Viaan Mobiles With V-Assist Service Launched by Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra on Wednesday launched Viaan Mobiles in India, named for their three-year-old son.

Viaan Mobiles will be launched in India with five handsets boasting of a personalised concierge service, and will be priced between Rs. 849 to Rs. 12,999.

The phones were launched at a ceremony held in Mumbai with celebrity guests Malaika Arora Khan, Farah Khan, Manish Paul, and Jeetendra in attendance.

"The statistics say that India happens to be the second-largest consumer of mobile phones. And that was the deal-clincher for us to even make a foray here. I've also heard that we buy around 2 crore phones in a month in just India and 80 percent of those phones are below Rs. 10,000," Shilpa said at the event.

"And we cater to that market. I think even if we are able to conquer around 2-3 percent, which is about 500,000 mobiles in a month, we'll be home and that's what we've stepped out to do," she added.

Raj Kundra told media, "For us in India, the choice was mass or class, and we decided with Viaan to bring the class to the mass."

"I get to launch not only a mobile phone in this booming mobile phone market but it's also in my son's name. I've been part of this since inception and we've made sure that in this cluttered phone market, what could we do different than what's been there and done already," he said

"We are the first Indian phone brand to launch simultaneously in seven countries," he added.

The unique selling point of Viaan Mobiles is the V-Assist offered - a 24x7 personalized concierge service which will provide users details on best deals on products and services. Currently, V-Assist offers services in the field of travel, entertainment, shopping, gifting and utilities. The services will provide offers for any additional transactions such as travel, movie and event bookings, cruises, shopping with Shilpa and Raj's Best Deal TV and also other services such as delivering cakes, flowers, mobile recharges, bills, et al. The services are currently available through a phone call in two languages, English and Hindi.

The phones are launched at different price ranges to suit the needs of multiple consumers and each includes a one-year free subscription to V-Assist.

The five models are V-1.8 (Rs. 849), V-Emerge (Rs. 3,499), V-Empower (Rs. 4,899), V-Encore (Rs. 5,499), and V-Eternal (Rs. 12,499 for Black colour variant, and Rs. 12,999 for Gold colour variant), with the first a feature phone.

Kundra, chairman, Viaan Industries, said that "resonating with the brand name Viaan, meaning full of life and energy, we hope to provide consumers with smart phones that not only help them connect with loved ones but also take complete care of their needs".

"Viaan mobiles are trendy, strong and work on the latest technology," he added.