Boom time for actors to work and earn more, says casting director Ahana Mohammed

“The market for casting in Bollywood films, short films and television serials has grown manifold after the dominance of internet,” says the Indian film industry’s leading casting director Ahana Mohammed.

Ahana Mohammed at work.

The lady who has been in the business of casting actors and actresses for many top projects and assisted in arranging select key artistes in movies like Bang Baaja Baaraat, Yaariyan, Grand Masti and Agneepath, feels its boom time for her business.

 

A mass media graduate in advertising and marketing, the sought-after casting director has a rich experience of nine years in the business of casting and artist management. Along with handling the casting for film, television and music artistes, she often manages a lot of models for the fashion circuit as well.

at an event

“We have around 500 Bollywood films being made every year and almost the same amount of television serials, daily soaps and entertainment programmes across the wide spectrum of TV channels. The best part is that now there are even a whole lot of short films and music videos to be tapped on the internet. It’s never been a better time for actors to get work, expand their horizons beyond movies and earn more,” analyzes Ahana. She makes it a point to add that inspite of this boom, “the film and modeling industry has a tremendous potential for growth.”

 

“Earlier advertising was restricted to print media and television. But that has changed over the last three years. Online advertising is fast catching up and many companies are now allocating almost half of their publicity budget to internet advertising. Thus the market is expanding rapidly and so is the need for established as well as newer faces,” concludes Ahana.

 

This Twitter post on Avengers: Infinity War cracked us up!

As appeared on Medium.com

Courtesy: https://medium.com/@bollywoodfeatures/this-twitter-post-on-avenger

Avengers - Infinty War. Pic 1 (Image Courtesy - Internet)

Much has been written about Avengers: Infinity War from the last few weeks. From the trailers we all knew that the new super-villain Thanos wanted to destroy half the universe. We knew that he’d swat away superheroes like flies on his dessert.

Avengers - Infinty War. Pic 5 (Image Courtesy - Internet)

So hardly anything can come as a surprise now, we thought. Until Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar posted this on his Twitter. “Since Thanos is supposed to have finished off half the universe… now, as usual, it’s time to spend a few days marking ourselves ‘safe’ on Facebook,” he wrote.

https://twitter.com/DaleBhagwagar/status/990157202584428544

Dale’s crazy thought combined with a dollop of sarcasm about the amount of time we spend on Facebook, not only cracked us up, but got us thinking too.

 

The public relations specialist often gives us some of the news first on his social media. Like even before the official release of the new Avengers movie, the Bollywood publicist’s FB post read: “RIP Loki, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Groot, Doctor Strange. But don’t think we are so stupid that we do not know that you all will come back. Ganda hai par dhanda hai ye. (It’s dirty business, but its business)”

Avengers - Infinty War. Pic 2 (Image Courtesy - Internet)

We were sad hearing our favourite superheroes are gonna die, but Dale’s post sure confirmed our suspicions (and hope) that they would soon return. How? Dale hasn’t posted that! Not yet! Lol.

Avengers - Infinty War. Pic 4 (Image Courtesy - Internet)

 

 

Avengers: Infinity War supervillain Thanos is emotional and emotive, says Bollywood PR Dale Bhagwagar

Mini Review: Avengers: Infinity War

 

Avengers: Infinity War may set box-office records worldwide, but overall, its no great shakes. One-time watch. Very thin storyline and the characters are so many, none of them get a chance to shine.

Too many scenes, too many situations; all packed in a long movie. In fact, a few of the guys came across as ill-developed characterisations and weak superheroes.

The only character one could relate to was Thanos… because the makers have concentrated on the emotional and emotive side of this new so-called supervillain.

And yes…. by the end of the movie, one begins wondering whether what Thanos is doing is actually right… easing the chaos in the universe. I am trying to imagine Mumbai having half of the population it has….. Gosh…. Traffic problems khatam. 

Now waiting for Part 2 😉

Avengers Infinity War

Mini Review of Avengers: Infinity War by Bollywood PR Dale Bhagwagar

 

The race for marking yourself safe on Facebook ;-)

Since Thanos is supposed to have finished off half the universe… now, as usual, its time to spend a few days marking ourselves ‘safe’ on Facebook.

Empire_March_Cover_IW_6_Textless

BREAKING NEWS: After Tripura CM’s attack, Miss World Diana Hayden finds an unlikely defender

As appeared on MangoBunch.com

Courtesy: https://www.mangobunch.com/breaking-news-tripura-cms-attack-miss-world-diana-hayden-finds-unlikely-defender/

A file picture of Diana Hayden. Pic 2

Soon after Tripura’s new Chief Minister Biplab Deb launched a scathing attack on Miss World 1997 Diana Hayden, her ex-publicist Dale Bhagwagar has come to her defense. Dale counters Deb on Diana saying, “I am not in touch with Diana from a few years, but I bet she is way too much smarter than how the Tripura CM wants to portray her.”

A few days ago, Biplab Deb had claimed there were internet and satellite communication systems in Mahabharata era, with his comment causing much debate on Twitter as well as national media.

This week, the CM launched an intense attack on the fashion designing and cosmetic industry and taunted women who have won international beauty pageants. “In all of Tripura, I see so many beauty parlours. It’s an industry, it’s a business,” he remarked.

Speaking at a public event, Deb singled out Diana saying, “Even Diana Hayden got it (the world title). See, everyone is laughing. Tell me, was Diana Hayden supposed to get it?”

A file picture of Diana Hayden at a charity event. Pic 1

Aishwarya Rai got it. That’s justified, because she carries the essence of the beauty of Indian women. Indian beauty is all about Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Saraswati. Diana Hayden does not fit to that class of beauty,” Deb stated.

Bollywood PR Dale Bhagwagar who has worked with Diana for a long time promptly reacted saying, “I don’t know why Mr Deb is suddenly targeting Diana, but what he is stating, lacks merit. Diana is a complete new-age woman — smart, caring, intelligent, intellectual, well-read, attractive and beautiful. She has a magnetic charm and warmth in her personality.”

“After being crowned Miss World, she has actually gone and done real charity work for years together, something many pageant winners only speak about during their crown-seeking days,” he added.

It can be noted here that Dale has handled the PR for maximum number of title holders, including names such as Diana Hayden (Miss World 1997), Nikita Anand(Miss India Universe 2003), Pooja Batra (Miss India International 1993), Priya Gill(Miss India International 1995) and Priyanka Chopra (Miss World 2000).

Rishi Kapoor calls makeup and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh a magician!

Recently, while preparing for the shoot of Umesh Shukla’s 102 Not Out, makeup, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh got busy working on the look of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor.

Preetisheel Singh collage 2

The much-awaited film has Kapoor playing a 75-year-old grumpy son to a 102-year-young cheerful Amitabh Bachchan. Its trailer and songs, including Badumbaa and Bachche Ki Jaan Loge Kya, are already a hit.

Preetisheel Singh gets the Power Brands Award

“Rishi Sir said he found the look seamless and flawless,” recalls Preetisheel. Saying that it looked extremely real, the veteran actor called her a “magician”. “A comment so flattering from a person of his talent and stature is something I will cherish for life,” quips the makeover wiz.

Preetisheel Singh working on Rishi Kapoor's look on the sets of 102 Not Out. - Pic 3

It’s been a roller coaster ride for Preetisheel this year. After garnering acclaim for her work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat where she designed the looks for the complete cast along with Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, she went on to win the Power Brands – Bollywood Film Journalists Award too.

Preetisheel Singh collage 1

Meanwhile, her film Nanak Shah Fakir, which bagged her the National Film Award for Best Makeup, has been re-released by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, albeit amidst controversy.

Preetisheel Singh - Pic 9

Next, the lady is looking forward to Vikramaditya Motwane’s  Bhavesh Joshi Superhero starring Harshvardhan Kapoor and working on Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s look for the Abhijit Panse-directed movie Thackeray; the biopic on Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

 

POINTERS: National Award-winning make-up, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh

 

POINTERS: National Award-winning make-up, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh

After Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali repeated Preetisheel Singh for Padmaavat. She designed the looks of all the main starcast including Ranveer Singh (as the evil ruler Alauddin Khilji), Deepika Padukone (as the legendary queen Padmavati) and Shahid Kapoor (as the Rajput ruler Ratan Singh). Viewers and film critics alike, have been awestruck with the results, with Preetisheel emerging the undisputed No.1 make-up, hair and prosthetic designer in the film industry.

 

Videos of look tests during the making of Padmaavat:

 

Preetisheel has created the look for Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s in Thackeray… the biopic being made on Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. Its teaser was released some time ago by Uddhav Thackeray and Amitabh Bachchan and received widespread critical acclaim.

 

She has worked on Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s look earlier too in the movie Mom, where her make-up and prosthetic work was highly appreciated.

 

She has also done the make-up and prosthetic for actors in films like Shivaay, Haider, Hawaizaada, Housefull 3, Rangoon, Brothers, Talwar, Finding Fanny, Parched, Ghayal Once Again and the Tamil/Hindi film 24.

 

After Padmaavat, Preetisheel has also begun receiving a lot of offers down South. She has just accepted a Tamil film called Boomerang, where she is working on the looks for famous Tamil actor Ataharvaa Murali.

 

She received the ‘National Film Award for Best Makeup’ for the pre-Mughal historical epic Nanak Shah Fakir based on the life of Guru Nanak, wherein she designed the looks for all the characters in the movie. The film has recently re-released through Viacom18 Motion Pictures amid controversy.

 

Preetisheel’s work of creating believable ghost-figures for the recent horror film House Next Door has also been praised a lot. The film, which released in three languages (as House Next Door in Hindi, as Aval in Tamil and Gruham in Telugu) garnered critical acclaim and once again earned a lot of positive reviews for her work.

 

For the upcoming film 102 Not Out directed by Umesh Shukla, Preetisheel has designed the looks for Amitabh Bachchan as a 102-year-old man, as well as for Rishi Kapoor playing his 75-year-old son. Its trailer and songs, including Badumbaa and Bachche Ki Jaan Loge Kya are already a rage.

 

She is also working on Rishi Kapoor’s look of a devout Muslim in Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk.

 

Apart from Mulk and Thackeray, her work as a make-up, hair and prosthetic designer will soon be showcased once again in upcoming movies such as Vikramaditya Motwane’s film Bhavesh Joshi Superhero starring Harshvardhan Kapoor. Its teaser has just released, revealing Harshvardhan’s look as a vigilante and it’s been the talk of the town.

 

After this, there is Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, the debut film of Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol.

 

Preetisheel has also set up India’s first make-up and prosthetic lab called Da Makeup Lab and her goal is to bring standards of make-up and prosthetic in India at par with Hollywood.

Preetisheel Singh - Pic 10

 

Bigg Boss jodis be evicted as pairs, suggests Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar

As appeared on SantaBanta.com

Courtesy link: http://www.santabanta.com/bollywood/124853/bigg-boss-jodis-be-evicted-as-pairs-suggests-bollywood-pr-guru-dale-bhagwagar/

Bigg Boss jodis be evicted as pairs, suggests Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 13:53 IST
By Santa Banta News Network

With Colors announcing the auditions for Bigg Boss 12, anxiousness about the next season of the Salman Khan reality show has already begun.

A tweet from Colors says, “#BiggBoss12 is coming soon and this time we’re looking for jodis! So bring a partner along with you to the @BiggBoss house for twice the dhamaal! Auditions now open!”

Following this, Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar tweeted a suggestion. “Since BB12 is about jodis, both the persons in a jodi should be held equally responsible for everything. It will be so much fun if they would also be evicted together. Since no two people are alike, this may cause a lot of anxiety among fans and it could ‘doubly’ enhance the dramatic value.”

Dale understands reality television the best in his field. The publicist has handled the media for some of the most controversial names who have been on Bigg Boss. Everyone from Aarya Babbar, Aman Verma, Amar Upadhyay, Anita Advani, Ashmit Patel, Diana Hayden, Kashmera Shah, Mandana Karimi, Pooja Misrra, Rahul Mahajan, Rakhi Sawant, Salil Ankola, Sambhavna Seth, Shamita Shetty, Sherlyn Chopra, Sonali Raut, Upen Patel, Vikas Bhalla, Vindu Dara Singh and Zulfi Syed have been on the list of Dale’s PR clients from time to time.

Here’s why Dale Bhagwagar tops the list of best PRs in Bollywood

As appeared on UrbanAsian.com

Article courtesy: https://urbanasian.com/events/2017/12/heres-dale-bhagwagar-tops-list-best-prs-bollywood/

Max Clifford, the world’s most scandalous publicist once called Dale Bhagwagar “the PR to go to in India.” So what made Clifford praise and refer another publicist? A little case study about this public relations professional from India reveals a lot.

Often termed the King of Spin, Dale Bhagwagar undoubtedly tops the list as the most famous PR experts the Indian entertainment industry has ever witnessed. He is most probably the highest paid publicist and the guy behind the glamour, glitz and media hand-handling for a huge number Bollywood celebrities.

He has looked after the media for more than 200 film stars including Hrithik RoshanShilpa ShettyPriyanka ChopraGovindaVivek Oberoi, the evergreen Dev Anand, and films such as the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Don and Farhan Akhtar starrer Rock On!!

That’s not all! Dale has handled the PR for around 40 movies starring actors such as Amitabh BachchanAnil KapoorAnupam KherArjun RampalBipasha BasuBo DerekBoman IraniJackie ShroffJesse MetcalfeJohn AbrahamKabir BediKareena KapoorKarishma KapoorKatrina KaifManisha KoiralaNaseeruddin ShahOm PuriPadma LakshmiPrakash RajPreity ZintaRahul BoseRani MukerjiRaveena TandonRekhaSaif Ali KhanSanjay DuttShabana AzmiSharman JoshiShriya SaranSunil ShettySunny Deol… and the list goes on and on.

Well known as Bollywood’s only PR guru, this award-winning publicist from Mumbai is also a master with handling controversies and crisis management for actors. For this, he has been quoted in each and every prominent Indian media, apart from some of the topmost international publications and news television channels such as BBC World, CNN, Sky News, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, New York Times and The Washington Post.

Dale has spearheaded Shilpa Shetty’s PR during her Big Brother win and also handled the media for a full 20 names who have participated in the reality show’s Indian counterpart Bigg Boss; best known for being hosted by megastar Salman Khan.

All this and more makes the guy a master of masters. No wonder, a simple Google search in his name brings up thousands of results.

International Women’s Day Special: Feminism is bad for women, says Bollywood publicist Dale Bhagwagar

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY SPECIAL: Being a PR guy talking about ‘feminism’, may seem as if I am siding with some of my controversial hoity-toity Bollywood clients. However, I feel that people from the Indian film industry often objectify the word.

https://urbanasian.com/whats-happenin/2017/03/feminism-is-bad-for-women-feels-bollywood-publicist-dale-bhagwagar/

#InternationalWomensDay #WomensDay #feminism #PR #BollywoodPR

Chachi 420

Feedback matters

I almost FELL OFF MY CHAIR reading all the comments below this article. Thank you Pragati Naik, Sam Mohan, Kingshuk Nag, Pramod Muntashir, Ritwik Banerjee, DrVineeta Banerjee and Pammi Somal. You rocked it 

Makeup, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh reveals trade secrets

 

Got a video interview done for my PR client Preetisheel Singh on Chetna Vasishth’s ChetChat. Makeup, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel reveals a lot that goes behind the scenes in transforming actors into characters.