Sony Pictures Networks India delivers on its commitment of ‘Ek India Happywala’

 

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has accelerated its focus towards creating a positive social impact in the ecosystem by building on its three-pillar framework; empowerment, education and environment. The organization believes that these 3 pillars allow for maximum impact on the lives of those it touches, by helping build a sustainable way of life. 

SPN through its umbrella CSR campaign, ‘Ek India Happywala’ attempts to maintain a common thread of purpose underlying business verticals and brands within the network.

Comments: 

N.P. Singh, MD & CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India: 

 “Sony Pictures Networks India is a purpose driven company. It is our constant endeavor to contribute to India’s development and sustainability agenda. In the current fiscal we chose initiatives which empowered people by educating and skilling them or by creating conducive and sustainable environments.”

“I feel privileged to be a part of SPN’s commitment towards social impact. Over the next few years, we will drive our CSR agenda with more dedication and passion, aiming to continue the momentum of bringing about a lasting change for a better and happier India.”

Projects: 

SPN has undertaken the following CSR initiatives under the three pillars, empowerment, education and environment in the current fiscal: 

Empowerment: 

India Vision Foundation - ‘The Dhun Project' - Music training to prison inmates to enable them to earn a living after their prison term is over

Cricket Association for the Blind Maharashtra - Supporting the association to organize tournaments, trainings, learning sessions for the blind cricketers of Maharashtra including women and children

National Inclusion Cup - Social Development through Football by empowering youth from underserved communities in association with Krida Vikas Sanstha (Slum Soccer)

Go Sports - Supporting Para Champions, Rahul Dravid Mentorship and Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance Program for improving standard of sports in India

Lakshya Institute - Supporting budding athletes from economically weaker backgrounds in their sporting journey to reach international levels

Education: 

India Vision Foundation - Residential school support to children of prison inmates

Nanhi Kali - Providing academic and material support to girls from underprivileged communities in association with the KC Mahindra Trust

Save The Children - Improving the quality of education in schools by building a child friendly environment using toons from the Sony YAY! Channel under YAY! Vidya program in association with Save the Children

Salaam Baalak Trust - Providing support in education, nutrition, health care and vocational training to street children

Connected Technologies - Improving quality of education in Marathi medium BMC schools by use of enabling technology to create “smart” classrooms 

Environment: 

Naandi Foundation- Providing safe drinking water in villages in Maharashtra by building Community Water Centers at identified locations

LEAD India and Connected Technologies - Water Conservation workshops in schools in association with Sony YAY! and LEAD India and Connected Technologies

With an aim to empower the youth and pave the path for a better future of the prison inmates, SPN celebrated the fifth anniversary of its music channel, Sony MIX, by launching ‘The Dhun Project’ in partnership with India Vision Foundation. This facilitated the opening of music training centers across five large prisons in India (Gurugram, Kasna, Dasna, Rotak and Ambala). This initiative enabled over 500 prisoners to discover their talent and hone their music skills. Falling under the ‘empowerment’ pillar of SPNI’s CSR programme, the network stressed on using the powerful medium of music for rehabilitation of inmates, preparing them for a successful reintegration into society.

To sustain the momentum of its CSR agenda based on sports, SPN partnered with Slum Soccer and sponsored the National Inclusion Cup (NIC). Through SPN’s constant support, the slum soccer teams were given top-notch training while the tournament garnered accolades reaching out to over 500 athletes. SPN also associated with the Cricket Association for the Blind of Maharashtra to empower this differently-abled section of the society. This association helped in catalyzing the cricketing prospects of 1000 young participants. SPN has supported 45 Para Champions and 117 athletes in their training and nutritional needs through its partnerships with Lakshya Institute and Go-Sports Foundation.

Under its ‘environment’ pillar, SPN partnered with The Naandi Foundation to address the rising concern of potable drinking water by providing cost-efficient water purification services to the villagers. Through this alliance, Sony Pictures Networks India is setting up 30 community water centers across the state of Maharashtra in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli. This project will strive to ensure each community water center is built using established and proven technologies, which are best suited to local water treatment in each of its geography of operations. The network has also initiated water conservation projects in various schools across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Maharashtra in partnership with Lead India and Connected Technologies, using children’s favourite toons from its kid’s channel Sony YAY! 

SPN is committed to supporting India’s social development agenda through its focus on various areas of social impact. All the initiatives work with the objective of empowering communities and building a better nation. 

About Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) 

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.  

SPN comprises 32 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET and SET HD), one of India's leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India's premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, another Hindi movie channel showcasing great India Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA channel for Hindi movies; SAB and SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from SPN’s content library; PIX and PIX HD, the English movie channels; LePlex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN and AXN HD, the channels showcasing the best in Reality, Entertainment and Drama; Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, Sony AATH, the Bangla entertainment channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; Sports Network comprising 11 sports entertainment channels – SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY ESPN, SONY ESPN HD, SONY TEN 1,  SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN GOLF HD; Sony मराठी, the Marathi general entertainment channel; SonyLIV - the digital entertainment VOD platform, SPN Productions, the networks’ film production arm and Sony Pictures Networks Distribution Pvt Ltd. (SPND) that distributes the networks television channels across different genres and languages through multiple content delivery platforms. SPN reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries. 

The network is recognized as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry. SPN is a recipient of several awards, including the ‘Aon Best Employers India’ Award in the 2017 edition in recognition of SPN’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices, consistently ranking amongst India’s Top 10 Companies with Best Health & Wellness Practices by SHRM & CGP Partners, listed by Working Mother & AVTAR as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India in 2017 and adjudged one of India’s Great Mid-Size Workplaces for its distribution business by the Great Place To Work® Institute in the 2017 edition. 

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited is in its 23rd year of operations in India. Its subsidiaries include MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited and Bangla Entertainment Private Limited.

Gurmeet Choudhary to represent India at ‘Inflow Global Summit’ in Istanbul

Gurmeet Choudhary is quite excited to represent his country at the global level by being part of the prestigious Inflow Global Summit 2018 to be held in Istanbul (Turkey) this month.

Interestingly, the talented actor who is touted to be the first Indian attending the summit, will be talking about India’s rich culture and traditions at the coveted Summit that will bring together social media content creators, opinion leaders, and sector professionals with leading brands in various sectors for informative & fun activities such as panels, keynotes, B2I meetings arranged through INFLOW Bridge, dinners and trips.

Gurmeet, who has already left for Turkey, confirms, "It’s a great honour and privilege to represent my country at the global summit. I'm really looking forward to meet dignitaries and distinguished personalities from different countries  at the summit."

 INFLOW Global Summit ‘18 aims to bring an end to 2018 after expanding your network circle, and start the New Year with possible business partnerships for both influencers and brands. While gathering influencers from all segments including travel, fashion, beauty, gastronomy, the event will also support brands in their influencer marketing strategies.

Shalmali Kholgade brings ‘Sass’ to her new song – Khullam Khulla ft Diplo & Vishal Dadlani

The Indie Pop Diva – Shalmali has proven why her dressing and panache is unmatchable.  Recently in her the video Khullam Khulla, the fashion goddess wore shimmering orange hot pants along with stripped crop top and an orange hair band to complete the look. She slayed the video looking confident and ensured to stun her fans with her looks. Shamali featured alongside Diplo and Vishali Dadlani and she has sung in her mother tongue.

Shalmali always sprinkles a bit of fresh sunshine wherever she goes and while we like her outfits, the Diva also brings warmth and jazz in what she wears. Shalmali rocking in any video is nothing new. But there is a jiffy of excitement amongst her fans because they know she rocks with something new and they always love it.

Abhimanyu Dassani wins his first award at the Macau International Film Festival

Even before its official release in India, Abhimanyu Dassani was already winning hearts at various film festivals with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, his debut film itself.

Riding the waves of appreciation for his extraordinary performance, he has recently proved himself by winning the Best New Young Actor for MKDNH, his first award as the debutant at the Macau International Film festival.

Having previously being screened at MAMI as the opening film, the talented actor had received a standing ovation for his stellar performance and martial art skills in the film. MKDNH had also won People’s Choice Award for Best Film at TIFF as well.

The 3rd film festival where Abhimanyu's movie has been screened, it is the first film from India to be selected for Midnight Madness section that deals with action thrillers. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is about a young man born with a condition that makes him feel no physical pain as he strikes out on a quest to beat a 100 opponents in a martial arts contest.

Abhimanyu on what resonates with the people about his performance, “Truth, honesty and passion towards the project speaks volumes through language and cultural barriers and through time. Every crew member has put their heart and soul in this film and everyone's hard work is what connects with the audiences.”

The talented actor adds, humbled by his experience with different film festivals, “It is a great honour to meet, interact and be appreciated by artists from around the world and it feels so special to have your film being loved all over the world. The interest that they have shown feels like I'm doing something right. Each film has its own destiny and this film had to win hearts all over the world.”

Gautam Rode Turns Santa Claus This Christmas

Actor Gautam Rode, who is currently seen in Kaal Bhairav Rahisya, is one of the few actors of our industry who is extremely active towards social causes.  An initiative which he had started with a music video, 'Helping Hands,' Gautam continues to work with street children as well as orphanages to do his little bit.  Now this Christmas we hear that Gautamis turning Santa Claus as the actor is hosting meals across the city, taking children from various orphanages out for a meal as well as showering them with gifts. 

When we spoke to Gautam he revealed, "While in the past I have visited the orphanages, this time we took special permission to take the children out.  It was Pankhuri's idea as she felt that the kids would feel all the more special if they could dress up and go out instead of remain in the same environment when we visit them.  While I was trying my best alone earlier, after Pankhuri's come in to my life she not only joins me but she is equally involved in trying to make a difference and help those who are in need.  And the need is not necessarily monetary in this day and age but rather of love, care and time.  I realize whenever I spend sometime with the children, that for me if its so therapeutic, it hopefully also energizes them, motivates them and gives them some positivity as well as a smile to end their day with." 

Shilpa Shetty Kundra attends the Global Gift Gala with Eva Longoria Bastón in Dubai

Shilpa Shetty Kundra is all about making a difference in the lives of people. The actress turned entrepreneur and philanthropist recently attended the Global Gift Gala hosted in Dubai along with Eva Longoria Bastón, Deepak Chopra and Huda Kattan among others. The evening promised to be a glittering fusion of celebrity and philanthropy. Launched by philanthropist Maria Bravo the Global Gift Gala Dubai, in association with the Global Gift Foundation, aims to elevate the well-being and lives of children and families.

Returning to Dubai for the sixth time, the black-tie event was held at Dubai’s Grosvenor House, on December 13. The star-studded affair featured a gala dinner and auction of both luxury goods and experiences.

Funds raised at this charity event will go towards UAE-based charity Dubai Cares and the Global Gift Foundation, which seeks to help underprivileged children around the world.

A source reports, “Among one of the four Indians in this high-profile event, Shilpa Shetty Kundra attended as a special guest for the high-impact charity gala. Having been a part of several fundraisers, she has been known for her philanthropic work. Apart from donating the earnings from a celebrity game show she was part of, to rebuild an orphanage, Shilpa invested in improving the lives of the underprivileged, with the Shilpa Shetty Foundation that provides shelter and education to orphans. She has also taken several children's homes under her wing, underwriting the cost of running them.”

When contacted said  Shilpa Shetty Kundra, "I am happy to lend my voice to charities that attempt to help underprivileged kids. Eva invited me via a common friend, and it was great meeting her. I hope we are able to achieve what the charity has set out to."

Karanvir Bohra's Daughter Bella THINKS Her Daddy Lives In Salman Khan's House!

Bigg Boss is approaching its final leg & it'll only get tougher. The contestants had a breath of fresh air this week as Bigg Boss celebrated the family week. It was an emotional upheaval as respective family members of the inmates paid them a visit inside the house.

It was the kids that stole the show, especially Karanvir and Teejay's twin daughters. Karanvir's 2 year old Bella won the hearts of the audience with her sweet smile & her unconditional love for daddy cool. The highlight of the show was Bella doing well in a quick test where Teejay asked her capitals of different countries.

They infant took social media by frenzy with viewers tweeting in huge numbers for Bella. It broke everyone's heart as the twin daughters began to cry when they had to exit the house & say goodbye to Karanvir.

As per a source close to the show, 'The kids were uncontrollably crying once outside the house as they were separated from Karanvir. Bella kept calling out Salman Khan's nam repeatedly as she thinks that her daddy lives in Salman Khan's house'

This afternoon, Teejay put up an adorable video where little Bella is seen leaving her house with a bag wearing her shoes & claiming to go to 'Salman Khan House'. 

This video will definitely lift your day & make you smile.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrPkXa4l_9D/

If Salman is listening we are sure he too will have a smile on his face, isn't it?