Hindi
Strike over, Bollywood faces problem of plenty
MUMBAI: The Bollywood strike may have ended, but the door has opened for a problem of plenty as producers rush for a release pipeline.
More than 90 films are lined up for release in exactly 30 week’s time before the year ends. That means an average of three releases per week to accommodate a stockpile, spurring producers to work out plans to beat the clutter and avoid internal clashes so as to maximise revenue for all.
“Producers will soon form a committee that will work towards clearing the backlog of films,” a noted film producer tells Indiantelevision.com on request of anonymity.
Beating the logjam will be quite a task as the studios threaten to swing back into action fast. Says Big Cinemas COO Mahesh Ramanathan, “As we had declared earlier, we will be releasing 18 movies in 2009. We are moving according to our plans. We have already had a release on 30 January last when we released Luck By Chance.”
With the strike called off, Big Cinemas will follow its 12 June release of Kal Kisne Dekha with Sikander, Mirch and Chaloo Movie. “A spate of other films will hit the screens post-July,” says Ramanathan.
UTV has played it safe by not scheduling any of its films during IPL and T20 World Cup. “Our first release will come in the form of Agyat that will be released on 24 July and Kaminaay will release in August,” a source in UTV says.
UTV’s slate includes films like Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Agyat, What‘s your Rashee, Wake Up Sid, Hook Ya Crook, Delhi Belly, Jihaad, A Wednesday (remake in Tamil and Telugu), Yahoo, Film City, Arjun, Alibaba & 41 Thieves, Ex-Terminators and Rajniti, Hawai Dada.
In the pipeline also are five films of UTV SpotBoy (Aage Se Right, Pan Singh Tomar, Seasons Greetings, Peter Gaya Kaam Se and Chillar Party), Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s next with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, Anuraag Basu‘s next and a Anees Bazmee directed comedy.
Other films that have been lined up for release in subsequent weeks include Arif Shaikh’s Let’s Dance, Mukta Arts’ Paying Guest ( both 19 June), Yashraj Films‘ New York (26 June), Sajid Nadiadwala‘s Kambakkht Ishq (3 July), Ramgopal Varma‘s Agyat (24 July), Imtiaz Ali directed Love Aajkal (31 July), Y.T Entertainment Ltd & Anjum Rizvi Film Co.’s Fast Forward (10 July), Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Luck (31 July), UTV’s Kaminay and Sujoy Ghosh‘s Aladin (14 August). ASA Productions and Enterprises Pvt Ltd’s Phhir (7 August) Three- Love, Lies and Betrayal ( 3 September), All The Best- Fun Begins (16 October) and Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Blue (16 October).
Would producers have to increase on the marketing spends for their films to beat the clutter? “No, spends would be normal as before. Promotional expenses are going to be the same. Where is the chance of spending extra bucks on promotion. In fact, given less of time between releases, costs are likely to come down by half,“ avers Ramanathan.
Several other producers agree that promotional costs could fall. Says the UTV source, “Promotional costs are going to go down and so will the spending on hoardings and TV promos. In fact, TV channels have seen a considerable drop in their Q1 results because of a drop of commercials. You could attribute this aspect to the downturn. Producers are not taking the six-week promo course anymore.”
Agrees producer Yash Patnaik, who will soon be releasing his film Kaalo: “The days of six-week promotion is a thing of the past. Let’s take the case of YRF’s New York. Given the fact that the film is releasing on 26 June, where do they get time to properly promote their film? No doubt it’s a good banner, but every film needs a promotion. Two to three week’s promotion is what producers are looking at.”
Will a minimum time suffice for a film’s promotion? “Why not! Take for example a film like Kambakkht Ishq that is releasing in the first week of July. They easily have four weeks to promote their film and that is the normal time one gets for promotional purpose,” avers Patnaik.
In the current situation, the exhibition of a film will also take a dip. “I feel that the maximum time that a film will run in theatres would be four weeks beyond which there would be no space. A lot of films would be waiting to see the day on the silver screen,” quips Patnaik.
Ramanathan disagrees: “If a film is doing well, why would it be pulled out of a multiplex. If other films are in line, multiplexes having many number of screens could divide a film’s exhibition by showing it on a screen for a limited number of shows.”
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.
