Latest news with #Sivaprakash
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sivaprakash Interview: Ilaiyaraaja sir respects the director's vision
Director Sivaprakash believes that the word hero has become associated with fanaticism, almost worship. 'In Peranbum Perungobamum , there are only characters affected by the flow of the story. There aren't any heroes or heroines or any conventional character tropes,' he says, about his upcoming film. Peranbum Perungobamum is about a man facing casteist oppression in different phases of his life. 'In my life's story, I am the hero, in another person's life story they are the hero, but taken collectively the story is more important than those involved,' adds Sivaprakash. Peranbum Perungobamum , which is billed as a romantic thriller, marks the directorial debut of Sivaprakash and has music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. 'When it comes to making music for the film, Ilaiyaraaja sir respects the vision of the director,' says Sivaprakash with reverence for the veteran composer, when asked about the score for the film. Peranbum Perungobamum was shot mostly in Theni, around Pannaipuram, where Ilaiyaraaja is from. 'Since he is familiar with the place and the culture, the score for the film blended seamlessly with the culture that it sets out to portray.' Talking about Ilaiyaraaja, Sivaprakash mentions that 'He wants his music to bring the viewers into the story. He dislikes music that has no connection to the story.' Along with composing the music for Peranbum Perungobamum , Ilaiyaraaja also wrote the lyrics for three songs. The director says that the setting of the film has a major connection to its themes. 'Tamil Nadu feels like an entirely different world once you cross south of Chengalpattu. The film shows the culture and faith systems of the small villages and towns from that world,' says Sivaprakash. According to the director, the romantic thriller deals with heavy themes through the eyes of the protagonist. 'In the film, we see the phases of a man's life when he's in school, as an adult, and as a man in his forties. Peranbum Perungobamum shows the oppression faced by the man in those particular phases.' The director says he has done extensive research for the film, including filing an RTI to find out the number of honour killings cases in Tamil Nadu. 'The reason the official number of cases filed under the honour killing category is less is because many cases are filed under different reasons and move forward in that direction,' he reveals. The director says he chose to centre his film on the evils of casteism since the issue has left a deep impact on him. 'While in school, I read the lines about untouchability being a sin, an illness, and a crime. But instead of understanding those lines, I just moved past them. For untouchability to go away from society, we need to understand it first so that the next generation can do better.' Peranbum Perungobamum stars Vijith Bachan and Shali Nivekas, along with Mime Gopi, Deepa, Subatra Robert, and Aruldoss. Kamatchi Jeyakrishnan is producing the film under the E5 Entertainment banner, which is set to be released on May 16.
Campaign ME
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Campaign ME
Home Centre brings back fun fawazeers in Your Ramadan Answered campaign
Home Centre has launched the Your Ramadan Answered 360-degree, integrated campaign with a multi-touchpoint approach, bringing back the age-old family tradition of Ramadan Fawazeers – a set of riddles that sees the whole family gather around to guess the right answer. Told the through the lens of a large Emirati family through a four-part campaign, each riddle features different members of the family and each film campaign leaves viewers with a riddle to solve and a prize to win should they guess the answer correctly. The campaign reflects the sheer delight of looking forward to grandma's delicious kunafa, the restlessness of the kids in the build up to iftar, the reunion of the entire family captured in a family photograph, and the story of peculiar twins – which combine to create the perfect canvas for a four-part campaign. This engaging and interactive campaign has already witnessed scores of consumers taking to social media to partake of this guessing game, which culminating in a meaningful, thoughtful brand message, 'Your Ramadan Answered'. This campaign was a result of seamless collaboration between, Leo Burnett Middle East, which led creative strategy and communication, bringing the fawazeer-inspired storytelling to life; Initiative Media, which managed OOH execution, ensuring optimal placements for maximum visibility; and other value added services such as orchestrated influencer engagement and event activations. Commenting on the campaign, Siddarth Sivaprakash, Head of Brand and Marketing at Home Centre, Landmark Group, said, 'Ramadan is a key moment for families in the Middle East — a time to gather, celebrate, and create lasting memories at home. While our strategic approach has always been to make Home Centre synonymous with Ramadan, we realised that the occasion is celebrated by most brands through typical clichés.' Sivaprakash added, 'How could we, as Home Centre stand out with our consumers? How could we get them to believe that we are the brand that enables them to turn their home into a space that truly refelcts them? Above all, how could we get them to engage with our campaign? Riddled with all these questions that crop up every Ramadan, Home Centre turned this very problem into its biggest campaign for the year.' Rollout of Home Centre's Your Ramadan Answered campaign The 360-degree campaign included a digital-first execution, high-impact OOH strategy, influencer events and radio spots, creating an immersive approach that drove meaningful engagement, heightened awareness, and measurable conversions at scale. Vivek Narayanan, Senior Marketing Manager at Home Centre, Landmark Group, said, 'Given the advertising clutter around Ramadan, the objective of the campaign was to create a distinctive campaign that authentically resonated with the essence of the season while showcasing Home Centre's curated Ramadan collections in an inspiring and relatable way.' He added, 'The campaign was strategically designed to maximise impact during the pre-Ramadan period, which is critical for home-related purchases, ensuring Home Centre became the go-to brand for preparing for the Holy Month.' A multi-touchpoint approach driving maximum visibility Digital-first execution Launched on January 15th, 2025, the campaign kicked off with four engaging films, inviting audiences into an interactive storytelling experience. Four riddle films, each with corresponding reveal films, were released sequentially on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok. Each film invited customers to guess the answer and a chosen few were rewarded with a Home Centre voucher for the right answer. The films have garnered more than 56 million views across all platforms — a testament to the brand strategy's success in capturing audience attention and driving high engagement. The final reveal film is set for release on March 7th. 'We will continue to amplify digitally through additional reels and static content, and influencer partnerships to sustain engagement and excitement,' Sivaprakash added, High-impact OOH strategy To ensure top-of-mind recall, out-of-home (OOH) activations were strategically placed across key locations in both UAE and KSA. Home Centre opted for a strategic mix of Digital OOH, static billboards, and mobile OOH assets to reinforce brand messaging across multiple consumer touchpoints. This ensured dominant presence along key sites targeting daily commuters and high-footfall areas. 1/9 Home Centre Ramadan campaign Influencer event: an immersive Ramadan experience As part of the engagement strategy, Home Centre also hosted an exclusive influencer event, inviting over 180 top influencers across KSA, UAE and Kuwait for an immersive brand experience. The event showcased the Ramadan collection in an interactive setting, seamlessly extending the Fawazeer concept through interactive installations, storytelling-led product showcases allowing firsthand product explorations. Top content creators were invited to the Home Centre event, including prominent figures such as Chihab and Nour, Nora and Khalid, Rawan and Rayan, Nour Aljebri, Hinda, and Rasha Albeik from the UAE. From KSA, the event welcomed Nesma Elgohary, Joodiz Aziz, Abeer Sinder, Zainab Alblushi, and Keenaz Hakeem. Radio: reinforcing recall through radio spots To further extend the campaign's reach, Home Centre leveraged key radio networks to ensure brand presence during peak listenership hours. The brand secured morning and evening drive-time slots for maximum engagement. All in all, Home Centre's Ramadan campaign exemplifies the brand's commitment to pushing creative boundaries and delivering impactful marketing initiatives. 'Through a holistic approach — integrating digital, OOH, influencer collaborations, CRM, and radio — Home Centre has not only elevated brand awareness, but also strengthened its consumer connection. As the campaign unfolds, the brand continues to refine its strategy, ensuring Home Centre remains at the forefront of innovation in the home retail category,' Sivaprakash concluded. CREDITS: Client: Home Centre, Landmark Group Creative agency: Leo Burnett Middle East Media agency: Initiative Media Content creators: UAE Chihab and Nour Nora and Khalid Rawan and Rayan Nour Aljebri Hinda Rasha Albeik Content creators: KSA Nesma Elgohary Joodiz Aziz Abeer Sinder Zainab Alblushi Keenaz Hakeem
