iWorld
Vuclip hires Vishal Maheshwari as country manager – India
MUMBAI: As it gears up to launch its Over-The-Top (OTT) video streaming service in the country, Vuclip has roped in former Yahoo! India director Vishal Maheshwari as country manager in India.
Maheshwari’s core responsibilities will include driving consumer adoption, engagement and monetisation for the video on demand (VOD) service in India through strategic partnerships, service innovation and consumer insights.
The appointment also reflects the company’s strategic intent to expand market share in a hyper competitive VOD market like India post the entry of international players like Netflix and HOOQ.
What’s more, Vuclip is also looking at transitioning from a B2B to a consumer facing company.
Maheshwari joins Vuclip with over 15 years of experience in the telecom and mobile internet space with organisations such as Yahoo! India and BPL Mobile, and 10 years of product and brand management experience at Parle, Warner Lambert and SBI Cards.
Vuclip COO Arun Prakash said, “We are excited for Indian consumers in 2016 to experience a whole new way of entertainment on the go and pleased to have Vishal come on-board to lead our OTT service in India. With India in digital overdrive, creative thinking, fleet-footedness and focused execution are required to win over consumers’ hearts, minds and devices. Vishal’s leadership, consumer centric thought process, passion for product and brand, and value creation for partners will lead Vuclip and this entire industry in India.”
“The ever evolving video space in India offers the thrill of a challenge. It is my endeavor to make 2016 a year of delight for the Indian audience in the entertainment and OTT space. I believe Vuclip is best positioned to make that happen,” added Maheshwari.
Vuclip has a free user base of 20 million and a paying subscriber base in excess of five million people in India. The company’s OTT service in India will see tough competition from existing players like Netflix, Hotstar, HOOQ, Sony Liv, Ditto TV and ErosNow amongst others.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
