August 29, 2009
Salman Khan, Asin, Ajay, and Vipul Shah Team Up On London Dreams
Bollywood has not begun to promote upcoming film London Dreams yet, but they should. The film, scheduled to be released in October, stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan back in an all together different musical drama also starring Asin, perhaps Bollywood’s most beautiful actress. It is obvious from the official trailer just released, and the award winning players cast, that director Vipul Shah is desirous of another box office smash with London Dreams.
Returning to London again, Shah appears to have no boundaries as a producer and director, shifting genre’s like a chameleon to showcase his creative expertness. London Dreams, might be the most rewarding wait for movie audiences this year.
The story takes two childhood friends who want to be rock stars to London obviously. Start a band called London Dreams, the two friends, played by Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, act out a drama the drama that often unfolds when love, ambition, sacrifice and the world become part of life’s equation. Their friendship is ripped at more so by them both falling in love with a dancer in their band, played by Asin, than from all other conflicting frictions of life in the fast lane. From the trailer, it is easy to see the film is being painted with the broad stroke of passion and intense conflict that can only happen between people who really care about one another.
London Dreams stars on location
Other news reveals that T series, India’s music giant, has acquired the rights to the soundtrack of London Dreams to add to their massive collection. The production crew has also created a Facebook aspect where people can view the cast on location and catch some inside info about the making of the movie. Also, rumors of Khan wooing the affections of co-star Asin abound obviously, even to the point of his buying her a flat, but nothing has as yet been confirmed.
Regardless of the natural gossip and hype destined to surround the film before release, one thing seems certain, the all star production should entice millions to view its opening, which apparently has been postponed several times. For the record, this film will probably propell Asin past many of her competing actresses in popularity in my opinion. As for Kahn and the others, their positions seems solidified.
Maruti Suzuki Launches New Estilo Without Zen Prefix
Indo-Japanese auto company Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker, launched a new petrol version of its hatchback Estilo on Tuesday, according to the latest news from the sub-continent. The moderate priced, 3 cylinder hatchback also reportedly lost its “Zen” name, making the Estilo a stand alone entry on the car scene. Dropping the Zen name may be more about engaging young families in India, than anything else.
As a branding and PR move, the Murati obviously intends a re-brand for the improved version of the popular vehicle. Nothing like fresh makeup when releasing a newer product is there? The 998 cc, three cylinder engine of the new Estilo makes for far better fuel efficiency plus boosts the car’s performance and emissions numbers as well, according to the company. Dropping the “Zen” designation was apparently the result of some research into how young people in India identify with the car company and names in general. If that is true, Suzuki is not only hitting the engineering drawing board hard, but the customer psychology as well.
Estilo’s are to be manufactured at the Gurgaon plant where Manutu Suzuki’s “A-Star” and “Ritz” models are currently manufactured. These highly successful lines of cars for India, represent one of the most profitable automotive ventures of this year, in an industry hit hard by the economic downturn. Suzuki technology seems determined, with these new, highly efficient small engines, to take internal combustion dynamics to the next level, in India and across their global operations.
The smaller 3 cylinder Estilo engines are the latest examples of research and development by the company to “push the limit” as far as it can be. The new car is purported to dliver economy along the lines of 18.2 km per litre. The company has also grabbed more land to build what is reported to be a stand alone research and developmnt center near the existing plant. Some 3 to 4 thousand units are expected to be sold per month to start with, and incremental production increases are slated to meet what is expected to be a very high demand for the powerful little model. Last year’s sales disaster for the company would be ancient memory if the India market takes off in a love affair with these highly advanced, inexpensive models.
If India is being used as a test market for the new Suzuki models, this would show that at least one Japanese car company has put their thinking cap on. The company said it plans to export the new models once demand in India helps ramp up production and the prospectus for overseas markets. As a final note, unlike some PR firms we have reviewed in the past, hehehe, Maruti Suzuki seems to take their online branding pretty serious too. I looked for some images of the new car and found a really cool and usefull website designed specifically for this line of vehicles. The reader should check it out. The image below shows me paining my new Estilio with splashes of color from my umbrella drink no less, subliminal messages for young Indian couples?
