy was crowned *The Hindu Chennai Super Mom.’ Along with a string of goodies, she was presented a necklace worth Rs.1,00,000 from NAC Jewellers and a gift hamper from RmKV. Aparna Ravi was the first runner-up and Victoria was the second runner-up. Meanwhile, playback singer Srilekha Parthasarathy kept the audience enthralled with her peppy numbers. The Hindu presented gift hampers worth Rs. 25,000, Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively to the winner, first and second runner-ups. Aquaguard Total was the title sponsor, Wavetel, Sowbaghya, Shrine Olive Oil, Viveks and Bharat Scans were the co-sponsors. BSNL was the communication partner, and Vijay TV and Radio One were the media partners. Naturals was the make-up stylist and Aachi Masala was the cookery partner. The gift sponsors were NAC Jewellers, RMkv, Witco and Kid Zone: Centre of Robotics and Research Academy.

Content Courtesy - Go-Nxg

SC: Trai to rework on cable tariffs in non-Cas areas

The Supreme Court has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to chalk out a new tariff regime for cable services in non-Cas (conditional access system) areas. In its verdict today, the bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan directed Trai that the new tariff should be based on a classification of cities and the number of pay channels provided.

The SC, while asking Trai to carry out the exercise de novo (afresh, without being influenced by the Tdsat ruling), clarified that the comprehensive tariff order would include a cap on carriage and placement charges, PTI reported. Meanwhile, SC also rejected the objection raised by multi-system operators (MSO) counsel CS Vaidyananthan that the issue of capping the carriage charges was not the subject matter of the appeal and it should also include advertisement charges.

The court also upheld its earlier order, wherein sectoral tribunal Tdsat had rejected Trai's order that put a ceiling on cable service charges. The directive will ensure that MSOs and local cable operators will charge tariffs, as per Trai's directions, between Rs 132 and 260, for services in non-Cas areas. Broadcasters cannot enhance tariffs more than 7 per cent for cable services while they will have to offer channels to consumers on a la carte basis.

A Indiantelevision News

Media powers voter turnout

Since its establishment, Indian media is known as a tool for promoting democracy and exposing the ill giving's that may be happening within government bodies. Many agree that media is a very powerful tool in promoting democratic rights of nations. Media supplies people with information, news, entertainment, analysis that informs society and is a part of society that should never be ignored. And that is why an informed media is often referred to as the fourth estate of democratic politics.

A few years ago the print media was the main mass media channel which reported on political conditions prevailing in the country. But today political information is dominant on the national television channel as well as the satellite channels. All these media channels compete with one another to bring people closer to the political processes, important issues linked to them and their probable effects on society. Politics in India is essentially local and India's voters elect their representatives based on small local and regional issues, instead of the big national issues. As a result, election rallies and door-to-door canvassing, supplemented by local hoardings and print ads in the vernacular languages have traditionally been at the core of election campaigning in India.

Newspaper, radio, television, and the Internet, including e-mail and blogs are usually less influential than the social environment, but they are still significant, especially in affirming attitudes and opinions that are already established. The news media focus the public's attention on certain personalities and issues, leading many people to form opinions about them. Government officials accordingly have noted that communications to them from the public tend to follow the headlines.

Television has given nationwide recognition to marginal leaders of marginal parties. In the age of the television election, politicians are being coached on how to speak, when to speak, and even on what clothes look good and TV politicians are becoming brands. It with is a new age election campaign. Elaborately designed chariots and vans make way for helicopters and staid bullet proof Ambassadors, traditional propaganda techniques give way to satellite and cable TV networks.

Many factors influence the effects of political communication on diverse segments of society. Since India's population constitutes a large rural populace the differential effects of media campaigns on the rural and urban population deserve special attention. With the last phase of voting ending today, May 13, we have seen all kind of political campaigns in the last three months. There is little doubt that the growing number of television news channels as well as newspapers have provided wider and deeper coverage of elections. But how has the media boom impacted a critical aspect of democracies - voter turnout, the view will be clear only on May 16.

Courtesy - Televisionpoint

They meet Yuvan !!!

The top 5 contestants of the Airtel Super Singer 2008 had a chance to meet music director Yuvan Shankar Raja and it was a dream come true for any to-be-playback singer... All the 5 were very very happy in meeting Yuvan before the finals itself. infact it would have been only one contestant to meet him but now its with all of them. Yuvan Shankar Raja spoke with them about their experience and journey in Airtel Super Singer 2008. Then it was question session from the contestants to Yuvan about how he choses singer for a song and so on..

Finally it was very exciting moment for Ravi, Renu, Prasanna, Ajeesh and Ranjani when they were asked to sing in Yuvan's studio.. Wooh.. what a moment for a play back singer ??? what more they would ask for ??? All the 5 contestants performed in front of Yuvan in his studio and Yuvan Shankar Raja gave comments for their performances.. Today it looks like they are performing in some big commercial mall in public.. i guess this by seeing the promotional video shown after sterday's episode..

India 3rd in consumer confidence

With a 15 point drop in its CCI, India ranked third with 99 points, behind Indonesia, which topped the Confidence rankings with 104 points and Denmark, which came second with 102 points in the latest round of Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence study. India ranked No. 1 in the CCI ranking in the last round of the survey in October 2008. Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) in India has started to reflect the sentiments of consumers in the rest of the world. A twice yearly study, the survey tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending habits among 25,140 Internet users in 50 countries.

"In recent times consumers have experienced an onslaught of bad news in the form of job cuts, company profit plummeting, bankruptcies and foreclosures, which has led to a reduction in consumer confidence and people's spending power," said Vatsala Pant, associate director, consumer research, The Nielsen Company - India. The latest survey, saw CCI across countries take a beating, falling seven Index points from 84 to 77. CCI fell in 49 out of the 50 countries surveyed; Taiwan was the only country to buck the global trend, edging up three points from 60 to 63.

Though, consumer confidence has dropped in India, it is also true that most respondents remain quite optimistic about the situation changing in the next twelve months. 56 percent of Indians think the country will be out of economic recession in the next twelve months. Compared to other countries in the survey, India remains quite an optimistic country. 47 percent of Indians have an optimistic perception about local job prospects in the next twelve months, with six percent considering them to be 'excellent' and 41 percent considering them 'good'. Indians perceptions towards the state of their personal finances in the next twelve months also reflect a fallen, but not defeated, outlook. 62 percent of respondents consider the state of their personal finances to be either 'excellent' (6%) or 'good' (56%) for the next twelve months.

However, while Indians may be fairly optimistic about job prospects and the state of their personal finances in the next twelve months, only three percent consider the current environment to be an 'excellent' time to buy the things that they want or need, while a further 37 percent consider it a 'good' time to make those purchases. For Indians, Putting into Savings (66%) remains the most important thing to do with spare cash after covering essential living expenses - ranking Indians the sixth greatest savers globally. Compared to the last round of the survey, the percentage of Indians putting their spare cash into savings has increased from 58 to 66 percent, reflecting the more conservative mindset of Indians currently. Paying off debts/credit cards/loans follows as the second most popular thing to do with spare cash, garnering 38 percent of Indians' votes, representing a four percent increase compared to the last round of the survey.

"Indians have become more conscious about the way they handle money. In an uncertain economic future, people are taking fewer risks on the stock market and are attempting to get on top of their liabilities as fast as possible in terms of debts and loans." continued Pant. For more than two in five Indians (44%), Job Security tops the list of major concerns in the next six months, and the ninth highest percentage globally. Job security has seen a sharp increase – more than doubling, in fact, compared to the previous round of the survey, where it was a major concern for only 19 percent of Indian respondents. Whereas, terrorism topped the global charts in the October'08 survey, this time round it has dropped a little in importance for Indians. India ranks number two with 16 percent votes for its concern over terrorism. It is interesting to note that globally only three percent of respondents are concerned about terrorism. Other major concerns for Indians include Work/Life balance (16%), Children's education &/or welfare (13%), Parents' welfare & happiness (13%), Political Stability (12%), Global Warming (8%), Debt, Health, and Increasing food prices (all 7%), Increasing utility bills (6%), etc.

A Televisionpoint News

Radio, Beauty Parlour & Photo Session..

Airtel Super Singer final contestants - Ravi, Renu, Ajeesh, Prasanna and Ranjani seem to have very good time of their life ;).. yeah they now get lot of surprises from vijay TV and many more shows with these surprises wont surprise us though :)) sterday's show started with Ravi, Renu and Ajeesh speaking in Radion Mirchi with their RJ.. there were questions to them about their experience with Airtel Super Singer, recognition that they get in public/college/office and few more questions specific to each of them. The best part of this episode was Ajeesh and Renu's first preliminary performance that they gave in video booth was shown.. almost before a year ;) unfortunately Ravi had sent the CD for the selection.. Playbacksinger & judge of Super Singer Srinivas was also interviewed separately by the Radio Mirchi RJ..

Then it was with Vogue beauty parlour for all the final contestants.. wooooh... what else they can do in here.. all of them were made to loook still more impressive.. Finally it was photo session and these guys were crazy with their photo poses...All 5 were having lot of fun in this session.. today it looks like there will be similar surprises for the contestants.. lets see how it goes...

Rajamoorthy is back...

This week's Mayalogam had magician Rajamoorthy back in the act.. he was not available for few weeks in the ongoing close up magics with the public and Veerashekar was enacting magic acts in his place.. it was Tanjore this week and Rajamoorthy came bang into the show again. To be frank I like this guy Rajamoorthy's magics.. he is really good and his magics are really amazing. The one with the water bottle he showed in front of Brahadeeshwarar temple (aka Big temple) in Tanjore was simply superb.. he made the water to be stagnant in the bottle and it dint come out at all... also with the cards he always does better magics :)

TRAI to seek views on DTH tariff issues till 18 May

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has extended the last date for seeking views regarding value-added-services (such as movie-on-demand, pay-per-view), platform services (such as active learning, active stories) and carriage of radio channels on the direct-to-home platform to 18 May. The consultation paper on ‘DTH issues relating to tariff Regulation and new issues’ following the reference from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was issued on 6 March and the last date for submission of 30 March was subsequently extended to 14 April and then to 24 April on the request of stakeholders and the complexity of the subject.

The Authority also scheduled Open House discussions on the subject on 29 April at New Delhi and on 5 May at Pune. Meanwhile, special leave petitions were filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of Star Den Media Services, MSM Discovery India and Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) against the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by which the Authority was directed to decide on the representation of Tata Sky Limited. The apex court on 4 May directed Trai to proceed with its consultation paper uninfluenced by the views expressed by the High Court. During the hearing before the Supreme Court, some of the stakeholders had raised the question of sufficient opportunity being given to them to respond to the consultation paper.

The issues falling under the ambit of debate include carriage fee, tariff between broadcasters and DTH operators and their subscribers. Questions such as the need for a cap on carriage fee across the DTH operators have also been raised. The regulator wants stakeholders to comment on whether tariff regulation for DTH at wholesale level should be in terms of laying down relationship between the prices of channels/ bouquets for non-addressable platforms and the prices of such channels/ bouquets for DTH platform.

Courtesy - Indiantelevision

Hollywood brings great TRPs for Tamil channels

Guess what's pulling eyeballs and bringing in the bucks on telly these days ? No, it's not the reality shows or Tamil movies. It is, in fact, the dubbed Hollywood films that are bringing in great TRPs. Surprised, right ? The phenomenon of dubbed films has always existed in Kollywood. Films from Telugu were regularly dubbed into Tamil and movies like Jaganmohini, Vyjayanthi IPS and Idhu Dhaandaa Police enjoyed a glorious run in theatres across Tamil Nadu.

However, it was The Mummy, released in 1999, that kick-started the trend of dubbed Hollywood films raking in the moolah at the box office, says Mohan Kumar, who owns a dubbing studio which provides content for Vijay TV. In fact, it was Vijay TV that started this trend of showing dubbed Hollywood films on TV. What was it that prompted the channel to go in this direction ? K Sriram, general manager, Vijay TV, said, "We had this three-hour slot for which we needed alternative content. We opted for dubbed flicks as we had a few titles with us and movies are movies, whether dubbed or otherwise. The first film to be shown was Titanic in 2003."

Sriram also reveals that it is action flicks and movies involving animals, like Babe, that are usually dubbed as they appeal to kids, who form a major part of the audience. Although other channels like Sun TV, Kalaignar TV and Raj TV have started cashing in on this trend only recently, the response they've been receiving is tremendous. That Sun TV , which has the rights of many popular Tamil films (reportedly over 3,000 titles), has created two prime-time slots (11.30 am and 7.30 pm) for these dubbed films from last Sunday should prove the lucrative nature of these films.

Today, a Hollywood flick is sold to the regional TV channels non-exclusively for a sum ranging anywhere between Rs 1 and Rs 3 lakh. Films of action stars like Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone and films with special-effects like Underworld, The Mummy and X-Men are hot in the trade. The dubbing costs for a film vary between Rs 1 and Rs 1.5 lakh. Most channels outsource the dubbing to private dubbing studios. So, how do these studios go about the process ? Says Mohan Kumar, "First, we go through the dialogues of the film and translate them. Then, we select the dubbing artistes whose voices we think will suit the characters and dub the film.We preview the film and once we're satisfied, we do the mixing and hand over the film to the studio." The Tamil dialogues are perhaps the biggest attraction for many viewers, especially teenagers. "Watching Jackie Chan talk in Chennai slang or Arnold mouthing Rajinikanth's punch dialogues certainly provides a different experience," says Praveen Kumar, a college student. However, Mohan Kumar feels that going overboard with such gimmicks will alienate viewers from the movie. "Viewers should for get that they're watching a dubbed film. They should only feel that they're watching an English film," he says. His principle, he says, is to retain the essence of the English dialogue and ensure that the concept doesn't change during translation.

Now, even mythological serials are being dubbed in order to reach a wider audience. Sun TV's Ramayanam, a dubbed version of the Hindi original, and Raj TV's Jai Sri Krishna have been garnering impressive TRPs. The greatest benefactors of this phenomenon are dubbing artistes. "Earlier, we were largely dependent on regional dubbed films,which were far and few, for our income. Now, with the demand for foreign films on the big screen and the small screen increasing, an established dubbing artiste can easily earn over Rs 50,000 per month," says Marudhu Pandian, a former secretary and treasurer of the dubbing artistes union. Agrees Muralikumaar, who lends his voice to Jackie Chan and Nicholas Cage. "Today, a junior dubbing artiste can easily earn over Rs 20,000 per month, thanks to television content. It's not just films but cartoons and serials that have increased the volume," he points out. Aptitude and an eagerness to learn the ropes can make a beginner a voice-in-demand in a short period, he says. That should attract more prospectors in these times of recession. What say ?

A Televisionpoint.com News

Radio Mirchi, Vogue.. What else ?

This week in Airtel Super Singer 2008 it will be lil boring.. atleast for me.. first it would be Ravi, Renu and Ajees speaking in Radio Mirchi.. then all the final contestants (Ravi, Renu, Ajeesh, Prasanna and Ranjani) having some beaty sessions in Vogue beauty parlour.. and what else.. I think these kind of activities will get continued for some more time.. they will meet some celebrity and then with few surprises..

25 Lacs for Juniors...

Airtel Super Singer Junior's promotional videos had started long back and there was quite a long break in promoting the show.. for a moment I thought that last year's Airtel Super Singer 2008 which is in its final stage will be there all through this year. now again the Vijay TV had started promoting its junior version of the Super Singer this year.. Here is the final chance for the kids to participate in the show. now the participant's age eligibility is increased from 12 to 14 years.. as done last time. and the prize money is also disclosed...

So, its going to be with kids of 6 to 14 years of age and the prize money for the winner is 25, 00, 000 Rs... (25 lacs only)... final opportunity to participate in the competition is now given by the super singer crew.. May 15th is the last date for recieving cassettes and CDs..

Whos in Vijay Awards Jury ???

Vijay Awards with the Rasigan express might get the votes from the public.. but there has to be jury who decides upon the winners of the awards.. today in the first show of Vijay Awards 2009.. the jury crew was introduced.. its none other than Yugi Sethu, Cartoonist Madan and Prathap Pothan

Vijay Awards Online Voting from May 20th

Vijay TV's Rasigan Express is going around the state to get votes from the public.. over to this physical voting.. there is an online voting to be started even.. so this online voting will be from May 20th 2009..
For more information about the Vijay awards.. here is the official informative site..