Film Production
Balaji Telefilms eyes non-fiction for future growth
MUMBAI: Ekta Kapoor is finally shedding the ‘Soap Queen’ image as Balaji Telefilms is now seriously exploring the non-fiction segment for future growth. The production house presently has two shows in its kitty and will be unveiling more in the coming year.
“Ekta Kapoor has identified non-fiction as the next big thrust area for growth. Within the next two to five years, Balaji Telefilms will be making its presence felt in non-fiction programming,” says Mohan Kapoor who heads the newly created non-fiction division at Balaji.
The division is presently doing four shows, among which one is already on air. Kosmiic Chat, the show based on astrology and tarot reading is on Zoom. The film-based show Kandiefloss is coming on Sony.
The other two shows in the pipeline are, Karmic Connection (reality supernatural show) – and Karbon Kopy (thriller). “Karmic Connection is a supernatural show based on real-life incidents. That’s why we call it a non-fiction show. Karbon Kopy is a factious thriller. The non-fiction wing has been asked to do the 13-part serial because Balaji wanted to use its resources properly. You will see more pure non – fiction programming in 2006,” says Kapoor.
According to Kapoor, Star One will launch Karmic Connection in January-February 2006 while Karbon Kopy will go on air in March. According to Kapoor, the channel wants the series to be produced completely before launching the promotional campaigns.
Film Production
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
