Film Production
Swastik lights up a new storytelling journey
MUMBAI: Talk about a plot twist. After 18 years of scripting some of India’s most iconic mythological and historical dramas, Swastik Productions has turned the page to become Swastik Stories, unveiling what it calls the nation’s first cultural storytelling ecosystem.
The rebrand, marked with the lighting of an Akhand diya in Mumbai by former Sony Pictures Networks India chief NP Singh, signals not just a new name but a fresh era. “This is not a rebrand, it’s a new diya,” said founder Siddharth Kumar Tewary, framing the move as the spark of a hundred-year storytelling journey.
The curtain rises this Diwali with a FAST (Free ad-supported streaming TV) channel that plays Swastik’s much-loved shows round the clock, alongside a lineup of Swastik Originals, premium series designed for today’s digital-first audience.
But the vision stretches far beyond screens. From films and grand stage musicals to immersive dome experiences and even a Bharatverse in the metaverse, Swastik Stories aims to carry India’s epics, legends and folk tales into every possible medium.
Rooted in the symbolism of the eternal flame, Swastik Stories isn’t just revisiting the past. It’s kindling a cultural ecosystem built to make Bharat’s tales shine brighter for generations to come.
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.
