Indian ‘Maxim’ could be sexy, but not pornographic

The Indian avatar of the UK-based general interest magazine for men, ‘Maxim’, is ready to hit the stands in Christmas week. The Indian edition is being brought out as per an exclusive licence agreement with Media Transasia. This will be the magazine’s 30th international edition.

According to Piyush Sharma, CEO and associate publisher of ‘Maxim’ in India, the magazine should hit the stands around December 28. He reveals that the invitation price is Rs 60 and the magazine will start with a print run of 80,000 copies. Sharma continues, “In terms of design, the magazine will follow the international format. But in terms of content, 70 per cent will be local. The remaining 30 per cent will be international content, but adapted to suit Indian sensibilities.”

The first issue of the magazine is based on the theme of cars and bikes, says Sunil Mehra, editor-in-chief, ‘Maxim’, India. He says, “The magazine is an unabashed men’s magazine, but its tone is that of an elder brother talking to a younger one.”

He continues, “In terms of content, it is about all the things that men love, which includes sports, cars, bikes, video games and, yes, women. But let me add that 80 per cent of the magazine has nothing to do with women. It is not a pornographic magazine, it has a sexy image, but it is definitely not about sex.”

Mehra says, “The differentiator is the way we look at issues and in their treatment. There is a lot of punch in the way things are presented and I can promise that there will be no fatigue in the pages.”

Mehra elaborates on the biggest challenge that he faced while putting together the magazine – hiring the right kind of people as he was very clear that he did not want journalists.

So what did he do? Well, he looked for mavericks who were on the fringe, bright and savvy. His deputy editor is a chemistry major from St Stephen’s, his fashion editor, a woman who has been a travel interpreter. The team also includes a computer geek and an elite model.

As for competition from ‘Man’s World’, Mehra shrugs it off, saying, “‘Man’s World’ suffers from an identity crisis and it shows on its pages.”

Mehra says, “‘Maxim is like a nun and really conservative if you compare it to ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Gladrags’, ‘Cine Blitz’, ‘Stardust’, or for that matter, even ‘India Today’ or ‘Outlook’, when they do a sex survey as a cover story.”

As for who will be on the cover of the first issue of ‘Maxim’, that is a closely guarded secret. All that Mehra will reveal is that it will be a top Bollywood heroine.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!