Film Production
Jio Studios wraps ‘Paan Parda Zarda’, promises to spice up streaming wars
MUMBAI: If you thought digital dramas were starting to taste bland, Jio Studios is here to shove a mouthful of Paan Parda Zarda down your streaming queue. Imagine mixing action, drama, and intrigue, sprinkling it with gritty central Indian flavours, and serving it hot with an ensemble cast that’s spicier than your grandma’s masala chai. Hungry yet?
Jio Studios, alongside Reliance Entertainment and Dreamers and Doers Co., has officially wrapped filming its ambitious new web series, Paan Parda Zarda. And, boy, does this sound like a blockbuster recipe.
Starring an array of talent including Mona Singh, Tanvi Azmi, Tanya Maniktala, Priyanshu Painyuli, Sushant Singh, Rajesh Tailang, and Manu Rishi, this series isn’t just packed—it’s stuffed to the gills with acting chops. Set against the vivid and raw backdrop of central India, the series promises to be a high-voltage narrative filled with compelling characters and edge-of-the-seat drama.
Directing the chaos (and hopefully keeping actors in line) are industry veterans Gurmmeet Singh, famed for gritty dramas like Mirzapur and Inside Edge, and Shilpi Dasgupta. Supporting this powerful duo are filmmakers Mrighdeep Singh Lamba (Fukrey franchise) and Suparn S Varma (Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain, Family Man, Rana Naidu). The writing team is equally stacked with talent, featuring the Dalal brothers, Hussain and Abbas (Bambai Meri Jaan, Farzi, Brahmastra), alongside Radhika Anand and Vibha Singh.
“With its grand scale, gripping screenplay, and a stellar team at its helm, Paan Parda Zarda is poised to be a game-changer in the digital entertainment space,” says Jio Studios. No biggie, just casually promising a digital spectacle.
Produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Namit Sharma, Paan Parda Zarda is readying itself to invade screens globally. And let’s be honest—who doesn’t love a good cinematic takeover?
This one promises to leave viewers more hooked than the cliffhanger at the end of your last binge-session.
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.
