Based in Mumbai, Shyam will spearhead the company's feature films production and acquisitions in India as part of the studio entertainment business. He would be responsible for the company's initiatives to create and acquire original Indian films which combine Disney's classic storytelling abilities with the Indian sensibilities.

Shyam would report jointly to Jain, Forman and BVI Asia VP sales Jo Yan, informs an official release.

India is a priority market in Disney's global expansion strategy and the company is reiterating its continued commitment to the potential of the market, especially Bollywood, through the launch of Studio operations, the release adds.

"We are investing in the future of global entertainment in India through a continued thrust on building the depth and breadth of our presence in the country. Shyam's outstanding knowledge of the Indian movie business will be an asset in the launch and future of our Studio operations. With this launch, I am happy to inform that three of our four lines of businesses have their presence in India now which creates a meaningful presence for Disney here. We are proud to expand our presence in the Indian movie business as Indian movie content prepares to take center stage on the global map" says Jain.

"India has a great wealth of stories and a wonderful history of film making", adds Forman. "We are very excited by the prospects of making Indian language films for the Indian audience with Indian sensitivities and a touch of the Disney magic. We look forward to making great films and are very pleased to have a production executive of Shyam's experience and talent to lead us forward."

Shyam's most recent assignment was with Flicks - The Motion Picture Company as executive producer of the just-released Rang De Basanti. Prior to that, he has worked with the Percept Picture Company, and a variety of music videos, docudramas and commercials.