Hindi
Funding models need to change for growth of film industry
MUMBAI: Corporate activity was growing in the entertainment sector in India and this would help in getting finance more easily in the years to come.
Filmmaker Bobby Bedi and some other speakers in a session moderated by KPMG Executive Director (M & E) Jehil Thakkar on ’Legal and Financial Framework to Boost the Entertainment Industry’ at Ficci Frames were unanimous that getting finance today was much easier than before but felt that there was still very little institutional funding for films.
Dina Dattani who is a consultant said the new trend in Hollywood was that it was reaching out to India as people wanted change.
Patricia Mayer who is a leading lawyer in the field of entertainment and media in the United States, said it was interesting that American filmmakers were running out of ideas and taking licences of films from other countries particularly in Europe to remake them in English. What was needed was new stories. Answering a question, she said Indian films that appealed to the diaspora succeeded overseas.
Bedi said the business model has to change if Indian films have to get funds. The main problem was that Indian films tended to recover their money over a large period and most banks including the Industrial Development Bank of India refused to give money for such long periods.
He said in answer to a question that there was no impediment to foreign money coming into India for funding films.
YES Bank Executive Vice President and Country Head for Media and Entertainment Karan Ahluwalia said banks were already introducing new forms of funding, such as a fund of infrastructure. He felt that the Government should support the National Films Development Corporation to help private filmmakers who could not seek help from studios.
Legal Consultant Ashni Parekh said amendments were needed in the Copyright Act to protect the copyright holder. Unfortunately, there was little implementation of this Act.
She said new forms of financial arrangements such as Completion Bonding had come in but were not very practical in a situation where films took so long to make. She regretted that most filmmakers taking finance did not do any documentation primarily because of relationships.
Hindi
Hansa Entertainment launched to produce across OTT, TV and film
New venture from R K Swamy Hansa Group eyes multi-language stories for digital-first audiences.
MUMBAI: Hansa Entertainment has just stepped into the spotlight because when a legacy media house decides to script its next act, even the credits get excited. Hansa Entertainment Private Limited has been incorporated to develop and produce original programming across digital, television, OTT platforms and theatrical features. The company will create short-running series, long-running series and original films for OTT, alongside standout theatrical ventures. It will also launch a podcast platform called Hansa Spotlight and produce content for the fast-growing vertical drama format. Stories are initially planned in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.
The venture is founded by Sruti Swamy and Siddharth Swamy, drawing on the rich legacy of Hansa Vision and the broader R K Swamy Hansa Group. Sruti brings creative expertise with a master’s in architecture, interiors and design from Milan and a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian School of Business. Siddharth contributes a data-driven perspective, having studied data science at Imperial College London.
Sujatha Narayanan has been appointed CEO of Hansa Entertainment. With over two decades of experience in creative content curation and production across film and OTT, she is also a well-known film columnist and media entrepreneur.
R K Swamy Hansa Group executive chairman Srinivasan Swamy said, “The launch of Hansa Entertainment marks an exciting new chapter. The new entity is the brainchild of the next generation and will be independently managed by Sruti Swamy, who is the Director and the newly appointed CEO.”
Hansa Entertainment director Sruti Swamy added, “I am very optimistic about the future of Hansa Entertainment, given the content explosion and the opportunities offered by new technologies for production.”
Hansa Entertainment director Siddharth Swamy noted, “The idea is to grow a contemporary production house that creates compelling stories for today’s multi-platform audiences while drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions that audiences have appreciated over the years.”
Hansa Entertainment CEO Sujatha Narayanan said, “Hansa Entertainment will evolve as a story-first, IP-driven entity. We have already put together a smart team of interesting and dynamic creators who will helm our vertical dramas, shows and films.”
In the ever-evolving world of Indian entertainment, where stories now travel faster than the scripts that birth them, Hansa Entertainment is stepping onto the stage with fresh ink and big ambitions proving that even the best legacies know when it’s time for a compelling sequel.
