iWorld
French cinema finds an ally in Hotstar
MUMBAI: Hotstar is saying je t’aime to its new French tie-up. Along with Bonjour India, Star India’s over-the-top (OTT) platform, Hotstar, is giving the country a peek into classic French films. Bonjour India is a festival presented by Cultures France and the French embassy in India.
To celebrate the Indo-French partnership as well as shape the next decade of human exchange between the countries, Bonjour India launched ‘The Experience: A Journey with France’ and the platform 10 Years-10 Films in Mumbai on 14 December.
The third edition of Bonjour India is an extravaganza spanning over four months to celebrate the Indo-French association through hundreds of events across India. It will cover 100 projects in 33 cities across 20 states and union territories from November 2017 to February 2018. The themes for these projects are smart citizen, high mobility and go green.
While reviving a community of French cinema lovers by giving them access to recent French films through various media, 10 Years-10 Films will also facilitate the acquisition of French content by Indian VOD platforms.
Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan said, “They (Bonjour India) have helped us to choose and arrange 10 films, which are the best of French cinema with English subtitles. Our responsibility is to take them to India’s audience, especially the youth who have not been exposed to these kinds of movies.”
Hotstar will, however, also screen three of the movies in cinema halls to reach a variety of audiences. Attaché for Innovation and Multimedia at French Institute India – French Embassy in India, Pierre Laburthe, handpicked the iconic films, across genres, and pitched it to Hotstar.
Laburthe sees a big market French cinema in India. He said, “We are launching an online festival ‘10 on 10’ because, in the last few years, it has been very difficult to have French films in Indian cinema. We wanted to be online and so we partnered with Hotstar and we have one iconic film for each past decade.”
“People don’t know that we have a common history, so we have created this structure to put it in the public space, where people can discover the relationship through these aspects. We will talk about culture, films, education, science, business and everything in a multidisciplinary event,” he added.
Some of the French films that are available now on Hotstar are Villa Amalia, Tomorrow, 9-Month Stretch, Happiness Never Comes Alone, Sils Maria, A Few Hours of Spring, Of Gods and Men, and Irreplaceable. These films will be seen only on Hotstar as the French embassy has acquired the digital rights only for Star India.
Also Read: Guest Column: How 2018 could become a landmark year for OTT entertainment in India
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Gaming
Roblox appoints Sunil Rao as India managing director to drive growth
Former AWS leader to lead creator ecosystem, partnerships and local strategy
MUMBAI: Roblox has appointed Sunil Rao as managing director for India, as the company looks to deepen its footprint in one of its fastest-growing markets.
Rao, who will join in May, will serve as the senior-most representative for Roblox in India, leading local strategy, partnerships and day-to-day operations. His mandate includes strengthening the platform’s presence, supporting the creator ecosystem and aligning India’s market needs with global priorities.
A key focus area will be nurturing India’s growing community of developers and creators, enabling local studios to leverage Roblox’s tools for scaling and monetisation. Globally, the platform’s creator community earned over $1.5 billion in 2025, underlining the economic potential of user-generated content ecosystems.
“Roblox is at the forefront of enabling a new generation of creators and games. India’s scale, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy present a massive opportunity,” said Rao. “I’m excited to build a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem that empowers developers and creators across the country. Ensuring child safety and aligning closely with India’s regulatory framework will be among my top priorities.”
Welcoming the appointment, Roblox vice president international Zhen Fang said India represents a high-potential market for the company. “Sunil brings deep expertise in building operations across diverse markets, and his passion for community-centric platforms makes him the ideal leader to drive our next chapter of growth in the country.”
Rao brings over two decades of experience across technology platforms, venture capital and developer ecosystems. He was previously part of the leadership team at Amazon Web Services, where he led strategy and corporate business development across Asia-Pacific and Japan. He also served as a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, working closely with startups and founders.
Earlier in his career, Rao played a key role in building developer ecosystems at Symbian, Nokia and Google, contributing to the growth of major mobile and internet platforms.
With India’s large youth population and rapidly evolving digital landscape, Roblox’s latest leadership move signals a sharper focus on long-term growth, local relevance and creator-led innovation in the market.
