F3PR: Kochadaiiyaan could see biggest U.S. release ever

PRESS RELEASE

KOCHADAIIYAAN COULD SEE
BIGGEST U.S. RELEASE EVER

The magnum opus feature film Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend starring the emperor of Indian cinema Rajinikanth and the reigning Queen of Indian Cinema Deepika Padukone, is set to blaze a trail globally in cutting-edge Motion Capturing with Photorealistic Technology. ATMUS Entertainment is proud to acquire the USA theatrical distribution rights of the Tamil & Telugu versions of the film. Telugu version is coming as Vikramasimha. The movie is releasing worldwide on 09-May-2014 with 3D Premieres in USA on 08-May-2014.

Referred to as India's first of its kind, Kochadaiiyaan is the first Indian film to use full performance capture in its production process, a workflow that was pioneered and optimized on James Cameron's Avatar, in less than 5% budget of Avatar.

Director Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin has explored the use of full performance capture in Kochadaiiyaan in its full magnitude. The film's uniqueness also stems from the fact this project combines many modern-era technologies to aid in visual storytelling and bring to life mythological India. The Indian film industry has lauded Soundarya's effort. Soundarya R Ashwin was honored for Technical Innovation in film at the NDTV Indian of the Year awards.

South Indian megastar Rajinikanth is cast as the archetypal superhero in the epic dramatization of good versus evil. He performs a dual role with the reigning Queen of Indian Cinema Deepika being paired opposite the younger character. They are joined by current and veteran stars of North and South Indian Cinema such as Jackie Shroff, Shobana and R. Sarathkumar for a global, Pan-Indian cinematic treat. The film is written by ace director K S Ravikumar with music by A R Rahman.

India's first Photorealistic Performance Capture film Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend is not only set to transcend boundaries creating a market first in the realm of world cinema but will cement Indian Cinema's place indefinitely within the global film fraternity.

Expectations for Kochadaiiyaan are sky high since this is Rajini's first film after a long gap due to his illness. The superstar's last outing Enthiran: The Robot was released in 2010 and it was one of the highest-grossing Indian films. There is a huge demand for the screening rights. This is the first time we have large theater chains competing to screen this movie. The movie is sure to entertain the overseas audience and the drive to the theaters is worth.

ATMUS, with its marketing partner AZ India Media is taking every efforts to make it a biggest South Indian release in the USA. As of now, they have booked 101 theaters for Tamil version, among which 91 are screening the 3D version, 65 are screening the 2D version. The Telugu version Vikramasimha is releasing on par with major Telugu releases. A total of 72 theaters are booked so far, out of which 61 are screening 3D version and 38 screening 2D version. Many of the theaters are screening both 3D and 2D versions. For the first time an Indian film is releasing in so many 3D screens.

Buy the Kochadaiiyaan Tamil soundtrack here.

F3PR: Eros International & Media One Global Entertainment announce the release of Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan

PRESS RELEASE

EROS INTERNATIONAL &
MEDIA ONE GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT
ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF
RAJINIKANTH'S KOCHADAIIYAAN

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Eros International Plc (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry announced today that it will release KOCHADAIIYAAN – The Legend, a Mediaone Global Entertainment Limited production, worldwide in cinemas on April 11, 2014.

Directed by Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin, Kochadaiiyaan features the unique visual mastery of Photorealistic Performance Capture technology for the very first time in the history of an Indian film. This technology has been previously seen in Avatar, Tintin and Beowulf.

Kochadaiiyaan is a dramatization of good versus evil starring South Indian star Rajinikanth. Also starring in the production is Deepika Padukone together with South India’s other leading stars, R. Sharath Kumar, Nazar, Aadi, Shobana and Rukmini.

Providing the musical score is Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman, whose list of credits includes a BAFTA, Golden Globe and two Academy Awards for his musical contribution to the multi-Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Announcing the release of the film, Ms. Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin, the Director of the film said, “The release of Kochadaiiyaan ushers in the next era of Indian cinema. For the first time a full length feature has been made in India using performance capture technology and I truly hope this creates a whole new avenue of film making beyond just live action films in our country.”

Mr. Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd added, “Eros is proud to present Rajinikanth, which will take the Indian film industry to the next level. We are confident that this will be a landmark film in world cinema as a result of the ground breaking technology used. The film will be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Bengali and Punjabi in India and overseas in more than 6,000 screens. We will be releasing an English version internationally as well.”

In a major brand tie-up, Eros and Mediaone have also partnered with Karbonn Mobile to launch one million Kochadaiiyaan branded mobile phones to celebrate the release of the film. The exclusive Karbonn Kochadaiiyaan mobile phones will have screen savers and images from the film along with the trailer and the film’s signature music. These special Kochadaiiyaan mobile phones are intended to launch in February 2014.

Kochadaiiyaan was shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK with a team of technical experts including the London based Centroid Studios, a state of the art facility for Full Body Motion Capture, which has worked on various Hollywood productions including World War Z, Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man 2 and Harry Potter; Counter Punch, which was integral to the success of Beverly Hills Chihuahua; and Faceware Technologies, United Kingdom, which worked on The Mummy 3 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for the Facial Capturing technology.

For regular updates on Kochadaiiyaan, please log on to www.erosnow.com.

About Eros International Plc

Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) is a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. Eros International Plc became the first Indian media company to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Eros International has experience of over three decades in establishing a global platform for Indian cinema. The Company has a competitive advantage through its extensive and growing movie library comprising of over 2,000 films, which include Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films for home entertainment distribution. Eros International has built a dynamic business model by combining the release of new films every year with the exploitation of its film library. For further information please visit: www.erosplc.com.

A Dance Tribute to Aishwarya

With the recent news that Indian film goddess Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is expecting her first child with husband Abhishek Bachchan, the impending blessed event also unfortunately means that arguably the best female dancer currently active in Bollywood will not be gracing the screen with her spectacular moves anytime soon. So let's take a look back at and savor some of my favorite dance numbers of hers over the years.

It was on one fateful day in the summer of 2002 when I made my first visit to my local Bollywood theatre, the Naz 8 Cinemas in Lakewood, completely unprepared for awaited me in the early minutes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, when the "Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka" number takes place. Rai has a classic star entrance to a flash of lightning, and any vague thoughts that such an introduction is overblown is immediately erased once she starts to effortlessly command the screen with her movement.

Rai's first collaboration with Bhansali was 1999's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and clearly he knew what a gift he had in her from the jump, giving her the terrific showcase that is the now-classic "Nimbooda."

1999 was a banner year for Rai, for that year she also starred in Subhash Ghai's Taal, which boasted one of A.R. Rahman's most memorable scores--which, of course, gave Rai ample opportunity to show what she could do, as in this oft-excerpted scene, "Ramta Jogi," featuring another West-familiar face, Anil Kapoor.

One of Rai's major strengths as a dancer is her amazing versatility. She is just as at ease doing classical dances such as "Nimbooda" as she is taking on more modern routines. Look at how easily and comfortably she slips into hip-hop swag (especially compared to her more obviously straining partner, Vivek Oberoi) in the great "No No" number from 2004's generally forgettable Kyun! Ho Gaya Na....

Just as easily as she can play a woman in charge as in that number, she can also be just as convincing playing fetchingly coquettish, never more in "Kannamoochi," from Rajiv Menon's enduringly popular 2000 Tamil language take on Sense and Sensibility, Kandukondain Kandukondain.

Rai has always been a sensual presence on film and a global sex symbol, but she never quite owned her screen sexuality in the way she did in the wildly popular "Crazy Kiya Re" from 2006's Dhoom:2. (I compare it to how Janet Jackson blossomed into full womanhood overnight with her iconic 1990 video for "Love Will Never Do (Without You).")

Not surprisingly, Rai is often called to do cameo appearances for item numbers in films--and often said songs not only become hits, but perhaps the best thing by which the films are remembered. Case in point: "Ishq Kamina," featuring Rai and Bollywood king Shahrukh Khan in their first (and, to date, only) screen appearance together after Devdas , from 2002's Shakthi: The Power.

Another Rai item song, "Kajra Re," has become an enduring hit, certainly helped by being from a box office success (2005's Bunty aur Babli), but perhaps most of all for having her dance alongside both future husband Abhishek and future father-in-law Amitabh.

One of her last huge pre-pregnancy dance showcases was in a truly historic, truly creative, truly insane film, the 2010 Tamil language science fiction actioner Enthiran: The Robot, where she got to shimmy alongside legendary South Indian "SuperStar" Rajnikanth in a multitude of contexts and (most of all) costumes, most memorably in the throwdown club number "Irumbile Oru."

But lest you think that the moves are all there is to Rai's dancing gift, it's also her ability to truly act and powerfully emote to the music. There is no more poignant, gut-wrenching example than this number from 2006's Umrao Jaan, "Pooch Rahe Hain," where the devastating tragedy of the title character's life cuts through even out of story context (and without subtitles--though they are provided here).

I can go on and on, but I will end this going full circle back to Devdas , and what is widely considered to be one of the greatest film dance numbers of recent years (if not ever): the spectacular "Dola Re Dola," where she and fellow Indian screen legend Madhuri Dixit create true cinema magic.

Revisiting these clips makes me all the more eagerly looking forward to her return to the screen. In the meantime, however--congratulations, Ash and Abhi!