The signs of corporatization in the film industry is not just restricted to Bollywood. Thanks to Sivaij, who big names of the entertainment industry are looking at regional cinema too. The mother of all deals was by Adlabs, who signed Hrithik Roshan for 35 crores for 3 films. The deal went awry inbetween but finally fell in place. They also signed Priyanka Chopra, Madhur Bandarkar and Metro-fame Anurag Basu for an undisclosed sum. Adlabs recently released their first tamil film - Kireedam which has Ajith in the lead. The movie was a co-production was Sujatha Cine Arts. Meanwhile, Eros International the largest distributor of Bollywood films has acquired a 51% controlling stake in Ayngaran, a tamil home video and distribution arm. Meanwhile, Pyramid Saimira a Indo-Malaysian company raised $80 million on the Singapore Stock Exchange to raise capital to acquire theatres and film in India, most importantly AP and Tamil Nadu.
The so-called corporates tried to make an entry into the movie business before, but failed miserably. The Birla Group produced a telugu film under their banner 'Applause Entertainment', which sank without trace and the company shut shop. UTV, the integrated media congolomerate which has presence in television and films has struck a deal with Mahesh Babu. The buzz in the trade is that, they have reportedly paid the star a hefty sum of 15 crores for 3 films. The movies would be produced by UTV with top talent in the industry. As UTV and Mahesh are tight lipped about it, its not known if the contract is exclusive. If so, it closes doors for other producers to solely produce the film with Mahesh. They can only co-produce a film with UTV.
UTV produced films like Rang De Basanti, Life in a Metro, Khosla Ka Ghosla and has a major stake in Hungama, Disney's kids channel. UTV recently raised a sum of $70 million through the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London, by shedding some of its stake. Lets wait and watch how the industry reacts to it. Most of the top directors have taken an advance from other producers to make a film with Mahesh. Also, a few of Mahesh's forthcoming projects are produced on his home banner. In that case, they would become co-productions with UTV. An official announcement from the star and the studio is awaited.
The so-called corporates tried to make an entry into the movie business before, but failed miserably. The Birla Group produced a telugu film under their banner 'Applause Entertainment', which sank without trace and the company shut shop. UTV, the integrated media congolomerate which has presence in television and films has struck a deal with Mahesh Babu. The buzz in the trade is that, they have reportedly paid the star a hefty sum of 15 crores for 3 films. The movies would be produced by UTV with top talent in the industry. As UTV and Mahesh are tight lipped about it, its not known if the contract is exclusive. If so, it closes doors for other producers to solely produce the film with Mahesh. They can only co-produce a film with UTV.
UTV produced films like Rang De Basanti, Life in a Metro, Khosla Ka Ghosla and has a major stake in Hungama, Disney's kids channel. UTV recently raised a sum of $70 million through the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London, by shedding some of its stake. Lets wait and watch how the industry reacts to it. Most of the top directors have taken an advance from other producers to make a film with Mahesh. Also, a few of Mahesh's forthcoming projects are produced on his home banner. In that case, they would become co-productions with UTV. An official announcement from the star and the studio is awaited.
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