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Adlabs in talks to acquire Excel Home Videos
MUMBAI: Anil Ambani plans to foray into the home video segment through the acquisition route. And he is eyeing Mumbai-based Excel Home Videos which has a wide and deep distribution network.
Sources say Adlabs Films, where Ambani acquired majority control last year, is in talks to buy stake in Excel Home Videos. “Adlabs wants at least a majority stake in the company it selects to invest in. The company is to allow the existing management to continue running the operations. It is in talks with Excel Home Video,” sources added.
Excel is an upcoming home video company which is mainly into Hollywood films but late last year acquired Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parineeta to foray into local commercial Hindi content distribution. It has the exclusive home entertainment licensee to Twentieth Century Fox and Buena Vista among other international studios.
When contacted, Adlabs Films chairman and managing director Manmohan Shetty was not willing to comment on the issue. Excel managing director M N Kapasi also offered no comment. “We are looking at strategic investors but only after we firm up our business plan,” he said.
Excel has given the mandate to Yes Bank for formulating the business plan and finding it a suitable strategic investor. “We have high growth plans in the home video sector. We plan to add more pipelines and more special products like Bollywood films and sports videos. We have appointed Yes Bank to give us a business plan and make us understand our size and structure,” says Kapasi.
Excel is in the process of acquiring another Hindi film for home video distribution. The company has also recently renewed its licensee contracts for India with Buena Vista and 20th C Fox.
Ultra Group is the other major company which is in the home video segment and has been looking for funds. Sahara One Media and Entertainment and UTV have identified home video as a growing business and plan to make investments into the sector to develop their own labels.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
