GECs
Star in deal with Roshans to promote, telecast ‘Krrish’
MUMBAI: Star India has joined hands with Rakesh Roshan’s Filmkraft Productions (India) Pvt. Ltd. for their forthcoming film Krrish. The alliance includes exclusive appearances of Hrithik Roshan, including a performance, in various shows on the Star Network, global satellite distribution for the movie, in-movie placement, premieres of the movie in India and international markets and promotional rights.
Krrish is an eagerly awaited sequel to Roshan’s earlier blockbuster Koi Mil Gaya. The movie is slated for a June/July 2006 release.
Commenting on the tie-up, Star India COO Sameer Nair said, “At Star, we have been associating with the biggest movies and biggest stars in Indian cinema to bring high quality entertainment to our viewers. It now gives us great pleasure to partner with Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan. We will work together to give our viewers a combination of the best in Indian television and cinema”.
According to source from the acquisition market, Star India has paid in the region of Rs 70 million to obtain the telecast rights of Krrish. Earlier, UTV had bought the overseas rights for the film for Rs 70 million.
“Star wouldn’t need to pay anything more than that because the activities being planned around the film is mutually benefitial. Hritik coming exclusively on Star means promotion for both the channel and the movie,” the source offers.
“I am delighted to work with Star India. This gives me an opportunity to reach millions of viewers instantly,” said Hrithik Roshan. “We are confident that people will appreciate the magic that we will create together in the forthcoming months.”
For the Roshans, the move to associate with Star marks a major shift since their previous two home productions Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (aired on SET on New Year’s Eve 2002) and Koi Mil Gaya (aired 24 October 2004) were telecast on the Sony network.
Star’s bagging of the rights for Krrish comes at a time when the movie acquisition front is witnessing heightened activity.
According to reports, Yashraj Films, the country’s biggest movie production house owned by Yash Chopra and his sons Aditya and Uday, has sold the tele-screening rights of their films from Daag to Veer Zaara to Sony for a whopping Rs 550 million. Sony also paid a reported Rs 70 million for the latest Aamir Khan blockbuster Mangal Pandey – The Rising. Incidentally, Sony is reported to have paid Rs 90 million for Koi Mil Gaya.
Star India, meanwhile, has reportedly bought three Abhishek Bachchan films for Rs 200 million. Star has also bought Vashu Bhagnani’s library at an estimated Rs 150 million. Bhagnani’s movies include Silsiilay, Shaadi No 1, Coolie No 1, Hero No 1, Om Jai Jagadish and Deewanapan.
The other mega movies Star has bought this year are Virudh and Paheli. For the Amitabh Bachchan launched AB Corp movie Virudh, the acquisition price is around Rs 40 million, industry sources say. Paheli, produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, attracted a price tag of around Rs 50 million.
Star Gold recently showed Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades on Independence Day. Star paid Rs 40 million for the tele-rights for the film.
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.
