Picture Perfect :: Top 10 Production Houses ::

Their well of imaginative thinking never runs dry, and they manage to churn out optimum output 365/12. But it’s the quality of their work — the critical factor that separates the creative from the clutter — that sets them apart. Here are the men (and women) who turned on the magic

1) Prahalad Kakar - Genesis Films

Bang on target! The relationship between fun, masti and good work at Genesis just refuses to stop. With Prahlad Kakar, the maverick, multifaceted ‘madman’ of the ad world at its helm, Genesis has literally nowhere to go - but stay at the top. Here’s what brought them good cheer this year: 7 Up Curvy; Maggi Tomato Ketchup; Bank of Baroda; Nestle Orange 100%; JK Lakshmi Cement; Parachute Aftershower; Kit Kat; HDFC Standard Life Insurance.

2) Prasoon Pandey: Corcoise Films

THE PRODUCER - director duo of Cyrus Pagdiwala and Prasoon Pandey seems to have got the formula for success right. It’s only been a short time since inception, but Corcoise is no stranger to awards; this year too, the production house bagged quite a handful at the Abbys. To name a few: Toyota Innova - Best Director - Silver, Best Performance (Actor) - Gold, Best Editing - Gold; SBI - Best Financial Advertising Campaign; Fevicol - Best On-going Campaign of the Year; Anacin - Best Performance (Actress ) - Silver; Franklin Templeton.

3) Rajiv Menon Productions

MENON’S name has been associated with a number of leading brands like Airtel, Colgate-Palmolive, Titan and Raymond. This association seems to have helped pump the adrenaline of the production house. Leaping five places to capture the third spot, Menon’s films include: ICICI Prudential; BRU; Raymond; Parachute Advansed Hair Oil; Brooke Bond Red Label; Vatika Saffron Soap; Ujala Supreme; Clinic Plus; Nescafe Classic; Emami Fairness Cream.

4) Chatterjee & Ghose: White Light Films

Shy guys White Light SLIPPED a place but White Light’s still safely ensconced in the Top 5. They may shy away from publicity, but the no-nonsense work of Subir Chatterjee and Namita Roy Ghose manages to garner enough attention from behind-the-scenes. Here are the ones that hogged the spotlight: Orra Heritage; UNHCR — Office, Child and Marital Abuse; Lifebuoy; World Literacy Day; Monster.com; Kissan Squash; Lakme Hairnext; Tanishq; Boroplus Body Lotion; Medimix Soap.

5) Prakash & Sneha Verma: Nirvana Films

Thanks to Prakash Varma’s good directorial work, Nirvana continues to impress. Awards at the Abbys, the Big Bang and the AAAI have helped the production house stay put at the No 5 spot. Its Greenply commercial was the most visible one, with a gold each at the Abbys and the Big Bang. Nirvana’s famous five are: Greenply — Gold at the Abbys and the Big Bang; Mirinda — Silver at the Abbys and the AAAI, Gold at the Big Bang; Hutch Delhi Half Marathon 2005 — Silver at the Abbys and Gold at the Big Bang ; Hutch Manners — Bronze at the Big Bang; Suzlon.

6) Gourisaria: Black Magic Films

BLACK Magic cast quite a spell on the international audience this year, with its TVC for Happy Dent and the public service film, Friends Without Borders. Happy Dent was the only Indian film shortlisted for the finals of Cannes 2005, while its variant, Happy Dent International, was released in the UK, Scandinavia and other European countries. Friends Without Borders also has the credit of being the first Indian public service film to be telecast by CNN Pakistan. Here are the ones that helped: Happy Dent; Happy Dent International; PSA Campaign — Condoms; PSA Films — Breast cancer, Lung cancer; Band-Aid; PSA Film — Friends Without Borders; Videocon; World Gold Council; Leela Kempinski; Parle Marie; Chlor-mint; Coke.

7) Pradeep Sarkar and Team: Apocalypso Films

Apocalypso has jumped five places to take the No 7 spot this year — probably it is Pradeep Sarkar’s spontaneity that’s helped the production house in its ascent. Some of its notable campaigns are: Kurkure; Rin; Cadburys Dairy Milk; Tata Indicom; Heroes AIDS campaign; Maruti; Parachute Hair Oil; Marico’s Hair N Care; McDowells; Camelia Soap and HDFC Home Loans.

8) Manchanda: MAD Films

MAD Films Down four places, MAD still features at No 8 because of the following campaigns: Bajaj Avenger; Parker Pens; Idea Cellular; Saint Gobain Glass; British Airways; Frooti; Thums Up; Bajaj Discover; VIP luggage; CreamBell Ice-cream; LG; Deutsche Bank; Airtel and Breeze Soaps.

9) Madhvani: Equinox Films

Can do better Equinox Losing its No 6 position, Equinox appears at the bottom of the ladder this time even though its made many of India’s best loved films in the past. It does seem to be a favourite with the cola companies, though, with films for Coca Cola; Pepsi (Oye Bubbly); Thums Up; Tata Indicom; SBI Mutual Fund and Cadburys Perk

10) Ramesh Deo and Team: Ramesh Deo Productions

Ramesh Deo Production collected a total of seven awards — two gold and five silver at the Abbys this year. While filmmaker Abhinay Deo won gold for Outstanding Direction on The Times of India ‘Pakya’ film, his production house won other gongs including Outstanding Music Score for Tata Safari Dicor . Three of the five silver tophies were for Outstanding Editing — one each for Supreme Sunflower Oil, Tata Safari Dicor and The Times of India. Their other work includes: Surf Excel; Tata Safari and SBI.