Hindi
Priyanka Chopra stresses importance of persistence to succeed at SAMMA
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra enthralled American audiences as she related the story of her rise in Bollywood and the importance of hard work and persistence which always brought positive results.
Chopra was one of the keynote speakers at the 4th annual conference South Asians in Media, Marketing and Entertainment (SAMMA) held recently at the Time Warner building in New York.
Chopra also talked about her transition into singing. She shared her mantra of never giving up. Chopra was recently signed by Interscope and DesiHits! and is now the opening musical act for the NFL Network Thursday night football.
The event brought together top South Asian leaders and innovators in digital media, television and film, marketing and advertising and music and entertainment for two days of insights, ideation and industry building, a press release issued by SAMMA said. Other keynote speakers included Dr. Mehmood Khan, EVP and Chief Innovations and Science Officer at PepsiCo, and Keli Lee, EVP and Head of Casting at ABC.
The SAMMA Summit, co-presented by Time Warner, was followed by an evening gala where the organisation presented its 2013 SAMMA Trailblazer Awards to four individuals for significant contributions to their industry and helping pave the way for south Asians in their respective fields. The awards went to comedian Russell Peters, actress Mindy Kaling, jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer and Anjula Acharia Bath, CEO and founder of DesiHits.
“It is strange to be called a trailblazer because I’ve never really considered myself one,” said Kaling, lead actor, producer and writer of The Mindy Project on Fox. “In general, I try to tell stories that are relatable to everyone. I’ve always aspired to be the funniest person out there, not just the funniest south Asian,” she said in a video acceptance from the set of her show. “I am privileged to have had these opportunities in show business,” she said.
While accepting his award, Peter who celebrated his 43rd birthday at the gala, said “I’ve never been called a trailblazer.” Entertaining the audience with his one-liners and tongue-in-cheek remarks, Peter said, “When I was younger, I always wanted a Chevy Trailblazer, but this trailblazer I never imagined. I am honoured and proud especially to be recognised by my own community. The more doors we can open for each other the better for everyone. I see more of us in the industry every day, and I want to continue seeing more of us.”
Peters was presented his award by actor, fellow comedian and previous Trailblazer recipient Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Before presenting the award, Ansari roasted and toasted Peters saying, “Let me introduce someone who is like worth 60 billion dollars,” playing off of Peters being the first south Asian to have been ranked as one of the highest paid comedians in the US, after working in the industry for more than 20 years.
Trailblazer recipient Iyer, one of the most awarded jazz artists in the world and winner of the prestigious 2013 MacArthur Genius Award said he was proud to receive the award. Calling music a universal language, he said he hoped that in some way he has helped push the dialogue forward and has inspired others through the beauty of music and jazz, both south Asians and people at-large.
Presented the award by David Taghioff and business colleague at CAA, Acharia Bath shared: “We have so much to learn from one another. I encourage everyone to live their dreams. Bringing different cultures and viewpoints together in the arts and industry, whether in music or any field, takes passion and perseverance.” Bath, named Billboard’s top 40 women in music for her work in blending Indian talent with mainstream music in the US, continued, “Helping one another, we can achieve anything.”
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
