Adgully Exclusive | Media's moonwalk: Spl features to mark Michael Jackson's 1st death anniversary

Till June 25 last year, few people outside the medical and pharmaceutical fraternity had heard of the drug Propofol. But today, as the world observes the first death anniversary of the King of Popdom, Michael Jackson, Propofol ” a short-acting hypnotic agent ” is widely known as the drug that killed Jackson, a mesmerising agent for billions of music lovers across the world. Jackson, it is said, had a doctor administer the drug to mitigate the stress caused by the preparations for a comeback tour. Something went wrong, and the world had to bid farewell to MJ, forever.

To mark the anniversary, Adgully records the tributes paid by the notables of India's entertainment industry.

Remo D'Souza, a renowned Bollywood choreographer, said that an affirming message could be gleaned from MJ's life: "Be happy and keep dancing!" D'Souza said that he had planned no special event to commemorate the death anniversary. "But I will celebrate his birthday, which falls on August 29," he said. "I am going to do a concert in Mumbai."

MJ fans looking for commemorative offerings, however, can turn to 94.3 Radio One. Vineet Singh Hukmani, 94.3 Radio One's managing director, said: "94.3 Radio One is India's only music station and we pay respect to a musician of Michael Jackson's calibre by not just playing his songs like other radio stations, but by performing his songs." Hukmani said that all of the channel's stations would feature special performances by in-house musicians. "Our friends from bands will also render special versions of Jackson's songs," he said. "Our listeners expect us to be more passionate than others on the music front and we cannot let them down."

Indeed, Jackson fans would want to savour unique programming on every media platform. And it is learnt that all media players ” from print, TV, radio, and the internet spaces” have planned features on June 25 specifically meant to benefit from MJ-philia. That is a fact which is not lost on PIX. Himmat Butalia, the marketing head of PIX, said: "We have organised the television premiere of "This Is It' to mark the one-year death anniversary of Michael Jackson." Butalia said that Jackson remained the most loved pop artiste in the world. "His death shook the globe," he said. "This extraordinary film allows fans to witness the talent which made Jackson a genius. This film gets you incomparably close to the legend."

Hukmani of 94.3 Radio One agreed with Butalia's assessment of Jackson. "Michael Jackson, the human has passed away, but his music is immortal," Hukmani said. "His style is the benchmark that will always inspire future generations. So we are not paying tribute to the man who has gone, but we are celebrating his eternal genius".

Hukmani said that as a way of paying homage to Jackson, Radio One would ensure that it does its utmost to encourage musicians to showcase their talent. "We are dedicated equally film and non-film musicians," he said. "We will amplify their passion and help them expand their fan base."

As for PIX's MJ plan, Butalia said that the screening of "This Is It' (at 9 pm on June 25) would be followed by a never-seen feature. "It's a 45-minute video of MJ called "Ghosts'," Butalia said. "We want to treat all MJ fans in India with these two properties because we know the sort of fan-following he has and will continue to command in India."