After reaching out to millions of fans across the globe, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd’s film Happy New Year has added another feather to the already decorated hat. The film has got the widest release ever on iTunes, which is a first for any Indian film. Directed by Farah Khan, HNY has become the first Bollywood film to premiere in iTunes Gulf region and in 16 Latin American countries.
Confirming the news, Gaurav Verma, Chief Revenue Officer, RCE said, “Technology has always helped in overcoming barriers, sometimes they are economical and sometime language. Riding on the reach of iTunes we have been able to cater to audience in over 100 countries with regional subtitles who can now consume our movies on a swipe at their convenience. Theatrically, we reach out to 50-55 countries for a big film and digital platforms help us in expanding our reach as was the case with our earlier initiative Direct-To-Fan, which made the film available to a global audience.”
An action-packed musical heist, HNY was worldwide distributed by Yash Raj Films and stars Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah in key roles. HNY was released in India on 24th October last year and has been released theatrically, on D2F and on home video in many traditional and non-traditional markets since then. HNY also got the biggest release in China on their New Year weekend recently and will be available in German from 20th March on home video as well.
Having made it’s mark in the domestic and traditional overseas markets, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd magnum opus Happy New Year sets yet another milestone and becomes the first Indian film to get a release in China within months of its Indian release. The film was cleared by SARFT on 1st January 2015 for its Nationwide release to kick start the New Year.
Worldwide Distributors – Yash Raj Films (YRF) have entered in to a deal with 1905 Pictures (film distribution arm of China Central Television Movie Channel / CCTV) who will distribute locally along with China Film Group.
Happy New Year will release on 12th February, it has been given the prestigious Pre-Spring Festival release date which is reserved only for Chinese Movies and will be released in 5000 screens across China over the Chinese New Year weekend… making it the first Indian film to get this release window and the biggest opening for any Indian film. Happy New Year was the First Imported Movie (all countries including US) to be approved by Chinese Regulators in China in 2015. It will also be showcased as a Premier movie in Beijing International Film Festival.
YRF worked very closely with NPRG Global Partners as Chief Consultants / Strategic Partners, in an attempt to make Happy New Year the biggest Bollywood event by far – The film will be release as a dubbed version to reach the widest possible audiences with an International Directors cut.
YRF & NPRG also enrolled the support of the Indian Embassy Beijing to ensure that no stone was left unturned to make this the Bollywood event of the year.
Madam Xiao Ping, President China Film Group (Import Export Division): “This is the first Indian movie to come to China this year and in our meeting with Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and Yash Raj Films Chairman Mr. Aditya Chopra we discussed about many more collaborations in future hope this is just the start of a long journey.”
Liang Longfei, Chairman of 1905 Pictures said, “Under the instruction of President Xi Jinping, to reinforce China-India cultural communication, we are greatly honored to have this opportunity to import outstanding Indian films and let China audience understand and appreciate Indian films and culture. Hope 1905 Pictures will have more diversified and wider collaboration and exchange with Indian films.
Avtar Panesar, Vice President Intl. Operations YRF said, “We at YRF pride ourselves on taking the best of Indian cinema to new shores. China is a natrual partner for us and we are very excited to be working with CCTV and CFG to now introduce Indian cinema to the Chinese market at this scale – the 2 nations have much in common and films are a great way to connect.”
Happy New Year, an action-packed musical heist, is Directed by Farah Khan – Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan headline the cast.
Shah Rukh Khan is possibly the most loved Indian star globally but his appeal is unparalleled in the International markets. Film after film he breaks and set new records for himself and Indian cinema. The list of honors bestowed upon him is a long and distinguished one, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is a true Ambassador for Indian cinema for the world outside of India, where his popularity both within the diaspora and outside it, is unparalleled – perhaps the most compelling reason for the media to nickname him ‘King Khan”.
King Khan dominates the Top 10 charts in all key International territories:
Country
No. of films
UK
7
USA
6
Germany
6
Singapore
6
Malaysia
6
UAE
4
Australia
3
South Africa
3
New Zealand
3
Pakistan
3
No other Star single handindly rules the charts quite like King Khan.
The most important aspect for any film-maker is that his/her film reaches the maximum amount of people. And especially in today’s time when the exchange of information is much faster because of the digital boom. And so, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd has decided to take their film Happy New Year in the most unique manner to the audiences internationally. After making a mark with the worldwide theatrical release, HNY will now be available for the international fans to view directly online.
The Direct-To-Fan model of release of any content has been so far used for the music industry internationally. HNY is the first commercial film, worldwide, to release on the DTF model which is being considered the future of films globally. “We at Red Chillies have always taken pride in establishing new trends and delighting our fans. Along these lines we bring the biggest entertainer – Happy New Year, directly to our fans through Online streaming for the first time ever !” shares Venky Mysore, CEO RCE.
This is the first time any film after the theatrical release will now release on the digital platform. While the traditional distribution markets like India and China enjoy a wide release of a Hindi film, DTF will release in other countries, barring these two traditional ones, to reach the most unconventional distribution markets.
The film will be available on Happy New Year’s website to be viewed by the fans worldwide. All you need is three very basic things for the viewing – basic internet connection, a device to watch it on and a credit card. At a minimum price the film can be viewed and the best part is that it can be watched on your computer, phone or any other digital device as long as you have a very basic internet connection.
Produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd, the happiest movie of the year has now another reason to be happy after grossing Rs 350 Cr worldwide (USD 15 million overseas) recently.
Directed by Farah Khan, Happy New Year makes it to the Oscars Library now. Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has officially selected the screenplay of HNY for its permanent Core Collection.
The Oscar Library will add the screenplay which is accessible to students, filmmakers, writers, actors and others from the field of cinema, for the purpose of research. Over the years, this collection has grown to include scripts for more than 11,000 produced films spanning the years 1910 to the present.
HNY starring Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah is the ultimate underdog story where a team of ‘losers , win the love of millions in their quest to pull off the biggest diamond heist ever! HNY is running strong at the Box-Office in its fourth week at Box Office.
Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah star in Farah Khan’s latest blockbuster, Happy New Year. The two actors recently sat down with Bollywood reporter Sunny Malik in London to talk about the film and much more…
Bollywood’s action hero/villain Sonu Sood plays the role of Jag in Happy New Year. He is the explosive expert in Farah Khan’s heist movie.
How has it been to interact with the London press for the first time? It has been great. I love the place and keep coming for holidays. I also shot here a couple of years ago. I always say that London is one place where I love to hang around. It’s great that we are here for Happy New Year and Slam+ The Tour. I am thoroughly excited.
How did Happy New Year come about for you? I was pretty lucky as I was filming for Its Entertainment in Bangkok when I found out that Farah is making this film. I called her and she said ‘If you get me the dates, I will get you the role’. It happened overnight. We worked out the dates and I flew to Dubai from Bangkok for the shoot. I had a great experience.
Did you worry about screen time since many actors are involved in the film? Not at all. It is a heist movie and all are important roles. There was never any insecurity or double thoughts. You know that you have to do your best and make the film larger than life. Since we are now through with the making, we can say that it is the biggest film to come out of the industry ever.
How are you choosing your films ? I would say that I am pretty selective about my movies since I have done a lot of South Indian movies too. I take some time selecting my Hindi movies. Happy New Year is a very important film and any film that I sign henceforth will be a tough decision.
Vivaan Shah, son of acclaimed actor Naseerudin Shah, plays the role of Rohan Singh; a juvenile criminal. He is the youngest team member of the film and in the film. Rohan is a hacking genius and speaks in perfectly gibberish whenever he has to converse with a beautiful woman.
How has it been being in London and touring the world with team Happy New Year? It’s great and been a profound journey. The friendships I have made and the time I have spent with them cannot be described in words. Its an honour and blessing to be a part of the film. We became a family while making the film. Did you feel that you were the youngest member of the cast? I did feel that but they tried their best not to let me feel that. That says a lot about them as people. They were very understanding and perceptive. They really made me feel part of the team. Your father, Naseerudin Shah, is an iconic actor. Do you feel the pressure? I do feel it but that is a good pressure. The pressure motivates me to do better and go further. It motivates me to make him proud.
Released by Yash Raj Films, Happy New Year is out in UK cinemas now.
Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd has announced that their latest release, Happy New Year had a record breaking opening in the Box Office in India. It has collected Rs. 44.97 Crs on the opening day. With 42.62 Crs in Hindi, 1.43 Crs in Telugu dub and 0.92 Crs in Tamil dub, Happy New Year has become the highest opening day ranker
Commenting on the performance of Happy New Year‘s box office performance, Venky Mysore, CEO RCE said, “We are delighted that the audience across India has responded brilliantly and shown their support for a film that has been produced with a lot of passion and love.”
Gaurav Verma, Chief Revenue Officer RCE said, “The partnership with YRF in developing our distribution strategy has been excellent and has contributed to the record-breaking opening.”
Happy New Year produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd and Directed by Farah Khan released in India on 24th October while it released in UK cinemas on 23rd October 2014.
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and director Farah Khan have come together once again after Om Shanti Om (2007). The duo sat down with Bollywood reporter Sunny Malik to talk about their new venture Happy New Year, also starring Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah.
Happy New Year is out now in UK cinemas and is released by Yash Raj Films.
Happy New Year was planned right after Main Hoon Na released in 2004. How much has the story and film evolved from the original idea? Farah Khan: When I planned the film, I did not have a script. It was just an idea and I thought that the script will happen. But it didn’t and took quite some time. I actually wrote another script of Happy New Year and Deepika Padukone was supposed to be in the film. This happened before Om Shanti Om started rolling. It was supposed to star Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Zayed Khan. I told Deepika that I will cast you opposite Zayed but if you are really good, then opposite Shah Rukh. Then I again, wrote another script of Happy New Year which had nothing to do with a heist. It just didn’t gel for both, Shah Rukh and me. I then quickly wrote Om Shanti Om in two weeks and luckily I had a heroine waiting (laughs). Poor thing would call me every week and ask “What’s happening? I have been offered a movie, should I take it?” Deepika Padukone: When you are new to the industry, you don’t know how people function. I had agents and at that time it was a very new thing. Now everyone has an agent to look after their film work. They used to panic and say ‘maybe she has cast someone else’. At that point, it was a huge break for me and I wanted it to happen. Farah kept calling me though and reassured me that whenever the film happens, it will have me in it. Farah Khan: I made her go to acting classes and she did a Kannada film so that she can be easy in front of the camera.
Farah, you announced this film, Happy New Year, after patching up with Shah Rukh… Farah Khan: Actually, I had exactly two weeks before we patched up finished the script of Happy New Year. I didn’t even know that he will be starring in it because I wasn’t planning on approaching him. I guess it is meant to be.
A new actress was to be launched in the film. What changed your mind? Farah Khan: Deepika didn’t have dates. She was doing a lot of movies at that time.
Deepika, everyone is fighting for your dates… Deepika Padukone: Nobody is fighting for me dates. Let me put this straight; she assumed that I was busy. Okay, now I am going to say this. Apparently, everyone was calling her and telling her that they want to do the movie. I never want to step on someone’s toes. She is Maa for me. Farah Khan: I was worried that if I will ask her and she refuses it, I will die (laughs). Deepika Padukone: I never go to a director and say ‘I want to do your movie’ and apparently, other people were doing that. Farah was wondering why I wasn’t picking up the phone and expressing my desire to do the film. Basically, we both kept talking about Happy New Year and would ask each other ‘So what’s happening?’ Farah Khan: Then finally one day I put ‘Even Czar is asking, who is the heroine of Happy New Year?’ as my BBM status. Deepika Padukone: Then Shah Rukh asked me if I want to do the film. I told him ‘I can’t believe you guys took so long’. Farah Khan: She was actually really busy. She was supposed to start Imtiaz Ali’s film at that time. Deepika Padukone: I was supposed to start it back then. Happy New Year was also supposed to start around the same time. For whatever reason, Imtiaz Ali’s film got delayed and it all fell into place.
John Abraham was also supposed to star in the film. Farah Khan: John was approached and was really excited. I guess some people are only excited beforehand. Deepika Padukone: I guess, when you are making a film and you have just two actors, it is much easier to put it together and with six people it gets complicated. Someone can be confirmed in the beginning but by the time the film stars rolling, things can change. Farah Khan: People also get a bit nervous as it has an ensemble cast. It is one of the few ensemble movies where everyone has good part to play. I can’t say that Boman’s role is not important.
How did you manage to keep everyone happy give every character importance? Farah Khan: All my actors were fabulous team players. See, it starts with Shah Rukh. If he decides to be the ‘star’ then it permeates down but he, Abhishek and Deepika were excellent team players. Everyone decided that it’s not a film about one person. It’s not easy to manage six actors. Just getting on the set on time takes a lot.
You are quite temperamental as a director right? Farah Khan: No! Deepika Padukone: Even her shouting has so much humour. We are usually laughing when she shouts. Farah Khan: I would be temperamental if I don’t shout one day and I shout on another but I do it every day (laughs).
Director Farah Khan; actress Deepika Padukone; actors Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah charmed the UK media at the Happy New Year-SLAM Press Conference at Montcalm Marble Arch recently.
Presented by Yash Raj Films, Farhath Hussain and Think Events jointly, the Happy New Year-SLAM Press Conference was held in relation to this year’s biggest Bollywood film release and the most spectacular, Bollywood live event of the decade respectively, both featuring the industry’s most celebrated luminaries. The event was hosted by British Asian actor Ameet Chana.
On working with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone said, “When you’ve worked with someone it makes the process so much easier. He tells me, if we are doing a particular scene together, he will tell me what to do and I will always trust him. I will never question it.”
Speaking about the experience Shah Rukh Khan said, “Everyone has to do a film like Happy New Year in their career, and I am blessed to do this. The worst thing about the end of this tour is that we are going to miss each other the most.”
Speaking about the film Abhishek Bachchan said, “I feel like every film has its own destiny. You choose a film because of the script, because the character inspires you, me more than others. I chose the film because it has my friends in it, we are in charge of making the process of the film a memorable one.”
Speaking about the film, Sonu Sood said, “It has been a life changing experience working with Farah. She is the most talented director and no other director is like her and the way she represents her actors. I’m blessed to be a part of Happy New Year and the amazing family that we have made.”
Speaking about being in London Boman Irani said, “Coming to London when I was 25 was a life changing experience. I love it here.”
Speaking about the experience Vivaan Shah said, “It has been a life changing experience. It was an electrifying tour and representing the country is a huge, huge honour.”
Navraj Panesar, GM, Yash Raj Films International Ltd said, “It is an honour to be working with Red Chillies on perhaps the biggest release of 2014. Until now, YRF have six of the top Bollywood 10 films in the UK Box Office including the number 1 film among our portfolio and we hope to make Happy New Year the seventh.”
Happy New Year is produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd and distributed worldwide by Yash Raj Films, releasing on 23rd October.
SLAM UK concert took place at 02 Arena London on Sunday 5th October.
The cast of Happy New Year recently descended into the British capital to promote the highly-anticipated movie. Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah and director Farah Khan interacted with the UK media at a Central London hotel.
Happy New Year is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and is released in UK cinemas on 23rd October 2014 through Yash Raj Films. Check out photos by Hayat Khan here:
The artists of the biggest Bollywood extravaganza SLAM! The Tour performed at Toyota Center in Houston, TX and Continental Arena in New Jersey on 19th Sep and 20th Sep respectively. Farah Khan, Deepika Padukone, Malaika Arora Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and singers Kanika Kapoor and Yo Yo Honey Singh set the stage on fire with their enthralling performances in front of the live audiences where both the concerts were houseful.
The opening act of the evening was Vivaan’s performance on the SLAM track by Ram Sampath followed by Deepika’s performances on Aahu Aahu and Titli. Shah Rukh Khan entered the show in his larger than life style on aerial cable and danced on his famous numbers Chammak Challo, Kaali Kaali Aankhe, Suraj Hua Maddham and Don. Abhishek entered from the crowd and asked the thrilled audience to stand up and he rapped the song Ek Main Aur Ek Tu Hai and then performed on Kajrare, Maa Da Ladla, Desi Girl and Nandu Bhede from Happy New Year.
Farah and Boman performed on a special medley on which they made every one laugh with their conversation about how Boman wanted to be a lead actor in Farah’s movie and it reminded the audience of their comic chemistry in Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi. Malaika performed on the song Devil from Kick and Sonu joined her on Munni Badnam Hui later.
Deepika also danced on her new song Lovely by Kanika Kapoor from Happy New Year, Angrezi Beat, Tu Hi Din Chadhe and Balam Pichkari. Shah Rukh and Deepika’s chemistry in the romantic number Satrangi Re was never seen before in front of the live audience.
Abhishek shot the biggest Selfie video in Houston and New Jersey which he took from the stage capturing the entire crowd from his phone and then he later on posted it on Instagram and Twitter which went viral immediately.
Yo Yo Honey Singh performed on Char Bottle Vodka, Blue Hai Paani, Tere Town Main and when he started singing Lungi Dance, Shah Rukh joined him and called Abhishek, Boman, Vivaan and Sonu also on stage. Baby Doll fame Kanika also performed on Jugni with English dance duo Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh of Signature group.
The highlight of the most awaited show was when Shah Rukh invited a couple each from Houston and New Jersey from the crowd and asked them few questions which led to the winning couple getting a luxury bike. While the artists created frenzy, a lot of fans have come to watch SLAM The Tour from India, Australia, Brazil, Middle East and from different American states.
This exciting tour which began in Houston on Friday and then in New Jersey will be followed by performances in cities like Washington DC (September 21), Chicago (September 26), Vancouver in Canada (September 27) and San Jose (September 28). They will also travel to The O2 Arena in London in UK on October 5.
Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd launched the music of their film Happy New Year on Monday, September 15th, 2014 with the director Farah Khan and the cast Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah, music directors Vishal–Shekhar, Lyricist Irshad Kamil, Singers Neeti Mohan, Kanika Kapoor, Sukhwinder Singh, Dr Zeus and the Producers.
Check out the photos here:
TV personalities Rithwik Dhanraj and Kunwar Amar set the mood for the evening by introducing the first act by singer Neeti Mohan where she sang the medley Manwa Laage which was followed by a performance by Shillong Choir. Then singer Sukhwinder Singh sang his song from the film Satakali. To get the momentum going singer Kanika Kapoor and Dr Zeus performed on the most sensual song of the album, Lovely.
London based magician Keelan Leyser, added to the awesomeness with his tricks on iPAD, but the clear show-stopper of the evening was the performance of the cast on the song India Waale, which was constantly cheered and whistled to.
“Music plays an important part in my all films. I always think of scenes and sequences keeping songs in mind.The music has always taken the story forward, and more so in HNY because a lot of the story has been told through songs. I have to thank Irshad Bhai (Kamil), Vishal-Shekhar and all the singers for doing a fantastic job. Shah Rukh is a great inspiration for making music because he has great songs down the years. I always go that extra mile for the songs because its picturized on him,” said Farah Khan, Director HNY.
Lyricist Irshad Kamil said, “Working on Happy New Year was a journey of celebration. I want to thank Farah Khan for converting every music sitting into a party. This experience will surely carry on for life as I am still not out of it, though the music is heading for its launch.”
Music Directors Vishal – Shekhar said, “HNY is our third film with Farah who’s always been like family to us. The music of the film has every bit of the trademark Farah Khan energy…vibrant and colourful, just like her. It’s always a pleasure to work with Farah and the undying faith that she has in us pushes us even harder to exceed her expectations of us each time. It’s been an honour to have composed the music for a magnum opus such as this one and the journey has been unforgettable. HNY is our fourth film with Shah Rukh and even today we can say that no one does it the way he does…from being the best producer to the most phenomenal performer. And once again, he’s brought our music to life with his magic along with the hugely talented ensemble cast. HNY is sonically massive in keeping with the larger-than-life scale of the film which has seen some amazing team work and has truly been made with a lot of heart.”
“Music has always been an integral part of an Indian film. The music of HNY is an album that can cater to all tastes. We hope that it will be liked by all as the music is happy and made from the heart,” said Venky Mysore, CEO RCE.
“Happy New Year strengthens the bond that Shah Rukh and I share. The first song India Waale is the new anthem that has received an overwhelming response across all platforms and Manwa Laange is the new love song that is topping the charts. The entire music album is so fresh and hummable that the audience will fall in love with each and every composition,” said Bhushan Kumar, CMD, T-Series.
Happy New Year is produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd and distributed by Yash Raj Films worldwide.
Check out the teaser of Deepika Padukone in ‘Lovely’ from the film here:
Red Chillies Entertainment is giving Bollywood fans around the world a chance to live stream the music launch of the much-awaited Farah Khan directorial Happy New Year tomorrow (15th September).
Get ready to witness sheer magic in a first of its kind music launch, with sizzling performances from the music makers of the film and electric performances from the stars themselves.
You can the watch the live stream here tomorrow from 12:00 (BST):
Happy New Year is a rollicking, flamboyant, colourful, witty, action-packed musical bonanza. The film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd and distributed by Yash Raj Films worldwide. Happy New Year will release this Diwali in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.
Happy New Year – A Farah Khan film starring Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani & Vivaan Shah is slated to release in UK cinemas this Diwali, October 2014.
Get ready for the ultimate Bollywood event of the century, SLAM+ The Tour,coming to The O2 London on Sunday 5th October 2014, where the King of Indian cinema and the second highest paid actor in the world, Shah Rukh Khan, will take to the London stage for the first time in over a decade. Brought to audiences by entertainment impresario and leading Bollywood show organiser Farhath Hussain in association with live event promoter Think Events, SLAM+ The Tour will be the biggest concert extravaganza of its kind in Europe, bringing a total of 135 cast and crew from India.
SLAM+ The Tour promises to be a night of wonder with a feast of big star names, riveting music and alluring dance sequences all interspersed with breathtaking visuals and impressive staging. Not since the frenzy that was stirred with the Temptations concert a decade ago in 2004, headlined by Shah Rukh Khan, has a live event again inspired such excitement and hype.
Joining silver screen royalty ‘King Khan’ will be a bevvy of Bollywood A-list actors, actresses, directors and choreographers, including the reigning queen of the Indian film industry Deepika Padukone along with Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, director Farah Khan, and newcomer Vivaan Shah.
As a special treat for the audience, Farhath Hussain and Think Events will exclusively bring to UK shores the legendary actress Madhuri Dixit, who will join the stellar line-up to SLAM her way into the hearts of her fans. Bollywood’s dance diva Malaika Arora along with singing sensation Kanika Kapoor will peform to the latest floor-fillers to set pulses racing. The show will be expertly choreographed by Geeta Kapoor (Dance India Dance).
Speaking about SLAM+ The Tour and his return to the UK stage, international megastar Shah Rukh Khan says: ‘I am blessed to get a lot of love and support from people around the world. This is our way of giving this love back and thanking you all. I am super excited and looking forward to being in your city along with my colleagues Farah, Deepika, Madhuri, Malaika, Abhishek, Boman, Sonu, Vivaan and Kanika. We promise you an evening of love, laughter and entertainment. So mark your calendar and be there at SLAM+ The Tour.”
The maestro behind the hugely successful Temptations concert in 2004 and now the spectacle that will be SLAM+ The Tour, is promoter extraordinaire Farhath Hussain. Farhath Hussain is responsible for bringing to the UK some of the most spectacular live events ever seen, in what is the world’s second largest consumer of Bollywood outside of India.
Speaking about the exciting new venture, he said: ‘I am thrilled to be bringing the global superstar of Indian cinema, Shah Rukh Khan, back to the UK with SLAM+ The Tour. After Temptations 2004, this will be a very nostalgic experiece. SLAM+ The Tour will be truly magical and mesmerising, like nothing ever seen before on this scale. The line-up of mega stars, including Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Malika Arora, will be a dream experience for fans. With the ticket lines opening soon, fans should get ready to be part of this historic event.”
The event is co-promoted by Keven of Think Events. Farhath and Keven have collaborated over the last four years to revolutionise Asian concerts in the UK, treating UK audiences to the best of live shows over recent years. They plan to take their already un-paralleled portfolio of events to a new level by joining forces once again to deliver their best yet with SLAM+ The Tour.
Keven says:“Entertainment doesn’t get much bigger than SLAM+ Bollywood’s biggest stars will grace the worlds most iconic concert venue with absolutely thrilling performances. I am delighted that international superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be headlining the event, along with other Bollywood icons, for what will be an absolutely exhilirating and power-packed show. Fans are surely in for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is not to be missed!
SLAM+ The Tour takes place on Sunday, 5th October 2014 at The O2 London, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX. To book tickets visit http://www.axs.com or call 08448 24 48 24. Tickets are priced at £35, £55, £75, £95, £125. Limited VIP and VVIP tickets are also available.
Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd unveiled the first look of its next release, Happy New Year, at a grand event in Mumbai recently. Director Farah Khan was present at the event along with the entire cast of the film – Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff, Music director duo Vishal-Shekhar and Producers.
Unlike a usual trailer launch, this event was a celebration of the “Indiawaale” sentiment lent by the film. The evening began with SRK and Boman welcoming all to the grand event and introduced Fictitious Group who performed to a theme music especially made to make the eve of Independence special. Vishal and Shekhar also performed on a specially created version of the Happy New Year song, Indiawaale. This was followed by a chic fashion show by Manish Malhotra. The entire cast of the film walked the ramp. The silhouette of the collection clearly defined the theme and the sentiment of the evening. The trailer of the film was then unveiled to the audience that comprised of media and fans from across India.
Check out photos from the trailer launch here:
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Farah Khan said, “This film has all that it takes to make a Bollywood quintessential film but the most important element here is HOPE. It is hope that turns into BELIEF for anyone who works hard in life to achieve their goals. Even if you lose don’t let that bring you down and think it is the end.”
Shah Rukh Khan said, “It is not necessary that if you do not win even after repeatedly trying, that you are a loser. This is what Happy New Year is all about. This film is a celebration and most importantly it is as happy as the title is.”
Venky Mysore, CEO, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd, said “We are delighted to bring to you a sneak preview of HNY. This is a tribute to “INDIAWAALE” and a celebration of who we are. It has been a massive project yet most enjoyable to all of us at Red Chillies. We hope the audience enjoy it as much as we have making it. We eagerly look forward to “Diwali” to bring it to the audience worldwide.”
Red Chillies used all possible Digital Platforms – Social Media, Mobile (VAS), DTH & Application Economy to ensure a large user preferred reach for the trailer.
While most of the films opt for the conventional Youtube platform, HNY trailer was first launched on Facebook’s native video player using an application wherein the trailer was not only launched on the Facebook page of HNY but also the timelines of all the users who subscribed to the app.
If this isn’t enough, the trailer was also launched on the native video player of Twitter with personalized messages from the cast of HNY. “Red Chillies and the cast of Happy New Year understand the value of developing live, personal and interactive connections with their audience, which is only possible on Twitter. From the entire cast and crew sharing every moment of film production on Twitter via their personal handles to their launching personalized trailers and posters on Twitter, Happy New Year has set a new national and global standard in the movie business,” said Rishi Jaitley, Market Director, Twitter India. The Trailer was also launched on the conventional platform of Youtube on all channels of the partners (Music Distributors T-Series and Film Distributors Yash Raj Films) on the film along with Red Chillies’ official channel. The total views of the trailer from all platforms cross a record breaking number of 4 million in 24 hours.
Below are the statistics of 24 hours from the minute the trailer was launched on all the Digital Platforms, which got it more than 4 million views:
Facebook First film trailer to be launched on FB and becomes the most viewed movie trailer on FB Native Player across the Globe
1.5 Million Trailer Views
2.8 Million Post Interaction & over 18 Million FB users reached.
Over 360K Likes for the trailer (Highest Ever)
Twitter
1.5 Billion Impressions only on Aug 14
5 Hash Tags trending of Happy New Year
YouTube
Over than 2 Million views across various Youtube Partner Channels
WhatsApp
First Film to send out the trailer via WhatsApp
Tata Sky
Reached Over 13 million Subscribe of a DTH & each one has to watch channel 100 when they switch on their sets before they go to any other channel of their choice
Airtel WAP
They have over 15 million visitors every day
SMS
Over 300,000 fans received it via SMS service (missed call facility)
E-Mail
Over 25,000 fans received it via email
Happy New Year is a rollicking, flamboyant, colourful, witty, action-packed musical bonanza. The film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd and distributed by Yash Raj Films in UK cinemas and worldwide.
After reaching out to millions of fans across the globe, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd’s film Happy New Year has added another feather to the already decorated hat. The film has got the widest release ever on iTunes, which is a first for any Indian film. Directed by Farah Khan, HNY has become the first Bollywood film to premiere in iTunes Gulf region and in 16 Latin American countries.
An action-packed musical heist, HNY was worldwide distributed by Yash Raj Films and stars Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah in key roles. HNY was released in India on 24th October last year and has been released theatrically, on D2F and on home video in many traditional and non-traditional markets since then. HNY also got the biggest release in China on their New Year weekend recently and will be available in German from 20th March on home video as well. 
Having made it’s mark in the domestic and traditional overseas markets, Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd magnum opus Happy New Year sets yet another milestone and becomes the first Indian film to get a release in China within months of its Indian release. The film was cleared by SARFT on 1st January 2015 for its Nationwide release to kick start the New Year.
How has it been to interact with the London press for the first time?
How did you manage to keep everyone happy give every character importance?
