Touch Carrom integrates with Striker to becomes the first ever official iPhone game of a Bollywood movie!

The Indian Film Company and Studio 18 have tied up with ZENTITY s.r.o., the makers of popular iPhone game Touch Carrom, to promote their upcoming release, Striker.

Touch Carrom brings the favorite Indian carrom board game to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Touch-based game controls give the players very realistic game play.

Striker top lines Siddharth (of Rang De Basanti fame), a young carrom champ who is forced to give up the game to pursue other ambitions abroad. Destiny and circumstances bring him back to the game to earn money.

Commented Hemant Bhardwaj, SVP, Intl. Business, Studio18, said, “Looking for innovative and high impact ideas to create interest around over movies, Touch Carrom perfectly fit the bill for Striker.”

ZENTITY has released a special Striker Edition of Touch Carrom, which is a special free update to Touch Carrom available world-wide through Apple’s App Store in iTunes, iPhone or iPod Touch.

Abhishek Balaria, Founder, ZENTITY s.r.o said, “This is an exciting partnership, which helps us to bring a world class gaming experience to traditional Indian games. This is the first integrated movie and gaming experience and we believe that it will be an important trend. Studio 18 are truly an innovative partner to work with.”

Striker comes from Chandan Arora, the director of Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh and Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. It releases in Indian theaters on 5 February, 2010. It has already created history by becoming the first Indian feature to premiere internationally on YouTube (www.youtube.com/studio18) day and date with its Indian release.

Device Requirements: iPhone or iPod Touch version 2.0 or later (iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPod 3rd Gen tested)

Pricing and Availability: Touch Carrom is only $0.99 (USD) as a limited offer and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

Touch Carrom: Striker Edition – http://touchcarrom.com

Purchase and Download: http://itunes.apple.com/app/touchcarrom/id337993724?mt=8

YouTube & Indian Films collaborate to premiere the first ever Bollywood release, day and date with its Indian theatrical release on February 5

Mumbai (27 January, 2010) – Produced by The Indian Film Company in association with Studio 18, Striker will be the first Bollywood feature to be premiered on YouTube, day and date with its Indian theatrical release on February 5, 2010.

This historical milestone, which marks Bollywood’s first major embrasure of the online medium as a crucial revenue generator, will also pave the way for other Indian film companies to look outside of a conventional theatrical release towards alternate modes of distribution. By releasing this film on YouTube, Studio18 will offer Bollywood fans outside of India a high quality and on demand option for watching the latest Bollywood film.

In the US, Striker will be available for rent on YouTube. Outside the US, Striker will be available for free on Studio18’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/studio18. In order to ensure that the revenues from the Indian theatrical release are maximised, the movie will be not be available for the YouTube traffic originating from India.

Commented Sandeep Bhargava, CEO of the advisor company to The Indian Film Company (Cyprus) Ltd. In India, ” Striker’s premiere on YouTube is yet another feather in our cap as YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community. We are excited about this association as this will help us reach out to our audience in a focused manner and a very cost-effective way.”

Amit Agrawal, Head of You Tube Partnerships, Google India, said, “Our goal at YouTube is to create a comprehensive destination for online video with a range of content, from user-generated clips to full-length shows and movies. We’re particularly excited to have the premiere of Striker on YouTube and available to Bollywood fans around the world on YouTube”

Recognising the importance of penetrating into the online space, the producers intend to offer their forthcoming titles for a YouTube premiere as well. Hemant Bhardwaj, SVP – International Business, Studio18, said “This is a redefining moment. The success of this project will put wings to our films, which are rich in content but unable to find optimal distribution abroad because they don’t feature the conventional stars.”

Striker top-lines Telugu superstar Siddharth Narayan (of Rang De Basanti fame) with Anupam Kher, Aditya Panscholi, Vidya Malavade and others. It has been directed by Chandan Arora, whose previous ventures, Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh and Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon had been critically acclaimed.

The award-winning streak for The Indian Film Company-Mira Nair presentation, Little Zizou, continues. Writer turned director Sooni Taraporevala’s English feature won the audience award for Best Feature at the recently concluded Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA). The film was screened at the Arclight Theatre on Sunset Boulevard where it found an overwhelming response.
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THE INDIAN FILM COMPANY & BEND IT FILMS IN STRATEGIC TIE-UP TO PRODUCE GURINDER CHADHA’s NEXT

The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films announced their strategic tie-up for the co-production of acclaimed director Gurinder Chadha’s next venture, ‘It’s A Wonderful Afterlife’. The co-producers will enjoy global revenues in perpetuity.
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