Hindi
Reliance greenlits 20 Hollywood projects
MUMBAI: A year after Reliance Big Entertainment announced it would flirt with Hollywood filmmakers, the Anil Ambani company has greenlit a slate of 20 projects outside its Spielberg deal.
“We have invested $10-15 million in the past one year in the developmental process of these Hollywood projects. We are now geared up for the next phase,” says a source in Reliance Big Entertainment.
The projects, involving nine Hollywood talents, have been approved and have entered various stages of script development. Reliance will provide a development fund silo for each of the production entities and it may also co-finance projects that emanate from these development deals.
Reliance will fund Nicolas Cage‘s Saturn Films action title Voodoo Child with writer John Collee and Jim Carrey‘s JC 23 Entertainment for the comedy O‘Gunn with writers Ed Cannistraci and Fred Seton.
Besides these, Reliance will also provide seed finance to three projects, to be produced under the Chris Columbus‘ 1492 Pictures banner. These are Things They Left Behind (based on Stephen King short story about 9/11 survivor), The Last Campaign (an adaptation of Thurston Clarke‘s book) and David Dorfman‘s script It‘s A Miserable Life.
Reliance will further fund Brett Ratner‘s Rat Entertainment to develop Youngblood, based on Rob Liefeld‘s iconic graphic novel ‘Infinity‘, with writer John Collee. The company will also develop John Delorean‘s project with James Toback. Meanwhile, Julia Roberts‘ Red Om Films will develop Dan Eldon‘s.
Says Reliance BIG Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna, “It has been a very active and satisfactory first year and we have been delighted by the quality of the individual projects being presented to us for development financing. There are many others in the evaluation/ negotiation stages and I‘m confident of moving into the filmmaking stage on several projects before the end of the year.”
Adding further Khanna says, “These creative partnerships call for Reliance to co-finance production for the US Studios where existing first-look deals are in place. From the conversations to date, we know that the respective studios welcome our development silos and our subsequent co-financing ability. We have broken completely new ground by empowering some of the best talent in Hollywood.”
Part of its long term strategy for media investments in Hollywood to build a fully integrated movie company with substantial holdings in production, distribution and exhibition, Reliance Big Entertainment sees these development deals as the first major building block in the creation of a virtual studio for Hollywood.
The deals also secure Indian rights for the films which Reliance co-finances. Additionally, through these deals, Reliance expects to attract suitable productions with appropriate incentives to India.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) was instrumental in brokering the deals and is advising Reliance Big Entertainment on its Hollywood strategy.
Meanwhile, Reliance has already stiched a deal with Steven Spielberg to set up a $1.5 billion company that would finance 32 movies over six years.
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
