Reliance Plans To Take Indian Films To Global Audiences

[savramesh 37]

Economic Times

15 May 2009, 1818 hrs IST, PTI

CANNES: In a bid to create a larger audience base for Bollywood films, Reliance Big Pictures plans to acquire mutiple screens in the US and Malaysia.

The company is keen to tap the 50 million strong Indian diaspora in South Asia. "It would be the first independent circuit for Indian cinema," company's chairman Amit Khanna, who is here to market Hrithik Roshan starrer 'Kites', said.

Big Pictures also plans to invest $300 million into Indian based film productions till December 2010.

In the past year, the company had inked deals with top Hollywood filmmakers like Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks, Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films, Jim Carrey's JC 23 Entertainment, George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions, Julia Roberts' Red Om Films, Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment.

Some of the films being planned are 'Voodoo Child' by Jonathan Lemkin, 'O' Gunn' and 'Things They Left Behind', which is based on a Stephen King short story about 9/11 survivors.

The company has also entered into a pact with Deepak Nayar, whose credits included 'Bend It Like Beckham' and 'Bride and Prejudice', starring Aishwarya Rai.

Reliance has distributed several films in markets such as North America, UK and the UAE. The new division of the company will be responsible for securing and facilitating deals with key distributors in all other markets to reach over 100 countries worldwide.