Anil Ambani’s Reliance Big Entertainment has announced the biggest foray ever by an Indian company into Hollywood and also Bollywood.
MUMBAI: Anil Ambani’s Reliance Big Entertainment has announced the biggest foray ever by an Indian company into Hollywood and also Bollywood.
Over the next two years, Reliance Big officials announced in Cannes, that the company will pump in $1 billion (Rs4,250 crore) to make about 100 films in Hindi, English and eight other Indian languages.
It would partner the who’s who of Hollywood — Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Nicholas Cage, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, Chris Columbus and Jay Roach —- for about 30 international feature films.
The hottest Hollywood actresses will have roles to play. The deals provide for the creation of a development silo for each of the production entities and the possibility of Reliance co-financing projects that emanate from these deals.
For any greenlit projects using Reliance funds, the filmmakers will enjoy creative and fiscal freedom. For US studios, Reliance ADAG provides a partner with expertise in India.
Reliance Big will soon open offices in New York and Los Angeles and Reliance BIG chairman Amit Khanna says that this is “just the beginning of a long relationship with Hollywood”.
Creative Artists Agency, which has been scouting Indian entertainment firms for Hollywood, was the chief advisor for broking these deals, and will continue to advise Reliance Big on its Hollywood strategy.
Although no company official in India could be reached for comment, it is learnt that Reliance Big’s presence across the entire entertainment value chain was a major driver in Hollywood’s confidence in the company.
Creative Artists’ interest in the Indian film market is thanks to the emergence of Indian entertainment conglomerates in the form of companies like UTV, Pyramid Saimira, Eros, Percept Picture Company among others. All of these companies have a production slate in excess of 15 films over the next one year.
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