Film Production
Sahara films ‘Page 3’, ‘Bose’ win National Awards
MUMBAI: Two films produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures — Page 3 and Bose – The Forgotten Hero — have bagged National Awards.
At this year’s annual celebration of the best that Indian cinema has to offer, it was Madhur Bhandarkar’s critically acclaimed box office hit Page 3 that took home the most prestigious trophy of them all, the National Award for Best Film. As for Shyam Benegal’s tribute to Netaji, Bose – The Forgotten Hero, it won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration.
Sahara India Entertainment Management Company Limited (SIEMCL) MD Shailendra Singh said, “It is a matter of pride that two of our films have won Best Film awards. This is testimony to Sahara One Motion Pictures’ commitment to delighting audiences with quality content. We are here to stay as one of the biggest players in the motion pictures business. Movie-lovers can look forward to many more such excellent films from us. My hearty congratulations to Mr Benegal and Madhur for their brilliant work.”
Benegal, on the other hand said, “I am delighted that Bose… has won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration, because of two reasons. First — it’s a film about a great nationalist and patriot. Secondly, these are the core values that are so much part of the values of Sahara India.”
SIEMCL chief executive officer Shantonu Aditya said, “It is particularly heartening that meaningful and popular films like Page 3 and Bose… have won such prestigious awards. As India’s largest studio producing and acquiring quality movies and undertaking distribution and marketing, Sahara One Motion Pictures will continue to produce movies that we believe the masses will love.”
Sahara One Motion Pictures COO Sandeep Bhargava said, “Congratulations to Mr Benegal, Mr Bobby Pushkarna (producer of Page 3) and Madhur. Both, the movies have won popular and critical acclaim with great content and production values. I am glad that the professional setup of Sahara One Motion Pictures provided the directors a completely hassle-free environment to concentrate on their creative work without having to worry about any production, marketing or distribution issues.”
Benegal concurs, “Working with Sahara One Motion Pictures while making the film was like an ideal partnership between producer and director. They gave me all the resources that were needed to make the film, along with complete creative freedom.”
Bhandarkar said, “I am glad that my effort with Page 3 has received such high recognition, for which I would like to thank the public and the jury of the National Awards. I am also grateful to Sahara One Motion Pictures and producer Bobby Pushkarna for the extremely professional production, marketing and distribution support, which, along with the content of the film, helped Page 3 become a hit. I look forward to working on more excellent projects with Sahara One Motion Pictures.”
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.
