GECs
Percept Picture Co. to release three movies in four months
MUMBAI: Percept Picture Company is gearing up to release three movies in the next four months. The collective budget for the three movies is Rs 250 million.
India’s first 2D animation movie Hanuman will be ready for a Dussera release in October. Percept IMC joint managing director Shailendra Singh informs Indiantelevision.com that the release of the 90-minute movie will be backed by a huge marketing push. “We are planning to push the movie heavily through merchandising as a huge opportunity lies here. Also the music release of the movie will be done in one of the grounds in front of the general public.”
Hanuman is produced by Percept Picture Company in association with Silvertoons and has been created by animation wiz V G Samant.
Before releasing Hanuman, Percept will be releasing two other movies — Pyar Mein Twist and Sacred Evil.
Pyar Mein Twist, starring Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor, is slated to release on 5 August and Sacred Evil, which has been directed by a French unit and has been shot in Kolkatta will be released globally in September.
Two other movies that the company has on the floors are Home Delivery and Priyadarshan’s Maalamaal Weekly. The production work for these movies has already commenced.
Percept Picture Company is in talks with the producers of the Hollywood flick Tree of Life for a joint-production venture. However, at this point in time, the deal has not been signed between the two. The movie will be directed by Terence Malik and will star Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell.
Singh says, “We are in talks with them, but as of now, the deal has not been signed between us. Their project is finalised but our partnership is not. There is no formalisation on the film until things are put on paper.”
Refuting a report carried recently by an afternooner, Singh says, “The deal is very crucial and there are big names attached to the movie and hence it is unfair to report names like Michael Douglas as a part of the cast without any basis.”
GECs
Sahara One reports financial results, notes director exit and business realignment
Muted revenues, steady expenses and strategic adjustments shape company’s current phase
MUMBAI: In a tale where the sands seem to be slipping faster than they can be gathered, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited has reported another quarter of wafer-thin income and widening losses, even as a boardroom exit adds to the unease.
The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that its board, in a meeting held on April 4, approved its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The numbers paint a stark picture. Total income for the quarter stood at just Rs 0.13 lakh, unchanged sequentially and sharply down from Rs 0.26 lakh a year earlier.
Losses, meanwhile, deepened. The company posted a net loss of Rs 24.16 lakh for the quarter, compared to Rs 18.81 lakh in the June quarter and Rs 39.69 lakh in the same period last year. For the six months ended September 2025, the cumulative loss stood at Rs 39.69 lakh, while the full-year loss for FY25 was reported at Rs 60.72 lakh.
Expenses continued to outweigh income by a wide margin. Total expenses for the quarter came in at Rs 24.30 lakh, led by employee benefit costs of Rs 6.51 lakh and other expenses of Rs 17.78 lakh. Earnings per share remained in the red at Rs (0.11) for the quarter.
The balance sheet reflects a company with significant assets on paper but limited operational momentum. Total assets stood at Rs 23,065.57 lakh as of September 30, 2025, broadly unchanged from March 2025. Equity share capital remained steady at Rs 2,152.50 lakh, while total equity was reported at Rs 18,004.85 lakh.
Cash and cash equivalents saw a modest uptick to Rs 6.75 lakh from Rs 4.68 lakh earlier, supported by a positive operating cash flow of Rs 180.01 lakh for the period.
Yet, beneath these numbers lies a more complex narrative. The company’s auditors flagged their inability to obtain sufficient evidence to form a conclusion on the financial statements, citing lack of access to records. They also raised concerns over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, pointing to insufficient funds, delayed recoveries, and stalled content investments.
Adding to the governance overhang, the company disclosed that Rana Zia has resigned as whole-time director, effective October 16, 2025, citing other professional commitments. The resignation, noted and accepted by the board, also brings an end to her role across company committees.
Regulatory pressures continue to loom large. The Securities and Exchange Board of India has already initiated penal actions for non-compliance with listing norms, with trading in the company’s shares remaining suspended. There is also a risk of promoter demat accounts being frozen.
Legacy legal issues remain unresolved. A substantial deposit of Rs 694,027.88 thousand linked to the long-running OFCD dispute involving Sahara group entities is still under the purview of the Supreme Court of India. Restrictions on asset disposal continue to weigh on the company’s financial flexibility.
Operationally, challenges persist across multiple fronts. Advances worth Rs 1,92,916 thousand given for film content remain stuck, with delays in project completion and uncertain recoverability. The company’s YouTube channel, despite being operational, has generated no revenue for over three years due to compliance lapses. In a further twist, management has indicated that revenues may have been fraudulently diverted through unauthorised changes to its AdSense account, with a police complaint in the works.
There are also missed revenue opportunities. Television content rights continue to be used by a related party despite the expiry of the licence agreement, with fresh negotiations still underway.
For now, Sahara One Media and Entertainment Limited appears caught between legacy disputes and present-day operational hurdles. As losses linger and governance questions mount, the road to recovery looks less like a sprint and more like a slow trudge through shifting sands.
