Hindi
Walt Disney takes direct charge of home video biz in India
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company (India) has announced a direct to retail model for its home entertainment business in India as a step up plan after terminating its licensing relationship with Excel Home Videos.
The company said it has formed a home entertainment team, which will handle sales and marketing of its DVD business in the country. Launching today, the team will distribute Tinkerbell, from Disney’s Fairies franchise, as the first DVD released under the new model.
Earlier, Indiantelevision.com had reported that Walt Disney (I) had ended its home video licensing relationship with Excel Home Videos and got the FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) nod to run the businesses of home entertainment and printing and publishing in India.
“The identification of effective distribution strategies will help us to best meet customer needs and continue to build our brand in India,” said Walt Disney (India) SVP and MD Mahesh Samat. “Disney has a firm stake in developing the family entertainment sector in this country and we continue to strengthen our market presence by extending our franchises across multiple lines of businesses.”
Disney’s home entertainment team will focus on providing content, stories and characters from across Disney’s content library. The team will also look for local content development opportunities while making sure international content is made available in local languages, it said in a release.
Some of the upcoming releases in local languages include – Bolt, Mickey Mouse Club House, My friends Tigger and Pooh. The Walt Disney Studios local productions will be some of the titles that the home entertainment team will additionally build on.
Earlier this year, Disney India appointed a specialised retail support team to focus on driving greater integration across company products and services. It works with internal creative and brand teams and transfers this knowledge to the retail environment. “We spend a lot of time listening to consumers to understand what they want, and how they want to interact with us. With the Tinker Bell release on 13 May we hope to show our fans a fully integrated and all encompassing experience,” said Samat.
Hindi
Marico founder Harsh Mariwala’s book Harsh Realities set for film adaptation
Almighty Motion Picture taps Karan Vyas to script Marico story
MUMBAI: Almighty Motion Picture is turning its lens on India Inc., with plans to adapt Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico into a screen project. The story charts the rise of Harsh Mariwala, the chairman and founder of Marico, and is currently in early development, according to a report by Variety.
Writer Karan Vyas, known for his work on Scam 1992, Scoop and Made in India – A Titan Story, is attached to pen the screenplay. The project continues the studio’s growing interest in real-life Indian narratives that blend business with human drama.
At the heart of the story lies a defining moment in 1987, when Mariwala chose to step away from the family-run Bombay Oil Industries and strike out on his own. What followed was not just the creation of a company, but the reinvention of a legacy. Marico would go on to become a global FMCG player, with brands like Parachute, Saffola, Set Wet and Livon becoming household names, reaching nearly one in three Indians.
The source material, co-authored by Mariwala and renowned business strategist Ram Charan, offers more than a boardroom chronicle. It captures the grit behind the growth, the risks behind the rewards and the leadership lessons forged along the way.
The adaptation aims to move beyond balance sheets and brand milestones, focusing instead on the person behind the enterprise. Expect a narrative that leans into the emotional stakes of entrepreneurship, where decisions are as personal as they are professional.
Today, Marico draws about a quarter of its revenue from international markets across Asia and Africa, reflecting its steady transformation from a domestic player into a multinational force. Yet, if the makers have their way, the screen version will remind audiences that every global success story begins with a leap of faith.
With development set to begin soon, this is one business story that may just trade spreadsheets for storytelling, and profit margins for moments that linger
