Bollywood has become too fast now: Padmini Kolhapuri

Padmini Kolhapuri started off as a child actor in the film industry and then made her way into the list of successful heroines in Bollywood. Now, this 40-plus actress is keen to start afresh. Here's what she has to say about her upcoming Hindi film, Doctor.

Q: What made you sign the film?
A: I liked the story. My character is not out of the world, but is interesting. I play a working woman who does not want to have children for her career's sake. Then, her father-in-law adopts a baby girl. The woman gradually develops a motherly feeling towards the girl. She then wants to start her own family.


Q: Can you relate to your character?
A: I was a working woman till the time I got married. I left work because I wanted to have a family of my own. So I think somewhere deep down I do understand this character well.

Q: Would the film inspire people to adopt a girl child?
A: In India, a male child is still the first preference. Especially, amongst the business class, where most think that the boy would grow up and run his father's business. But times have changed and so has the mentality of the people. Today, boys and girls are hardly differentiated between.

Q: Would you adopt a girl child if possible?
A: Yes, why not. I have a son, and if given a choice I would adopt a daughter. However, I do not think that it is practically possible now, since my son has grown up.

Q: Tell us about Doctor?
A: The story highlights the necessity of adopting a girl child. Being a woman I know how much happiness a girl can bring into the family, and surely, all women know this. A girl does so much for a family, so do boys. Yet a girl is a girl, after all.

Q: Do you think this film will represent Indian women and the girl child?
A: I feel that people will like this film because even today an Indian girl upholds her values even while accepting Western culture.

Q: Any particular reason behind naming the film Doctor?
A: I do not think I'm the best person to answer this question. You will either have to ask the producer or the director.

Q: Any particular reason for returning to Bollywood?
A: No, there is nothing in particular. I have always been associated with acting from a very young age. I had to take a break because I had wanted a family of my own. Now that my son has grown up, what else could I return to.

Q: What changes do you find in the film industry when you compare it with your time?
A: It is true that the film industry has changed. Earlier there was a relaxed attitude while making a film. We never did more than a film or two a year and while shooting, too, we used to do only a few scenes. Today, actors are extremely professional and time is more precious than money. Earlier a director had a lot of time to give tips to a newcomer. But not any more.

Q: So, has Bollywood changed for the better or worse?
A: All that I will say is that it is too fast.

Q: Which films are you doing in the Marathi language?
A: I have done a film titled Mumbai Amchi, which will be releasing soon. I have not signed any other film in any language.



Source -santabanta.com

Eros' Bollywood Channel on Youtube Crosses the 1 Million Views Milestone

Eros International, the leading vertically integrated Indian media & entertainment company, announced today that it's official Bollywood channel launched recently on YouTube has received over 1 million views. The channel has also been ranked consistently in the Top 20 "Partner Channels" of YouTube that include mainstream channels such as the NBA, CBS, NBC and more.


The channel offers customers a wide range of premium content such as a 'first-look' at films, events and happenings from Bollywood such as the latest IIFA Awards, music videos, interviews, exclusive upcoming film trailers and much more. This premium content is only available on Eros' YouTube channel and Eros own portal at http://www.erosentertainment.com prior to availability on any other online medium.

This is the first partnership between YouTube and a major content owner from Bollywood - the Indian movie industry. The channel can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/erosentertainment

Manu Kaushish, SVP New Media, Eros International, commented: "We are extremely pleased with the initial success of the channel; this has helped us validate the demand for our exclusive content library. Over the next few months, we will be launching our own ad supported platform http://www.erosentertainment.com and will be pioneering this model for the Indian movie industry."

About Eros International plc:
Eros International plc is a well-established global player in the fast-growing Indian media and entertainment arena. Being vertically integrated means that Eros not only produces and commissions films like studios but it also distributes/exploits films across formats globally via cinemas, home entertainment, television formats and new media.

Established in 1977, Eros International has three decades of market leadership in creating a global platform for Indian cinema. The company operates in over 50 countries with worldwide offices in India, UK, USA, Dubai, Australia, Fiji and Isle of Man. It has built a successful business model around the release of 30-40 new films every year and the exploitation of a film library containing more than 1,300 titles, making it one of the largest content owners in the business.

Global Distribution, Motion Pictures, Music, Home Entertainment, e-Television, New Media and Animation are the main Strategic Business Units of Eros.

Eros enters its 30th year in the business with the Vision of consolidating the fragmented industry, the Strategy of operating a vertically integrated business model and the Motto of Powering Indian Cinema.

Govinda rocks today's Indian Idol!

Today's gala round is packed with high powered performances, backed by the electrifying and vintage dance moves of none other than Hero No 1, Govinda himself. The one who enticed him to take the stage was none other than the spunky Ankita Mishra, whose spunky rendition has made the entire judges dance to her tune on stage.

Govinda's moves could put many a youngster to shame. The ease with which he danced to the classic hit babuji dheere chalna brought the house down. He followed it up with the racy and raunchy babuji zara dheere chalo. Result: The audience wanted more and so did the judges. So the show continued with Alisha, Anu Malik and Udit Narayan all taking to the stage with the contestants for a mind-blowing performance.

While Govinda will be seen promoting his upcoming film, Partner on Indian Idol, his co-star Salman will be doing same tomorrow on Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma. Now they only way to gauge their popularity is by keeping a check on the TRPs of these two shows! What say?

81 million people in the US watch broadband video

An estimated 81 million people, or 63 per cent of the 129 million people who access the Internet over broadband in the US watch broadband video at home or at work, according to new research conducted by Nielsen for The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (Ctam).

This number increased from 70 million in September 2006 to 81 million in March 2007, a jump of 16 per cent in six months.


The analysis also showed that traditional home television ratings are minimally, if at all, affected by broadband video viewing over the internet, because broadband viewing was found largely to be incremental new viewing rather than a substitute for traditional television viewing.

The multi-phased study - A Barometer of Broadband Content and Its Users - provides a look at the relationship of broadband video consumption at home and at work to traditional television viewing behavior. It also presents a detailed analysis of specific television network viewing preferences among broadband video users across all key demographics.


Commissioned by Ctam and conducted by Nielsen Entertainment and NielsenConnect, the multi-faceted research effort integrates analysis from across The Nielsen Company. Findings were derived through online research based on the Nielsen/NetRatings MegaPanel and NetViews services, extensive interviews conducted in the Nielsen Entertainment digital lab, and a "fusion" of the quantitative online survey data with television viewing data from Nielsen Media Research's National People Meter sample.
Nielsen executive VP Susan Whiting says, "Nielsen was delighted to work with Ctam on this report, which reflects the value we can create by integrating data and analysis from across our company. This approach allows us to deliver new insight into our clients' customers and markets."

Key findings from the report include:

Online Video Usage Supplements Traditional Television Viewing Overall: Online video (including broadband video at work and in the home) was shown to add to overall video viewing more frequently than it replaced traditional television viewing in the home, representing a net audience gain to total television viewing.

33 per cent of those surveyed indicated that watching video over broadband internet increased their television viewing time, versus 13 percent who indicated it decreased their traditional television viewing.


Programme viewing online is high among current broadband video users: An additional 32 million lighter broadband video users report being open to more TV programmes via the internet. Further, consumers indicate that greater awareness of where to find the videos they are seeking, better navigation interfaces and increased availability of more high-profile television programs online could significantly drive future broadband video content use over the long-term.

TV Set Access is the Tipping Point for Widespread Broadband Video Use: Based on respondent feedback, widespread consumer use of broadband video seems to be contingent on internet platform video content becoming more easily accessible via home television sets. At that point, consumers say, internet video fare could assume its place as another source for content on demand.


ABC.com was the leader across all broadband viewer visits to television network Web sites, while Yahoo Movies was the leader in the movies category.

Ctam president, CEO Char Beales says, "The growing popularity of broadband video programming makes it vital to better understand its true impact on the viewership of and engagement with television. This research provides an unprecedented look at how consumers are making television viewing decisions as well as which consumers are more likely to embrace broadband content in the future."

Nielsen chief research officer Paul Donato says, "Linking television viewing data with Internet usage behavior goes far beyond what traditional survey-based research methods can offer to help content providers best manage the growth of television and broadband video platforms.

"The fusion of these discrete Nielsen data sets into a single, unified analysis provides the most complete benchmark of broadband content viewing behavior to date."

Source-Indiantelevison.com