It's good 'Jannat' released during IPL: Emraan Hashmi (Interview)
Kolkata, May 20 (IANS) Actor Emraan Hashmi says his latest release "Jannat", where he plays a bookie, couldn't have been timed better to coincide with the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. "It was not deliberate, but it's good that the film was released during the IPL ... And I believe there is no harm in showing the black aspect of cricket," Emraan told IANS in an interview here.
The star was in the city to promote "Jannat", which was released Friday.
" 'Jannat' is a love story with the background of cricket and the dark alleys of the game," he explained.
Emraan, who plays a grey character, revealed that he "met a few cricket bookies in Mumbai to get a better understanding of their lifestyle".
Known for his on-screen kisses in films, Emraan clarified that most actors kiss on screen, but the media projects only him as the "serial kisser".
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Let's start with your latest release "Jannat".
A. "Jannat" is a love story with the background of cricket and the dark alleys of the game. The subject is contemporary where heaven is all about money, luxury and crime.
Q. Are you comfortable playing a hero with negative attributes?
A. Generally in Hindi films we take it for granted that a hero should be all white, while the villain is portrayed as a black character. In this film I play a grey character that people can relate to. After all none of us is all white or black, but grey.
The first half of the film portrays Arjun (my character in "Jannat") as a reckless youth obsessed with moneymaking and in the process gets into cricket betting and the match-fixing racket. But in the latter half, audiences will know about the circumstances that led him to this racket and they will feel sorry for him.
Q. How did you prepare for your character?
A. I met a few cricket bookies in Mumbai to get a better understanding of their life and lifestyle. Besides, I read all about the cricket betting controversies that took place in the last 30 years.
Q. Is "Jannat" deliberately released during the IPL?
A. It wasn't deliberate but it's good that the film was released during the IPL. Cricket betting is something that you can never put on check. And I believe there is no harm in showing the black
Q. Are you watching the IPL?
A. No. Actually, personally I am not interested in cricket. But after you see the film you can hardly question my limited cricket gyan (knowledge).
Q. Bengali singer Rupam Islam has sung in this film.
A. Rupam is a fabulous singer and his song "Jannat jahan" has added a new flavour to the film.
Q. Why is that you always work with the Bhatts (even "Jannat" is produced by Mukesh Bhatt)?
A. First they are my family and so I feel at home working for them. Secondly, the Bhatts make films that are socially appealing and different at the same time.
Q. You said you would never kiss on-screen. But "Jannat" has two kissing scenes.
A. I am sorry that by mistake I said I would never kiss on-screen.
Q. So you are back to your serial kisser image?
A. Every actor kisses on and off-screen. But only Emraan Hashmi gets projected as a serial kisser by the media. Whether it is a joke or something serious, I am cool with it.
Q. You have again paired opposite a new face. This time it's Sonal Chauhan. Are you comfortable acting with newcomers?
A. Yes. My directors are always hunting for fresh faces for me - Kangana Ranaut in "Gangster", Geeta Basra in "The Train" and this time it's Sonal Chauhan. I am perfectly cool working with newcomers … But Sonal has been into modelling, so she is already aware of camera positions, lights and a little bit of acting.
Q. The songs of all your films are hits. What is the secret behind it?
A. Credit goes to my music directors, singers and lyricists. But at the same time, I'm also very particular about my songs.
Q. What are the films in the pipeline?
A. Right now there is only one film - "Raaz 2". Its a horror film directed by Mohit Suri and Kangana Ranaut is the leading lady.
Q. Name the films that are your favourit
A. "Jannat" and "Awaarapan" will always remain close to my heart.
(c) Thaindian News
All bets are on: Rs150-300 crore riding on IPL matches every day
The bookies hire small-time operators to function as brokers and collecting agents.
Ahmedabad: Just about everyone's getting on to the Rs150-300 crore a day betting market in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"They play the share markets in the morning and the cricket market in the evenings. The Twenty20 phataphat (quick) cricket has made it possible," a small-time bookie based in Ahmedabad said, on condition that he would not be named because sports betting in India is not legal.
While British betting houses such as Ladbrokes Plc. can only express interest in entering the cricket market in India if betting is legalized, anyone who can win the confidence of the punters-housewives, grocery shop owners or stock brokers-have been placing huge bets on IPL matches.
"About Rs10,000-12,000 crore will be bet during the entire tournament," said another Ahmedabad-based bookie with active links in Mumbai. "The major centres are Mumbai, Gujarat, Jaipur, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai."
Another small-time operator from the eastern part of Ahmedabad said, "We bet on everything-toss, team formation, opening bowler, if runs will be scored on the first ball. Anything you can think of."
Such bookies don't get to play the larger pie; they have to operate within areas demarcated for them. A bookie in Shah-e-Alam or Raipur in the eastern part of Ahmedabad, for instance, cannot take bets from the western part of the city. "It is the big fish in Mumbai and Jaipur who are in direct touch with their bosses abroad," the bookie said.
But with police in Kolkata and Punjab making some arrests for betting on IPL matches, the operators are not taking many chances. They now demand recommendations for a person to be allowed into the betting ring. "Unless you come with a reference, we will not even talk to you, forget allow you to place a bet," said a bookie from Mumbai.
The bookies hire small-time operators to function as brokers and collecting agents. They collect money from those who want to place bets, allowing credit facility for only an exclusive few. "It (credit facility) depends on your track record and the money you bet," a bookie said.
As on Saturday night, the top three bookie favourites were Chennai Super Kings, led by India Twenty20 and one-day captain M.S. Dhoni, followed by Virender Sehwag's Delhi Daredevils and Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals.
"Things could change over time. Some foreign players have gone back home. Chennai's Mathew Hayden and Mike Hussey have gone back to play for Australia, so Delhi Daredevils have become the hot favourite," said another Ahmedabad-based bookie.
It is not just the local players who offer odds. "Some of the foreign (betting) players even provide online odds and accept betting as if it is legal there. The betting rates in India is mostly in sync with those abroad," he said.
(c) 2007 HT Media
England vs New Zealand: Test series preview
New Zealand's cricketers could suffer a culture shock with a potential to undermine their bid to win the three-Test series against England, which begins on May 15. The Kiwis are available at 10 on Betfair to win the series with the hosts 1.32 and the draw 5.8, but five of their key men could find it difficult to adjust.
Captain Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills are due to arrive from a spell in the Indian Premier League. The Twenty20 tournament in front of 100,000 crowds with cheerleaders and blaring music will be a far cry from the austere surroundings of Lord's.
Never mind the difference in venues and formats, there are rumblings that the New Zealanders already in England - they are currently playing warm-up matches ahead of the first Test - are unhappy that the 'big five' have been allowed to miss the early preparations.
New Zealand have also been hit by the retirement of Stephen Fleming and the loss of Shane Bond over a contract row and, weather permitting, the 4 about the Kiwis suffering a whitewash for their second successive visit looks a decent bet.
England could welcome back Andrew Flintoff to the side after proving his bowling fitness. Flintoff looks to have recovered fully from a fourth ankle operation and has claimed that he has been bowling at full pace with Lancashire. How he will slot in to the England team remains to be seen. James Anderson looks the most likely to make way but given Matthew Hoggard's fine domestic form, vice-captain Paul Collingwood could be vulnerable.
Michael Vaughan will need runs to ensure his place does not also come under threat, although he should be confident of leading the team against South Africa in the eagerly-waited clash of the summer. The Yorkshire player guided England to a 2-1 victory over New Zealand in March and it would be a surprise if the skipper was removed in the middle of back-to-back series wins.
The big branding game plays out on IPL pitches
New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) With the promise of keeping viewers glued to their TV sets, cricket's biggest fiesta Indian Premier League (IPL) has unfolded with mega stars on the field - and off it too - and marketing teams pitching in with multimillion rupee budgets to cash in on the action.
From getting viewers to blog with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team, hiring international cheerleaders to organising talent shows and pushing as many ads as possible during the matches shown on prime time in the evenings, companies have left no stone unturned to market the IPL brand.
The multimillion-dollar tournament with 20 overs a side for a snappier, peppier version of the game is approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). IPL features about 100 international cricket icons in eight teams - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad - which endorse both international and national brands, all with a scorching price tag.
IPL's debut season, which kicked off Friday, may last just 45 days but advertisers have planned for the entire year as cricket and cinema combine to present an enviable business opportunity.
United Spirits Ltd., which owns Bangalore's Royal Challengers, has earmarked $106 million to build the team. The company, which has also hired the international cheerleading team Washington Redskins, for added allure has committed investment for up to 10 years.
"It's a strategic investment to build the brand and our association with the game will give a lot of boost," said Amrit Thomas, executive vice-president, United Spirits Ltd.
"The potential is immense and it all depends on how stakeholders combine effectively to make it a winning proposition," Thomas added.
United Spirits is not the only one. Religare, the company sponsoring the Delhi Daredevils Team, has adopted a similar strategy.
"Like all other sponsors, we have poured in investments of about Rs.20-40 million (approx $5-10 million) yearly in branding and marketing," Subhrangshu Neogi, vice president of branding at Religare, told IANS.
Religare has lined up several campaigns, selling various merchandise such as the players' jerseys.
"This would expose us to a huge and wide constituency. It would give complete meaning to the rationale behind sponsoring a team, which is to market the company beyond being just a financial services company," Neogi added.
The world's richest cricket league, in line with the football leagues in Europe, has seen unprecedented money pouring in.
Ogilvy and Mather Advertising took on the task of building up momentum for the tournament with a series of ads, like the "Cricket ka Karmayudh", or cricket's ultimate battle zone, commercial that had animated figures flashing in and out of a stadium.
"This is a completely new category and territory in India; the agency took inspiration from the way international sports clubs such as Manchester United are positioned," said Anup Chitnis, executive creative director (South Asia), Ogilvy and Mather Advertising.
"We then deduced that a loyal fan base is the most important factor for IPL, and therefore created the 'Cricket ka Karmayudh' platform, to foster a competitive spirit by heating up the fight," Chitnis told IANS.
Just some examples, Indian cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the highest price tag of $1.5 million, while Australia's Andrew Symonds was roped in for $1.35 million.
Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries has spent $111.9 million for Mumbai Indians that has hooked Hrithik Roshan to add to the glamour quotient.
And the Kolkata Knight Riders received an investment of $75.09 million from Shah Rukh Khan.
"To create a compelling engagement for the contest, we have undertaken a 360 degree approach to communication with a judicious mix of electronic, print and digital media," said Devinder Kishore, director (marketing), Nokia India.
"This includes a 15 second TVC (TV commercial), an eight-city print campaign, road shows in Kolkata over weekends during the IPL series. We will also be present online prominently through internet advertising as well as a viral campaign," he added.
Nokia is sponsoring the Kolkata Knight Riders along with Reebok, Tag Heuer, HDIL, Belmonte and The Telegraph.
The Finnish telecom giant is also organising several promotional events such as 'Blog with Shah Rukh!' to catch the audience, young and old.
As the hoopla grows, some sceptics are making themselves heard.
"They have created a lot of hype around it but it remains to be seen how IPL lives up to it. The slots that they have taken are tough as far as grabbing the attention of the prime-time audience is concerned," said JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris.
Agreed Swapan Seth, CEO of Equus Red Cell: "They have not really been able to whip up the euphoria. The team branding has also not been done properly."
(c) Mangalorean
IPL betting racket busted in Kolkata
Police in Kolkata have arrested five men for allegedly running an inter-state betting racket on the results of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.
The arrests were made late Monday during a raid on an apartment in the West Bengal capital.
"We have arrested Adarsh Mehta, Vishnu Mundra, Mayanku Damamni, Baldev Damani and Dilip Sharma," Deputy Police Commissioner (detective department) Jawed Shamim told IANS.
Shamim said the police were tipped off that some people were running a cricket betting racket from an apartment in north-eastern Kolkata.
"The gang started operating from the very first Twenty20 match at Bangalore. The match at Eden Gardens here was also highly betted upon.
"The gang has its partners in Mumbai and London," Shamim said.
Police have seized Rs.160,000, a television set, recording gear, a computer, mobile phones, score sheets, balance sheets and a tele-conversation machine from their apartment.
"The balance sheets will help us to find out the exact amount of money betted upon. Besides we are investigating their background, their mode of operation and other related details," Shamim added.
(c) Mangalorean
Live Current Media Signs a $50 Million Deal For Exclusive Online Rights To Indian Cricket
Here's a deal straight out of Rupert Murdoch's playbook circa 1994. Just like Murdoch established Fox back then by paying an exorbitant-seeming sum ($1.6 billion at the time) for the rights to broadcast the NFL, Live Current Media is paying $50 million over ten years for the exclusive online rights to official content from the Indian Premier League (a new cricket league in India with a shorter, more fan-friendly version of the game-first match is tomorrow). Cricket is huge in India and elsewhere. It is a sport perfect for online distribution, with fans spread all over the world. Globally there are about one billion fans, estimates Live Current Media. And the Indian Premier League has already on track to generate $2 billion overall this year.
As part of the deal, Current Live will create and operate official sites for the Indian Premier League (IPLT20) and the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI). Current Live will pay the Indian Premier League $3 million a year, and the BCCI $2 million a year for the exclusive online rights to official photos, video footage, live scoreboards, match results stats, a fantasy cricket league, ticketing, fan polling, contests, and more. It is a pretty big commitment for Live Current Media, a domain-name company with revenues of $9 million last year and a net loss of $2 million. The Canadian company is basically betting its entire $51 million over-the-counter market cap on this deal.
But Live Current also owns cricket.com, which will be seeded with content from this deal. Kulveer Taggar, the former CEO of Auctomatic (which was recently purchased by Current Live Media) and one of the internal champions of the deal tells me:
The Cricket.com vision is to create a site for cricket fans regardless of the country or specific league. Passionate cricket fans may be interested in watching a different league or may just want to stay up on all the cricket news they can get access to and that is what Cricket.com will deliver. Following this significant relationship with the IPL and BCCI, Live Current will be speaking with other cricket organizations and determining relationships for content, media access and distribution as appropriate.
There is no question that global multinationals are looking for ways to target the high-growth Indian market and that cricket is one of the few channels through which the majority of Indians are engaged with. It's not surprising to see sponsors of the league such as Pepsi, Honda, and Citibank. It is not a local Indian phenomenon. There are major business players globally tapping into this market.
He expects to launch Cricket.com by the end of the summer or early fall. So really, this deal is all about gaining exclusive content for Cricket.com. But did Current Live Media pay too much for the rights? Taggar argues not:
Recently the Cricinfo.com site was sold to ESPN for over $50 million and while the site had good traffic, it did not have exclusive content rights negotiated for that price.
In other words, he wants to take on ESPN.com. Will this be the start of bidding wars for the exclusive online rights for other sports leagues, or does this only make sense for cricket? Whle you ponder that and wait for Cricket.com to launch, cricket fans can check out Cricketwires, a recently-launched Digg-like site for all things cricket.
(c) 2008 TechCrunch
Bindra says legalise betting to end match-fixing
MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - Senior Indian cricket board official Inderjit Bindra has called for the government to legalise betting in the country to help rid match-fixing and corruption in the sport.
"When you regulate betting and the government controls it, you have better control and supervision over match-fixing," Bindra told Reuters on Thursday. "Have everything above the surface, that's better."
India, which is the financial powerhouse of the sport, has been at the centre of several match-fixing and illegal gambling scandals after several prominent players were named in an Indian federal police investigation into match-fixing in 2000.
In 2007, West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels faced an investigation from his national board over alleged links with a bookmaker during a one-day tour of India.
Bindra's statement came a week before the multi-million dollar Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on April 18.
The IPL will feature a majority of the game's leading players but made global news in February when an unprecedented $40 million (20 million pounds) auction of players by the eight franchises took place.
Bindra said there would be sufficient measures in place during the staging of the IPL to counter corruption, with the event coming under the watch of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
(c) Reuters 2008 All rights reserved.
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