Akshay to Speak in Arabic in his Upcoming Flick 'Airlift'

 

Mumbai, March 4, 2015: Akshay Kumar has always been known for his rigorous hard work that he puts in each and every shot for his movies. Famous for doing his own stunts in his film, the actor is all geared up to perfect his tongue for Arabic. Yes, he has been learning the language for the past three weeks to deliver his lines accurately with the correct diction for his upcoming film ‘Airlift’.

 

Raja Menon, the director of ‘Airlift’, said, “Akshay always works very hard to get his roles perfect. His dedication is commendable and I know he will give the film his best.”

Airlift is going to be a highly entertaining movie which is surely going to give the audience an adrenaline rush, keeping them glued to their seat. The story revolves around the biggest human evacuation in world history.

 

A rich and powerful businessman, Ranjit Katyal, played by Akshay Kumar, becomes the saviour for 1,70,000 Indians stranded in Kuwait for the Iraqi invasion. Ranjit who never considered himself much of an Indian, has to speak in Arabic at certain points in the film.

 

The producer of the film, Nikhil Advani said, “Akshay is a perfectionist. The minute he found out he had a few dialogues in Arabic, he immediately started learning the language, so he could perfect the tonality and pronunciations of each word.”

 

Here’s wishing the hero bit-tawfiq (good luck) with his new flick, and also with the new language.

‘Airlift’ is produced under the Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures LLP along with T-Series and Cape of Good, in strategic partnership with Abundantia Entertainment.

 

 

McDonald's India Ranked the Best Company to Work for in Food Retail Category by the Great Place to Work(R) Institute in India

 

McDonald’s India Ranked the Best Company to Work for in Food Retail Category by the Great Place to Work® Institute in India

 

Mumbai, March 4^th 2015 – Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited (HRPL), a Master Franchisee for West & South India operations of McDonald’s® Restaurants and a subsidiary of the BSE listed Westlife Development Limited (BSE: 505533), has been ranked at first place among food retailers in India, by the Great Place to Work^® Institute. The coveted ranking is India’s largest annual study of workplace excellence and is based on confidential employee feedback and an audit of management processes by the Great Place to Work^® Institute in partnership with the Retailers Association of India.

Commenting on the announcement, Ms. Seema Arora Nambiar, Senior Director – People Resources, McDonald’s® India- West & South said, "It is an honour to be recognized as a leader among India’s best places to work – in the food retail category. Our unique Employee Value Proposition of Fun, Flexibility and Future is the very foundation of business at McDonald’s®. Our ranking among the best places to work is a testament to our strong people policies. We believe that our people are our strongest brand attribute, and we strive to provide them a positive, friendly, collaborative working environment. McDonald’s® also offers them an outstanding opportunity to grow through diverse career development choices. In addition, employees have the option of working across functions with market-leading technology and innovations “

 

Ms. Basuri Dutta, Practice head, Great Place to Work® India added, “Retailers Association of India (RAI) and Great Place To Work® Institute came together to study various retail organizations in the country, to identify a list of India’s Best Retail Companies To Work For - 2015. In the second year of this Best Workplaces List, over 40 organizations from the Retail Industry in India reached out to Great Place To Work® Institute to be considered In order to be considered for a spot on this prestigious list, organizations undergo a detailed assessment. The assessment studies employees’ perceptions and strength of people related management practices. McDonald’s (Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited) was ranked as the 4th best organization on this list.

McDonald’s in India (Hardcastle Restaurants) has the distinction of being an organization that has scripted many a success stories. Young employees for many of whom McDonald’s was their first job, have built successful careers or learnt to aspire for one here.

At a workplace where more than 95 percent of the employees do not have personalised email address, McDonalds has been successful in creating a culture of information sharing. Their latest internal communication campaign “Let’s Ketchup” is one of their many internal communication practices that have contributed towards their success in reducing the attrition at crew level – a difficult challenge to around in the sector. In line with their focus on understanding the socio-economical context of their people and providing for their unique needs, the organization supports its people in learning while earning. They make it easy for their people to continue working and learning at the same time by partnering with educational institutes and extending up to 48 days of paid leave to those who participate in these courses. These are just some of the reasons why Hardcastle Restaurant’s (McDonald’s) is a Great Place to Work!”

McDonald’s® India is an equal opportunity employer and provides quality employment and long-term careers not only to first time job seekers but also to those who have basic training in the hospitality sector. Each employee undergoes intensive training, based on international modules, that equips them to meet and master day-to day operational and business challenges that they could face on ground.

The success of creating and maintaining an environment that brings out the best in its most important resource, its people, has allowed McDonald’s® to maintain its reputation as a great place to work not only in India but across the world. At McDonald’s, employees are presented with multiple opportunities to progress quickly through in their career. Employee engagement is key to having a loyal and confident workforce which is an imperative for providing the best possible service to the 320 million customers McDonald’s serves in India annually.

 

About Hardcastle Restaurants:

Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRPL) is a McDonald’s franchisee with rights to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants in India’s west and south markets.  HRPL has been a franchisee in this part of India since its inception in 1996.

HRPL serves approximately 180 million customers, annually, at its 202 (as of December 31, 2014) McDonald’s restaurants across 24 cities in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Madhya Pradesh, and provides direct employment to over 8,000 employees. McDonald’s operates through various formats and brand extensions including standalone restaurants, drive-thru’s, 24/7, McDelivery, dessert Kiosks. The menu features Burgers, Finger Foods, Wraps, Hot and Cold Beverages besides a wide range of desserts. Several of the McDonald’s Restaurant feature in-house McCafé. 

The pillars of the McDonald's system – Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value – are evident at each of the restaurants where HRPL operates.

 

About Great Places to Work Institute India

The Great Place to Work® Institute India is part of the world’s largest consultancy specialising in helping organisations build high trust, high engagement workplaces. Every year Great Place to Work® surveys more than 7,000 organisations around the world representing over 10 million employees. This gives us unrivalled insight into what organisations across all sectors and cultures do that create engaged workforces and the issues and challenges they face along the way.

About Restaurant Association of India:

Retailers Association of India (RAI) is the unified voice of Indian retailers. RAI is a not-for-profit organization (registered under section 25 of Companies Act, 1956), works with all the stakeholders for creating the right environment for the growth of the modern retail industry in India. RAI is the body that encourages, develops, facilitates and supports retailers to become modern and adopt best practices that will delight customers. RAI has a three charter aim of Retail Development, Facilitation and Propagation.