When Tauranis sent a cake measuring 3 by 6 feet to Subhash Ghai

Fabulous future TIPS Films has lined up three films for the next year. The first is the Rajkumar Santoshi-directed Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, there is an untitled film directed by Kedar Shinde (who’s given five to six superhit films in Marathi) featuring Tabu, Sharman Joshi, Uvika Chowdhury, Read More">VatsalRead More

Fabulous future

TIPS Films has lined up three films for the next year. The first is the Rajkumar Santoshi-directed Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, there is an untitled film directed by Kedar Shinde (who's given five to six superhit films in Marathi) featuring Tabu, Sharman Joshi, Uvika Chowdhury, Vatsal Seth, Ayub Khan and others. There is another untitled film to be directed by David Dhawan. The film, a remake of Amar Akbar Anthony will feature all the Khan brothers (Salman, Arbaaz an Sohail Khan).

Not clarifying the rumours of a rift between the two brothers, Ramesh Taurani chooses to inform that his partner and elder brother Kumar Taurani is all set to produce two films of which one is being directed by Kuki Gulati (music video director with TIPS) starring Viveik Oberoi.The other project is still under finalisation.

So as of now the only way for TIPS is upwards!

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When the Tauranis entered into business, trading in music records and audio cassettes in 1976, little did they know that 32 years later, they would be one of the most respected film production houses. Innovations in music, films and star launches has been their forte. Even as their latest venture Kismat Konnection hits the theatres, Read More">Read More

When the Tauranis entered into business, trading in music records and audio cassettes in 1976, little did they know that 32 years later, they would be one of the most respected film production houses. Innovations in music, films and star launches has been their forte. Even as their latest venture Kismat Konnection hits the theatres, TIPS Industries Ltd., gears up with an impressive line-up of three films in the next year

Musical beginning

In 1976, the Taurani brothers - Kumar S Taurani and Ramesh S Taurani set up a small shop situated at Lamington Road, the hub of Mumbai's music industry. They would trade in music records and cassettes of two of the biggest companies in the country - HMV and Music India. By 1977, they were the biggest dealers for these companies in Western India.

Encouraged by their first grand success and determined to make their dream see the light of day the Taurani brothers put forth several ideas which went into creating their own record label. Along with a few trusted friends, they analysed the market, derived their strengths, evaluated their business plans meticulously and went opportunity shopping. After countless days of deep thinking, the Tauranis launched their own brand TIPS in 1981. That is the time they used to record basic music albums like light music, bhajans and folk music and later used to sell them in the form of audio cassettes. They found the response good and that encouraged the siblings to try their hand at more innovative musical performances. "What encouraged us was when our album Kalakar Ek, Awaaz Anek sung by Milan Singh did a roaring business moreso in North India. The response that we got from the North was an eye-opener and we came to know the enormous market the region had in store," elaborates Ramesh Taurani, vice-chairman of TIPS Industries Ltd.

The forte of TIPS, apart from selecting the right kind of music, lay in music promotion. The company has always been empowered by innovation, their marketing approach bringing stupendous success and winning them great acclaim. The ability of the company to adapt itself to changing market trends has been proved extremely relevant in its success.The company today owns more than 3,500 titles of which at least 10 have sold over 10 million units, and over 15 have grossed more than 5 millions in sales and another twenty have bagged sales of about a million. Since 1981, TIPS has the highest number of gold and platinum discs to their credit in comparison with any other record label in India.

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Rocking Khal-Nayak milesone TIPS also has the soundtrack copyrights of at least 500 Hindi movies, while the soundtrack copyright of each movie costs about a million dollars and another million dollars is spent on promotion. In 1988, Read More">TIPS entered the film industry and started acquiring audio rights of Hindi films. The next year saw aRead More

Rocking Khal-Nayak milesone

TIPS also has the soundtrack copyrights of at least 500 Hindi movies, while the soundtrack copyright of each movie costs about a million dollars and another million dollars is spent on promotion. In 1988, TIPS entered the film industry and started acquiring audio rights of Hindi films.

The next year saw a big round of excitment among the Tauranis when their album Patthar Ke Phool (1991) that had music by RaamLaxman became their first hit. The second filmwas the N. Chandra-directed Narsimha (1991). "After two resounding successes to our credit, it was time when filmmakers felt that TIPS industries had arrived and felt here was a company that could pump in money," says an excited Taurani. TIPS' first blockbuster of an album came in the form of Phool Aur Kante (1991) the music of which was scored by Nadeem Shravan. The album did phenomenal business in the audio circuit. " It was the time when Venus' album of Saajan was working wonders. We had to use a great deal of our acumen in marketing to be in competition and eventually emerge winners, " says Taurani. Then TIPS acquired the audio rights of Khuda Gawah (1992). With the passage of time, the industry recognised TIPS as a force to reckon with.

"Since we entered the audio industry, my ambition was to have the audio rights of a Subhash Ghai film someday. When we came to know that Subhashji had not yet sold the audio rights of Saudagar, we approached him and expressed our desire to acquire the music rights of the film to which he said that he had already ventured into a verbal contract with HMV and promised us to give the audio rights of his next film. When the film's music was released, I heard it carefully and jotted down the high points of the album like the composition, arrangement, crooning etc. I put the same down on paper and sent the same with a cake measuring 3 by 6 feet with a message that read 'Saudagar sauda kar, TIPS ke saath sauda kar' to him. He was so impressed with our gesture that he showed the cake to all his distributors. He later confessed that he was taken aback by our gesture, knowing the fact that we were not at all connected with the film in question. It is since then that we developed an excellent rapport with Subhash Ghai that paved the way for a long association with him starting from Khal-Nayak, the rights of which was acquired by us at a handsome price." One day when Ghai went to meet Laxmikant of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo, he asked him to compose excellent music for the film. When Laxmiji asked him why he was saying all this, Subhashji replied, "I have sold the music rights of Khal-Nayak to TIPS at a fantastic price and I don't want them to go at a loss."

By 1993, TIPS was an established music company and film producers knew that 'here was a company that had transparency in their dealings'. The story went on and TIPS acquired prestigious films like Gupt, Barsaat, Raja, Pardes, Taal, Yaadein, Mann and many other soundtracks of films from big-banner production houses. This is when the thought of getting into film production creeped in.

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Blockbusters galore In 1994, TIPS first ventured into film poduction by announcing as many as five joint ventures. “We did Raja Hindustani with Cineyug, Coolie No.1 with Vashu Bhagnani, Jeet with Sajid Nadiadwala, Beqabu, with N.Chandra and with N.R. Pachisia we did Haqeeqat. “After releasing all the films successfully, Read More">the Tauranis floated their ownRead More

Blockbusters galore

In 1994, TIPS first ventured into film poduction by announcing as many as five joint ventures. "We did Raja Hindustani with Cineyug, Coolie No.1 with Vashu Bhagnani, Jeet with Sajid Nadiadwala, Beqabu , with N.Chandra and with N.R. Pachisia we did Haqeeqat. "After releasing all the films successfully, the Tauranis floated their own production house by the name of Tips Films. Tips' first film was Auzaar that was released in 1997 after which there was no looking back. Today there is a great hullabaloo when production houses are entering into joint ventures. "In fact we were the first company to have started the business of entering into joint ventures, " recalls Taurani.

In 1996-97 TIPS had as many as five films on the floor in the form of Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Soldier, Kachche Dhaage, Kunwara and Kya Kehna. The highlight of TIPS Films is that it has produced films of all genres viz, Kya Kehna (social), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (historical), Soldier (action thriller), Kachche Dhaage (drama), Kunwara (comedy). "Let me tell you that we have been setting trends which other filmmakers are following, " avers a jubiliant Taurani adding, " We always feel good that whatever we start becomes a trend."

"In 2003, TIPS produced Ishq Vishq launching Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao. The film that was shot in college campuses, instantly connected with the youngsters for its authenticity. "After that several films was made on the subject but they failed to click. I am always of the view that irrespective of the genre, the script should be good. And it is a universal fact that script should be the real hero, " adds Taurani.

TIPS Films has worked with the best of directors on the scene like Abbas Mustan in Race--termed as the biggest hit of 2008, Aziz Mirza whose film Kismat Konnection starring Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan is due to release on July 18, Kundan Shah and David Dhawan. TIPS also has an in-house Artiste Management Division through which they launched the likes of Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao and Urvashi Sharma and directors like Sohail Khan, Milan Luthria and Ken Ghosh.

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