Tag: Parineeti Chopra

Mission Raniganj box office collection: Akshay Kumar’s film sees 69% jump on Day 2

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Akshay Kumar’s latest film ‘Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue’ failed to meet the box office’s expectations on Day 1. With a collection of just Rs 2.8 crore on Friday, the film left trade analysts and film critics with a huge disappointment.

Now, Day 2 numbers of the much-hyped film are finally out. As per the media reports, the film did pick up on Saturday but fell short of the collection expected from an Akshay Kumar movie. The film till now has collected Rs 7.5 crore in total, with Saturday’s collection standing at Rs 4.70 crore. The movie witnessed an almost 69 percent jump on its second day.

The Tinu Suresh Desai directed the film released in theatres on October 6. Akshay Kumar portrays the character of Jaswant Singh Gill in the film. Gill is a real-life hero for saving the lives of 65 miners stuck inside a flooded coal mine in West Bengal’s Raniganj back in 1989.

The movie also stars newly-wed Parineeti Chopra along with Ravi Kishan, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Varun Badola, Dibyendu Bhattacharya among others in the prominent characters.

This film marks Akshay Kumar’s second collaboration with Tinu Suresh Desai, the first being ‘Rustom’ in 2016, which got the actor his first National award.

Also Read:Happy Birthday Akshay Kumar: A look at OMG 2 actor’s net worth, businesses and assets

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

AAP MP Raghav Chadha, Parineeti Chopra offer prayers at Golden Temple

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra offered prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday.

Before paying obeisance, Chadha and Chopra performed ‘sewa’ at langar (community kitchen) and washed utensils of visiting devotees.

Chadha and Chopra got engaged on May 13 in a ceremony in Delhi.

“Amidst sacred hymns and serenity, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and said a little prayer. With @ParineetiChopra by my side, it was even more special. Blessed to seek blessings at Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib ji in Amritsar today,” the Rajya Sabha MP tweeted.

Amidst sacred hymns and serenity, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and said a little prayer. With @ParineetiChopra by my side, it was even more special. Blessed to seek blessings at Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib ji in Amritsar today.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਫਤਹਿ pic.twitter.com/FfVnWMG1M6

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) July 1, 2023

Chopra in a tweet said, “My visit this time was even more special; with him by my side. @raghav_chadha.”

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AAP MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra exchange rings in private ceremony

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra got engaged on Saturday, May 13, in a private ceremony attended by family members and political leaders.

The couple shared the news on their respective Instagram pages, posting numerous photos capturing the occasion.

“Everything I prayed for .. She said yes!” wrote the 34-year-old Rajya Sabha MP.

Everything I prayed for .. She said yes! 💍
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਮਿਹਰ ਕਰਨ। 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/OquwJwHTDL

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 13, 2023

Around 150 guests, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Parineeti’s cousin, film star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, attended the ceremony which took place at Kapurthala House in Central Delhi.

Also read: Watch | Priyanka Chopra lands in Delhi to attend sister Parineeti’s engagement ceremony

The function commenced with Sukhmani Sahib path at 5 pm, followed by ardas. The engagement ceremony was held at 8 pm.

On this special occasion, Raghav donned an ivory achkan from his uncle, designer Pawan Sachdeva’s collection. Meanwhile, Parineeti, aged 34, wore a pastel peach dress by Manish Malhotra.

Other guests in attendance were Congress leader P Chidambaram, Aditya Thackeray, a leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Derek O’Brien, a leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Earlier in the day, Priyanka arrived from the US to attend the ring ceremony. She was dressed in a yellow saree and posed for photographs with Parineeti’s father, Pawan Chopra.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who arrived in the national capital in the morning, was spotted wearing a black and white kurta pyjama with a jacket for the function.

Speculations about the wedding of the Rajya Sabha MP and Chopra had started in March after they were seen together in Mumbai. They arrived in Delhi on Tuesday for their engagement ceremony.

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Watch | Priyanka Chopra lands in Delhi to attend sister Parineeti’s engagement ceremony

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Priyanka Chopra landed in Delhi on Saturday morning to attend the engagement ceremony of her cousin Parineeti Chopra with AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha. She was spotted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as she arrived to attend the engagement ceremony, which will be at Delhi’s Kapurthala House on Saturday evening.

#PriyankaChopra arrived at Delhi Airport for #ParineetiChopra & #RaghavChadha Engagement.

Over 150 Celebrities and Political Guest invited at the ceremony. Special Preparations for Media Person also happening.

Ceremony starts at 8 PM, Tonight.#ParineetiRaghavEngagement pic.twitter.com/incyRLLp06

— Ashwani kumar (@BorntobeAshwani) May 13, 2023

Priyanka was captured by paparazzi as she left the airport wearing a beige co-ord set, in an uber-cool look with a black cap, handbag, sneakers and glasses. She greeted the paparazzi and fans present there with folded hands.

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Earlier it was reported that Priyanka’s husband Nick Jonas and daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas will also join Priyanka for the engagement bash. However, only Priyanka was spotted at the airport without her husband and daughter.

The Bollywood-theme-based engagement ceremony is set to take place later in the evening today. Raghav Chadha’s residence has also been decorated with flowers.

According to the news agency ANI, the engagement ceremony will begin at 5 pm at the Kapurthala House.

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The engagement will be performed as per Sikh rituals in the presence of the families of Parineeti and Raghav. The ceremony will begin with a Sukhmani Sahib Path followed by Ardas at 6 pm. Following the engagement, a lavish party will be hosted for the guests.

As per sources, apart from the 150 people from their families and close friends, special guests like Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra and Sania Mirza will also attend the ceremony.

Reports of Parineeti and Raghav dating each other emerged after the duo was spotted together at a lunch date in Mumbai earlier this year.

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As per reports, Parineeti and Raghav studied together at the London School of Economics and have been friends for a long time. They also follow each other on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Parineeti on the work front will next be seen sharing the screen with Punjabi pop artist/ actor Diljit Dosanjh in the film ‘Chamkila’.

The film directed by Imtiaz Ali, depicts the story of popular Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Do Bollywood celebrities help foreign tourism boards that sign them up?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With 13.3 million followers on photo-sharing app Instagram and 9.5 million on Facebook, Ranveer Singh enjoys a following that few Bollywood stars can boast of. Such that when 33-old Singh, the first Indian ambassador of Switzerland Tourism, shares a picture posing against Lake Geneva or masquerading as Charlie Chaplin at the eponymous museum in Vevey, social media is instantly abuzz with young Indians fawning over his travel escapades through likes, shares and retweets.

Switzerland Tourism is elated, and why not. Before the association with Singh, the tourism board says, Switzerland was struggling to go beyond its clichéd image as a romantic destination for honeymoon couples, thanks to Yash Raj films. The need of the hour was to connect with young Indian travellers seeking newer destinations in the country along with high-adrenaline adventures.

“I think it (the association with Ranveer) has had a huge impact. Ranveer has been fronting the campaign, Ranveer and his team have been coming up with a lot of creative ideas. I think if we were talking about the same new destinations on our own we would have not had such an impact,” says Claudio Zemp, Director, Switzerland Tourism India.

Singh is not riding this bandwagon alone. Over the past three years, several foreign tourism boards have roped in Bollywood actors to promote their destinations, cuisines and activities through photographs and videos posted through the celebrity’s personal social media feeds. These Facebook posts and Instagram photos and stories are then liked and shared by online followers and fan clubs.

While Sidharth Malhotra of ‘Student of the Year’ fame was brought on-board as the brand ambassador for New Zealand Tourism in October 2015, Dubai Tourism collaborated with Shahrukh Khan in early 2017. Among female actors, Parineeti Chopra became the first Indian woman ambassador for Australia Tourism in September 2017. And earlier this year, Fiji tourism signed on ‘Barfi’ actor Ileana D’cruz.

Brand consultants believe the digital medium brings far more benefits compared with traditional media, for the tourism boards as well as actors. For example, it speaks directly to the specific target audience and also offers exponential reach through the power of likes, shares and retweets.

“I think that is a fantastic strategy. Because when they are sharing their life with you, you almost become a peer group for them. You enjoy the holiday as they would. And therefore this is a much more relatable promise than having an endorsement where Amitabh Bachchan comes and says you should travel and it’s a prescriptive way of saying you should travel to Gujarat,” says Alpana Parida, Managing Director, DY Works, referring to Amitabh Bachchan’s famous campaign for Gujarat Tourism. “The difference between the older kind of advertising was where somebody told you this is what you should do as opposed to someone showing what they’re doing. So this is definitely more appealing,” she adds.

The digital medium also proves to be far more cost effective than traditional media.

“Traditional media print and TV is very expensive. Most brands can’t afford to sign a celebrity and then pay for media. Digital honestly is the way to go. Especially if you see tourism boards and their target audience, most are high spending urban youth between 20-35 years and most consume content in the digital space, with not too many watching TV. Digital not only allows you to target a specific audience but also offers better ROIs. That’s why many brands go the digital and not the A-T-L way,” says Indranil Das Blah, Co-Founder at Kwan Entertainment & Marketing Solutions, a celebrity talent management firm.

For Bollywood actors, representing these exalted locations is not only financially lucrative, but also offers high visibility on online platforms.

Says Blah: “A typical endorsement contract is very different from 3-4 years ago. A few years ago a celebrity would give his time and that would be used to shoot a TVC or print shoot. Today each contract has a digital component. Irrespective of how many days the celebrity offers to give for the campaign shoot, there is also a requirement for a particular number of posts on Twitter, FB, and Instagram. So if helps both parties because the brand gets a lot of engagement. For the ambassador, there is a lot more amplification in the digital space which, in turn, gets more content and in turn more followers. So it’s a win-win to be more integrated into the digital medium.”

“A flat fee required the star to simply show up, be present for the shoot and may be emote a bit. This requires engagement from them, to co-opt the brand, work for it to drive traffic to their post, driving traffic to the destination. There are more than just an ambassador, they’re working for the brand. In that scenario, to be working for a variable fee on actual outcomes is a much smarter move for both. The brand will largely pay on success of the campaign and for stars, that success gives them better returns. So again it’s a big win-win,” adds Parida of DY Works.

But the moot question is: are these celebrity associations actually increasing tourist inflow to these destinations? Swiss Tourism says the alpine nation has witnessed a strong surge in Indian travellers after associating with Ranveer. In 2017, Switzerland saw an annual increase of 23.4 percent in the overnights spent by Indians in the country.

Zemp says: “With a 23 percent increase in overnights, it’s clear we’re getting an increase in passengers coming and the number of people applying for visas have increased dramatically. Even this year, we already have almost 30% more people applying for visas to come through the Swiss Embassy.”

New Zealand has also seen double digit growth in Indian travellers over the past two years. Figures from New Zealand tourism’s annual reports for 2015-16 and 2016-17 show the total number of Indian travelers grew 13.35 percent in 2016 and 15.2 percent in 2017. Growth in holiday visitors from India, however, saw a sharp drop from 22.10 percent in 2016 to 7 percent in 2017.

New Zealand’s tourism board said Sidharth’s brand appeal has resulted in New Zealand enjoying greater top-of-mind recall. Quoting its annual report for 2016-17, “Bollywood star Sidharth Malhotra continues to be our proud ambassador in India. His visit in November gained widespread media coverage across print, online, social and TV channels. PR content from Sidharth’s visit reached 55 percent of all active considerers, up significantly from his 2015 visit (37 percent). This suggests that content and channels are having greater cut through, and the strength of the relationship is resulting in enhanced campaign effectiveness.”

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan’s collaboration with Dubai Tourism through the award-winning ‘BeMyGuest’ campaign has also garnered widespread attention and led to a surge in Indian travellers to the gulf emirate. According to figures published by Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai witnessed 15 percent growth in tourist arrivals from India in 2017. Hosting 2.1 million visitors, India also retained the top spot in terms of visitor arrivals.

While Indian travellers are increasingly visiting places endorsed by celebrities, brand consultants are quick to add that stars alone cannot ensure higher tourist inflows. On one hand, the cost of travel, facilities offered by the destination and climatic conditions are important factors that determine a traveller’s holiday destination. On the other, even a big-ticket actor will be unable to change fortunes of a promising destination if the advertising communication fail to strike a chord with discerning young travellers.

“Fiji, for example, has roped in Ileana, who is possibly a good fit because of the creatives.If the creatives don’t make sense, then the campaign won’t work (in drawing tourists). So it’s not really a function of which tier of celebrities are being roped in but how you use them that really matters,” says Blah of Kwan Entertainment.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow