Category: Press Release

For Further Details Contact:

Fatema Nagree | +919867661126 | Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com

Launched in March 2020, Reliance Entertainment, Phantom Films and Mahesh Bhupathi’s ‘83 Believe’ is Now The First-Ever Indian Film Based Brand Launched With a Massive Product Line-up Across Multiple Categories

Posted on March 17, 2021June 5, 2021 by Amit Yadav

Inspired by 83, a Kabir Khan film, merchandise brand ‘83 Believe’ is now valued at more than INR 200 million, the widest consumer product range launched by any film-based property in India.

Mumbai, 17 March 2021: Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films had teamed up with Tennis Legend Mahesh Bhupathi’s Swag Fashions Hub Pvt. Ltd., a pioneer in Licensing & Merchandising business, a year ago, to create a unique fashion and lifestyle brand inspired by Kabir Khan’s 83. The brand ‘83 Believe’ offers cricket-themed merchandise inspired by the Indian Team’s victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

The merchandise has already recorded unprecedented successful sales even before the release of the film 83, which is slated to hit the screens on June 4, 2021, worldwide.

Pleased with the 83 Believe’s success, Kabir Khan, says, “India’s glorious 1983 Cricket World Cup story is undying, holding a special sentiment in every Indian’s heart. The response from the fans has been phenomenal. The brand stands for Cricket and celebrates its glorious heritage. It’s heartening to see 83 Believe connect with fans everywhere in the country.”

Mahesh Bhupathi shares, “Globally, there are several brands that celebrate the love for a certain sport and engage consumers who are passionate about those sports by offering them Lifestyle products that help them express themselves through merchandise. However, in our country, where we have a billion cricket-crazy fans, there is a void for a brand that celebrates cricket. Hence, our broad idea is to build the Brand ‘83 Believe’ by launching

Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment says, “Reliance Entertainment is focussing on strengthening its L&M business and building formidable franchises for films, beginning with 83. We already have a robust head-start with ‘83 Believe’ merchandise and consumers have been very receptive to the product lines. We continue to build the brand further by adding refreshed line-of-products with our licensees across fashion, home, stationery, mobile accessories and more.”

The Licensing & Merchandising program for ‘83 Believe’, a brand that brings cricketing merchandise to fans, offers a wide range of products such as apparel, clothing accessories, home furnishings, pillows, crockery, furniture, travel bags, backpacks, drink ware, wall-decor, clocks, face masks, mobile accessories, writing instruments, office stationery, gifting products, leather accessories, financial products, etc.

With ‘83 Believe’, Indian cricket buffs, who wear their hearts on their sleeve, will get a chance to express a gamut of emotions like joy, pride, nostalgia and more. When you marry cricket with India’s other religion, Bollywood, you certainly have a winner in your hands!

About Brand 83:

The Brand 83 ROOTS THE CRICKETING EMOTIONS OF INDIA & signifies India’s World Cup glory that transformed Cricket from a SPORT into a RELIGION. It is an expression of India’s Cricketing Passion. The Brand resonates confidence and reflects following values i.e. Team Spirit, Triumph, Euphoria, Self-Belief & Determination.

The Brand 83 has two aesthetic tones: One that reflects heritage with subtle expression & the other is contemporary & sports-lifestyle, which is colourful & appeals to the youth.

The Brand 83 currently offers a wide range of consumer products through its official licensees across multiple categories such as Fashion, Socks, Home Furnishings, Drinkware, Bean Bags, Home Decor, Wall Clocks, Backpacks, Office Stationery – Writing Instruments, Notebooks & Organisers, Gifting Accessories, Mobile Covers & Accessories, Co-branded Debit & Credit Cards, Face-Masks etc.

83 is the biggest Franchise from an Indian Studio in terms of Licensing & Merchandising scale, to be launched with such a diverse product portfolio.

About Swag Fashions Hub Pvt. Ltd:

Swag Fashions Hub Private Limited (”SFHPL”) is a company with a mandate to co-own and build varied consumer businesses based on Iconic Celebrities & Media Brands.

It’s a Mahesh Bhupathi Venture into the Brand Licensing space, who has previously pioneered the celebrity endorsement business with his company – Globosport.

SFHPL is currently the single largest unified Brand Licensing & Merchandising platform in the country with a wide portfolio of Celebrity & Content-Led brands.

About Reliance Entertainment:

www.relianceentertainment.com

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

For Further Details Contact:

Fatema Nagree | +919867661126 | Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com

UFO Moviez and Reliance Entertainment come together for a spine chilling action thriller ‘Flight’; Mohit Chadda starrer to hit the cinemas on March 19th, 2021!

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, 17 February 2021: The year 2021 began with good news for the entertainment industry. With the theatres opening up to a 100% capacity for the audience, production houses have started coming together to not only release the much-awaited projects in multiplexes but to distribute the new movies onto the big screens for everyone to enjoy.

UFO Moviez and Reliance Entertainment have come forward to release the Mohit Chadda starrer ‘Flight’. A Crazy Boyz Entertainment production, the movie follows the journey of Ranveer Malhotra, who against all the odds, has to face deadly obstacles on a plane in order to survive. Presented by K. Chadda and directed by Suraj Joshi, the spine-chilling action thriller is scheduled to release on March 19th, 2021.

Having joined hands with Reliance Entertainment to distribute the film, UFO Moviez’ (spokesperson) shares “It’s been our absolute privilege to collaborate with the entire team of ‘Flight’ for the release of the film. Cinema has been one of the most impactful media to entertain the audience after a stressful past-year. We always come forward to support movies that will help the audience unwind from their demanding work-life. We hope this movie brings the audiences’ from all over the country back to theatres and entertains them thoroughly.”

A Crazy Boyz Entertainment production, K.Chadda’s Flight is directed by debutant director Suraj Joshi. Starring Mohit Chadda, Pavan Malhotra, Zakir Hussain, Viveck Vaswani, Shibani Bedi in pivotal roles, the movie is all set to release on March 19th, 2021.

Reliance Entertainment partners with Filmmaker Ribhu Dasgupta to form FILM HANGAR, a joint venture to produce films

Posted on February 17, 2021February 17, 2021 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, 17 February, 2021: Reliance Entertainment has joined hands with filmmaker Ribhu Dasgupta, to form Film Hangar, a joint venture company to produce clutter-breaking content.

Ribhu’s body of work comprises of ‘Michael’ (2011) starring Naseeruddin Shah, ‘Yudh’ (2014)’ a Television series starring Amitabh Bachchan, followed by ‘TE3N’ (2016) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan & Nawazuddin Siddiqui and very recently, ‘Bard of Blood’ (2019) which is streaming on Netflix.

Speaking about the joint venture, Filmmaker Ribhu Dasgupta said, “I have always believed that Content sets the ground for you as a filmmaker and Reliance Entertainment embodies this philosophy with the stories it tells. Film Hangar will bring films that are rich in content and high on entertainment. We aim to blur the lines between ‘massy’ and ‘classy’ content because filmmaking is an art that defies boundaries, definitions and labels.”

Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, said, “Right from our ‘TE3N’ days, Ribhu has been someone who has brought a unique sensibility to every project and with FILM HANGAR, we wish to break the clutter with edgy and engaging content. At Reliance Entertainment, we believe that filmmakers who keep us on the edge of the seat should be in the driving seat when it comes to content and our new joint venture is a testament of this belief.”

As always, Reliance Entertainment, with Film Hangar, has invested in creative leadership and put content-driven cinema right at the forefront. The first film under this banner is the highly anticipated thriller, ‘The Girl on the Train,’ an adaptation of the best-selling novel with the same name by Paula Hawkins, slated to release on Netflix on 26^th Feb 2020.

About Reliance Entertainment:

www.relianceentertainment.com

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/YNotStudios
https://twitter.com/studiosynot
https://www.instagram.com/studiosynot/

For Further Details Contact:

Fatema Nagree | +919867661126 | Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com

“AELAY” World Premiere on Star Vijay Television on February 28, 2021

Posted on February 11, 2021June 5, 2021 by Amit Yadav

Chennai, February 11, 2021 : YNOT Studios, Reliance Entertainment and Wallwatcher Films are proud of producing ‘AELAY’ starring Samuthirakani and Manikandan in lead roles, written and directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Halitha Shameem, who has continuously won the hearts of the general audience and critics for creating beautiful movies rich in emotions and portraying relationship values exquisitely. We were enthusiastically planning to have a grand worldwide theatrical release on February 12, 2021.

However due to an unforeseen last minute policy revision stipulated and brought into effect unilaterally by the Tamil Nadu Theatres & Multiplex Owners Association, just 3 days ahead of the release of our movie ‘Aelay’, we are left with no other choice but to skip a theatrical release, which has led us to explore a unique opportunity that would facilitate our film to reach the larger audience.

We are proud to partner with STAR Vijay for a Worldwide Television Premiere of ‘Aelay’ on the 28th February 2021 (Sunday) at 3PM – which will be the first-ever Tamil movie to have a direct satellite premiere on their channel.

Producer Sashikanth, YNOT Studios says, “‘YNOT Studios as a brand has always been identified with backing bold and pathbreaking ideas fearlessly, and this decision emphasises further that the ideology is not just limited to content, but also extends across all our strategies and initiatives. ‘Aelay’ is a film that encompasses emotions and humour with realistic shades, which our director Halitha Shameem has brought out beautifully. The film is made to savour the tastes of family audiences. With Star Vijay enjoying a fan base of such crowds, we are happy that ‘Aelay’ will find an excellent reach with this satellite premiere.”

Director Halitha Shameem says, “I am glad that my film ‘Aelay’ is now going to witness a phenomenal reach across a wide range of audience. ‘Aelay’ has been close to my heart even before I embarked on my journey as a filmmaker. It’s exhilarating to see that the film will be available to huge crowds on the same day. I thank my producers and Star Television for backing this film and ensuring the best platform to showcase this to the world, through this television premiere”.

Shibasish Sarkar – Group CEO, Rliance Entertainment, says, “’Aelay,’ is a Family Film and bringing this heart-warming film to our audience’s homes is an absolute privilege. We believe in the power of television and it’s massive reach and we are glad that we are partnering with Star Vijay TV for the satellite premiere.”

Pushkar & Gayatri, Wallwatcher Films, says, “We strongly believe good cinema will find its audience, one way or the other. ‘Aelay’ directed by Halitha Shameem, ia our first production under Wallwatcher Films and is very special to us. It’s a heartwarming film that we feel will connect to a broad audience. The Satellite Premiere on Star Vijay TV will bring this delightful film right to your homes and families. This is a bold and exciting move and it will open new avenues for the filmmakers and storytellers.”

Written and directed by Halitha Shameem, the film is produced by S. Sashikanth of Y Not Studios in association with Reliance Entertainment and is co-produced by Chakravarthy Ramachandra. Ace filmmakers Pushkar & Gayatri (Vikram Vedha fame) of Wallwatcher Films are the creative producers. The technical crew comprises Kaber Vasuki & Aruldev (Music), Theni Eswar (DOP), Vinoth Rajkumar (Art), Raymond Derrick Crasta & Halitha Shameem (Editor), Dinesh Subbarayan (Stunt Choreography), Linkin Livi (VFX Supervisor), Alagiakoothan S (Audiography), Suren G (Sound Design), Kabilan (Publicity Designs).

About YNOT Studios

www.ynotstudios.in

YNOT Studios is a film production company in Chennai, India, also established by producer S. Sashikanth in 2009 and has produced 13 feature films as of 2019, which includes productions made in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries of India and of which Vikram Vedha (2017) directed by Pushkar & Gayatri – their biggest hit, is being made in three different languages apart from their latest release Game Over (2019) in Tamil, Telugu & Hindi. Their upcoming releases are Jagame Thandhiram, Mandela & Aelay. Key People : S Sashikanth

About Reliance Entertainment

www.relianceentertainment.net

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Key People : Shibasish Sarkar

https://www.facebook.com/RelianceEntertainment
https://twitter.com/RelianceEnt
https://www.instagram.com/reliance.entertainment/

About Wallwatcher Films

Wallwatcher Films is a film production company in Chennai, India, established by Directors Pushkar & Gayatri. The company is involved in the development and production of content for cinema and the web with the focus firmly on stories and story tellers.

Key People : Pushkar & Gayatri

https://www.facebook.com/wallwatcherfilm
https://twitter.com/wallwatcherfilm
https://www.instagram.com/wallwatcherfilms/

Halitha Shameem is a young and promising filmmaker who made her debut with ‘Poovarasam Peepee’ which won a lot of critical acclaim. Her latest release was the critically-acclaimed ‘Sillu Karupatti’ starring Samuthirakani, Sunaina, Leela Samson and others.

https://twitter.com/halithashameem/

ZEE5 announces star-studded supporting cast for its upcoming original ‘SUNFLOWER’, a unique situational crime-comedy

Posted on February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 by Amit Yadav

The residents of the Sunflower society include:

Girish Kulkarni, Shonali Nagrani, Ranvir Shorey, Mukul Chaddha, Sonal Jha, Radha Bhatt, Ashish Vidyarthi, Saloni Khanna and Ashwin Kaushal

National, 2nd February 2020: Having premiered outstanding Originals across genres and languages, the OTT giant ZEE5 recently announced a unique situational crime-comedy genre web-series – ‘SUNFLOWER’ with Sunil Grover leading the pack at the sunflower society.

Now, the platform has announced a star-studded line up of the supporting casts i.e the residents slate at sunflower society. It will include Mukul Chaddha as Mr Ahuja, Radha Bhatt as his wife Mrs. Ahuja, Ashish Vidyarthi as Dilip Iyer, Sonal Jha playing his wife, Ranvir Shorey as inspector Digendra, Girish Kulkarni as Tambe, Ashwin Kaushal as Raj Kapoor, Sonali Nagrani as Mrs. Raj Kapoor and Saloni Khanna.

Vikas Bahl & Rahul Sengupta, Co-directors of ‘SUNFLOWER’, express, “Casting was the most fun part in the initial process for Sunflower. We knew that this is a plot as well as a character-driven show, hence it was important to have the right people to represent the conservative yet quirky society members that call SUNFLOWER home. It has been a joy ride shooting with our talented ensemble cast right from Sameer, Ashish, Girish, Ranvir, Mukul, Shonali, Sonal to Radha, Ashwin, Saloni, Dayana, Ria, Simran, Jyoti. They come together to form a melting pot of the weird yet unique characters that bring the series together.”

The crime-comedy web-series, ‘SUNFLOWER’ is the story of a middle-class housing society in Mumbai called ‘SUNFLOWER,’ with quirky characters. From thrill, comedy and drama centred around the characters with their relatable stories, everything revolving around the housing society promises to take you on a roller-coaster ride.

Produced by Reliance Entertainment and Good Co., the series is written by Vikas Bahl and co-directed by Rahul Sengupta and Vikas Bahl. It is slated to premiere in April 2021 on ZEE5 Premium.

‘SUNFLOWER’, a ZEE5 Original is slated to premiere in April 2021

Enterr10 Rangeela brings a brand new show “Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke” Produced by Reliance Big Synergy

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by Amit Yadav

~Premiering January 18; Airing Monday – Saturday 7pm~

Mumbai, January 18, 2021: Enterr10 Rangeela a new Bhojpuri channel from Enterr10 TV Network is all set to launch a brand new show “Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke”. Produced by Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy, this new social mythology series will air from January 18^th 2021, every Monday-Saturday, 7:00 pm.

“Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke” is a story of a 12 year old girl “Parvati” who is a param bhakth of Chhathi Maiya and wants to become a singer like her mother. However, she faces strong opposition from her grand mother and father. The show will capture her ardous journey and life purpose to become a singer and the extreme difficulties she will endure for the well being of mankind.

Manish Singhal, Managing Director, Enterr10 Television Network said, “We at Enterr10 Tv network have always believed in creating content that resonates with our viewers across age groups. Our vision is to create path breaking content and provide entertainment across our network for which we are collaborating with top production houses in the country. Enterr10 Rangeela is our latest offering for the Bhojpuri audience and I am glad to extend our latest offering Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke. I am hopeful we will receive a positive response and support from the viewers.”

Speaking on the new series launch, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO, Reliance Big Synergy, said “Regional language content has been a game changer for every major broadcaster in India. We are enthused to join Enterr10’s journey to capture a larger share of audience with their latest offering in Bhojpuri. At Reliance Big Synergy, we believe in creating shows and solutions for our clients, basis in-depth and incisive market insights riding on the deep experience of our creative and production teams. We are overjoyed to have created some of the highest rating content for both TV and OTT platforms, and are confident of creating another landmark social mythology series with Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke.”

The cast of the show includes Shagun Singh playing the role of Parvati, the parallel world Chhathi Maiya character by famous actor Piyali Mushi, Surya Dev character by Ather Siddique, along with famous Bhojpuri actors Yugant Badri, Neelu Singh,Thakurani and Sunita Sharma.

“Aashish Chhathi Maiya Ke” is another feather in the cap of Reliance Big Synergy. We have undertaken steps to engage the audience keeping the local sensitivities, nuances and visual aesthetics of the region in mind. I am confident that the characters will find home in every household with their magnificent journeys,” said Simmi Karna, VP- Content, Reliance Big Synergy.

Enterr10 Rangeela is a free to air channel and was recently launched to cater to the large Bhojpuri audience. The channel airs a strong mix of fiction and non-fiction content ranging across series and reality shows, awards and blockbuster films and World Television Premieres.

Enterr10 Rangeela is available on leading cable networks and DTH platforms –Airtel (CHN NO 654), Siti Maurya (CHN NO 200), Darsh Digitial (CHN NO 185), SITI Cable (CHN NO 218), DEN (CHN NO 833) & GTPL (CHN NO 279)

About Enterr10 Television Private Limited

The network currently boasts of a total of eight distinct Free-to-Air channels under its bouquet, serving content across India in multiple languages. Apart from their flagship channel Enterr10 (Movies), it is under Singhal’s leadership that Enterr10 Television Network has become home to one of India’s most watched Hindi GECs, Dangal TV.

About Reliance Big Synergy

India’s leading content development and production company, Reliance Big Synergy has produced over 5,000 hours of high-rated, critically acclaimed and impactful shows across fiction, non-fiction, unscripted and factual genres in nine languages for both broadcast TV and OTT platforms. Headquartered out of Mumbai, Reliance Big Synergy produces content across India in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Punjabi languages.

Being a pioneer in content creation in the country, it has an inimitable legacy of producing shows for leading media companies including Star/Disney, Sony, Zee, Viacom, Dangal, regional language networks Star Maa, Zee Punjabi, Star Vijay, Suvarna, Asianet, Discovery, NDTV, BBC and OTT platforms including Netflix, Viu, Alt Balaji, Voot and many more. Over the years, the company has delivered successful, original and premium content across all genres, ranging from Web series, GEC fiction, Non-Fiction Game and Quiz Shows, Factual and Unscripted.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/reliancebigsynergy

https://twitter.com/RelBigSynergy

https://www.instagram.com/reliancebigsynergy/

About Reliance Entertainment:

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/reliancebigsynergy

Rajiv Bakshi of Reliance Big Synergy Awarded “CEO OF THE YEAR” by World Brand Congress

Posted on December 23, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, December 23, 2020: Rajiv Bakshi, the CEO of Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy, has been conferred with the “CEO Of the Year” 2020 award by the jury of World Brand Congress, World Marketing Congress and CMO Global.

The award was given in recognition of Rajiv’s differentiated strategy to establish Reliance Big Synergy as the leading content development and production powerhouse in India. As the CEO of Reliance Big Synergy, one of India’s oldest and most respected content development and production companies, with a legacy of 5,000 plus hours of path- breaking content, he leads a team of creative visionaries and committed to create of high-impact web series, direct to OTT movies, TV fiction and unscripted/factual content across OTT & Broadcast platforms in Hindi and regional languages.

The jury to announce the award included Prof. Indira Parikh, Ex. Dean, IIM Ahmedabad, Dr. Harish Mehta, Chairman, Onward Technologies & Founding Member, Nasscom; Dr. Arun Arora, Executive Chairman, Edvance Schools & Former CEO, The Economic Times and Dr. R L Bhatia, Founder, World CSR Day.

Speaking about the phenomenal achievement, Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, said, “Rajiv, time and again, has proved himself to be a brilliant leader. His knowledge, wisdom and vision have been the driving forces behind his exemplary career. It’s a proud moment for all of us at Reliance Entertainment.”

Delighted with the distinction, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO, Reliance Big Synergy, said “I am grateful to my team, our esteemed partners, talent and crew and the viewers of our shows who have contributed to this recognition. I humbly accept this honour on behalf of my entire team. I am passionate about transformative disruptions that change consumer and societal behaviours and create long-term competitive advantage. This award is a vindication of the success of our business and content strategy to cater to the rapid transformation and diversity of the Indian media sector.”

An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Rajiv has 20 years of multi-functional experience of working with global and Indian consumer product and services companies. He has deep understanding of Broadcast Media, OTT Streaming Platforms, Smartphones, Consumer Durables and Electronics industries.

Earlier in his career, Rajiv turnaround Discovery Networks’ India & South Asia business, as the Head of Products & Marketing, and he is credited for building its 11-channel portfolio, 10-year leadership for Discovery Channel; pioneering lifestyle category with TLC; launching kids’ business – Discovery Kids and introducing HD experience to viewers in India. Prior to Reliance Entertainment, Rajiv was the CMO of a home-grown Indian disruptor in Smartphones and Consumer Durables where he envisioned the brand transformation and Go-To-Market strategy across product verticals – Mobile Phones, LED TVs, ACs, Washing Machines and Accessories. In his early career, he consulted companies in FMCG, Auto, Financial Services and Telecom.

About Reliance Big Synergy

Follow us on:

https://twitter.com/RelBigSynergy

https://www.instagram.com/reliancebigsynergy/

About Reliance Entertainment:

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/RelianceEnt

https://www.instagram.com/reliance.entertainment

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126

Timur Bekmambetov partners with Reliance Entertainment and Graphic India to produce a slate of original Indian Screenlife Films

Posted on December 22, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

‘Unfriended’ and ‘Searching’ producer is to bring his Screenlife filmmaking format into new local Hindi-language productions

Mumbai, India — December 22, 2020 – One of the world’s most innovative filmmakers, Timur Bekmambetov, is bringing his digital onscreen filmmaking techniques to one of the world’s largest movie markets, partnering with producer, Sharad Devarajan’s Graphic India and Reliance Entertainment to commence the production and distribution of original local-language films leveraging his Screenlife technique in India.

Bekmambetov is one of the world’s leading filmmakers who has directed big budget Hollywood blockbusters, including Wanted starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, and produced innovative action films, such as video game-inspired Hardcore Henry. His brainchild, the Screenlife movie format, where the story is told on the screens of smartphones and computers, made a massive breakthrough in 2015, when Universal’s Unfriended was released, grossing $65 million worldwide with a budget of $1 million and spawning a sequel three years later. He followed that up with a 2018 thriller, Searching, grossing more than $75 million worldwide. Last year, his creative team, in association with Hooked, produced a 10-episode Snapchat original series for smartphones, Dead of Night, with the story revolving around a viral outbreak that turns people into zombies. It scored over 14 million unique viewers in the first month of release and got renewed for two more seasons.

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and has an established and successful track record in film production in Bollywood and Hollywood. Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered with Steven Spielberg since 2009 to form DreamWorks Studios and, later, Amblin Partners. Commercially and critically successful films of the association include The Help, War Horse, The Post, Green Book, and 1917. Graphic India is the character entertainment creator for original superheroes, whose latest short motion comics scored record views on TikTok in India.

In the first phase of the new partnership, Bekmambetov and Devarajan are working closely with Reliance Entertainment on the development and production of three films by up-and-coming Indian filmmakers and storytellers. The first project has been finalised and is expected to go into production early next year.

Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, said, “India is one of the world’s leading fastest-growing entertainment economies. We are delighted to partner with Timur and Sharad to bring Screenlife, a new digital onscreen filmmaking language, to India and provide a new and powerful platform to showcase talent of Indian writers and directors.”

Commented Bekmambetov, “Screenlife films are universally relatable to people around the world, and audiences intuitively understand this storytelling language, because it’s how we live. I believe our devices can reveal more about a person than they would ever say out loud, because we never lie to our screens.”

Devarajan added, “I have been fortunate to learn so much from Timur over the past few years, and his unbounded creativity and disruptive thinking is an inspiration. At Graphic India, we strive to push the boundaries of storytelling with new genres and experiences, and this wonderful partnership with Reliance Entertainment will give us an amazing opportunity to showcase some of India’s pioneering filmmakers and creators.”

The Screenlife format has proven very resilient to the industry shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it is more flexible, making it possible to shoot remotely, ensuring the safety of the cast and crew. Bekmambetov’s production banners are now working on a Screenlife adaptation of a classic, R#J (Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet), a sequel to Searching, as well as developing a new thriller Resurrected. The unprecedented surge of interest in the Screenlife format, coupled with prolific cooperation over the past decade, resulted in the deal Universal and Bekmambetov inked in June to partner on another five Hollywood features to be made in the Screenlife format in various genres.

Following the success of his innovative movies, Bekmambetov has founded a tech startup, Screenlife Limited, developing products and services powered by artificial intelligence and neural networks to boost mainstream production of Screenlife content. Last year, Screenlife Limited established a strategic partnership with Microsoft to develop a Screenlife content platform based on the tech giant’s cloud technologies and create a film-tech R&D lab.

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126

Reliance Big Synergy’s New Fiction Daily “Guppedantha Manasu” on Star Maa Premieres to Slot Leadership with 38% Channel Share

Posted on December 18, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, December 18, 2020: Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy’s new fiction daily Guppedantha Manasu premiered on the No.1 Telugu language channel Star Maa and garnered slot leadership recording a rating on 8.9 GRPs* with an astounding 38% channel share. The show premiered from November 7, airing every Monday to Saturday at 7 pm.

On the spectacular performance in the opening week, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Big Synergy said, “We at Reliance Big Synergy are delighted with the phenomenal opening of our new prime time fiction daily Guppedantha Manasu on the market leader Star Maa. Slot leadership in the premiere week itself! This achievement echos our deep comprehension and insights of the GEC audience, acquaintance with the local market and cultural truths, and the production competence to produce in challenging Covid environment. Further, I would like to express our gratitude to Star Maa for its conviction in our abilities to create high rating fiction dailies. We will continue in our endeavour to grow the show’s viewership and create an impactful, entertaining and long lasting series.”

Star Maa spokesperson said, “Guppedantha Manasu is a story of many girls across India. Its an insight that comes from a pan Indian perspective and has seen incredible success on Star Jalsha in the Bengal market as Mohor, from which our story is inspired. Our story is of an undergraduate girl Vasudhara who aspires to be a teacher, just like her real life idol. However, life takes a sudden turn and she is forced by her father to marry for his monetary gains. But, she runs away from this marriage. Life is not easy for her as she hits all roadblocks and from here starts an audacious journey to fulfill her lifelong dream. She aspires to be independent enough to be able to stand on her own feet.”

Simmi Karna, VP, Content, Reliance Big Synergy, said “We are overwhelmed with the consumer response. We have a long way to go and this energy will boost our performance in the coming quarters.

Reliance Big Synergy has entertained millions of Indians through the high rated and breakthrough non-fiction shows including KBC, Dus Ka Dum, India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and many more, and has established its leadership in the fiction content as well with its range of GEC shows and Web series in both Hindi and regional languages.

ABOUT STAR MAA

Star Maa is a leading Telugu entertainment TV channel network known for its vibrant, innovative, pleasant and interactive programming in the Telugu language market and enjoys a strong growth trajectory, driven by general entertainment and movies. Star Maa Network has a bouquet of six channels—Star Maa, Star Maa HD, Star Maa Music, Star Maa Movies, Star Maa Movies HD and Star Maa Gold.

About Reliance Big Synergy India’s leading content development and production company, Reliance Big Synergy has produced over 5,000 hours of high-rated, critically acclaimed and impactful shows across fiction, non-fiction, unscripted and factual genres in nine languages for both broadcast TV and OTT platforms. Headquartered out of Mumbai, Reliance Big Synergy produces content across India in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Punjabi languages.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/reliancebigsynergy

https://twitter.com/RelBigSynergy

https://www.instagram.com/reliancebigsynergy/

About Reliance Entertainment:

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/RelianceEnt