Fiction
We are a young old production house: Ram Madhvani
MUMBAI: Ram Madhvani is a devoted Ad-man, but he is also known for creating fiction that gets into the nitty-gritties of a character. Ad-man turned filmmaker Madhvani is all set to make his mark as a producer and director of feature films, web series, short films with his recently launched production house, Ram Madhvani Films.
Madhvani directed his first feature film Let’s Talk in 2002. The National Award winning movie Neerja came 14 years later. However, Madhvani didn’t lose hope, he kept trying. Sometimes projects would be announced, like fantasy Talisman with Amitabh Bachchan but did not make it to the silver screen. For the uninitiated, his web series Aarya, was initially meant to be a movie, but due to unknown reasons the movie was shelved one month before the shooting. That was seven years ago. Now, Aarya starring Sushmita Sen and Chandrachur Singh will be out on Disney+ Hotstar on 19 June. The show is based on the Dutch drama series Penoza by Pieter Bart Korthuis.
In a special interaction with indiantelevision.com Madhvani spoke at length about his newly launched production house, setting up the entire structure, challenges faced due to Covid2019 and much more.
Madhvani says, “It’s a natural extension of Equinox Films. Equinox will do ads in which we have six directors and four producers. Ram Madhvani Films will produce and create longer content. Both are owned by my wife Amita Madhvani and me. I will very much continue to make ads. I’m passionate about it.”
According to Madhvani the biggest drive for becoming a producer is that it gives you control over your work.
Speaking about how long it took to set up the entire structure he adds, “We actually already had it with Equinox. We are a production house. Producing runs in our blood. This was just a new company.”
When the entire film and television fraternity is grappling with the current situation, Madvani mentions that he managed to finish shooting Aarya before lockdown. However editing, sound, VFX etc were added during lockdown.
Madhvani also thanked his entire team who worked hard from home with full safety while embracing technology.
As the Maharashtra government has given permission to resume production work with certain guidelines, Madhvani feels that safety and protocols are of utmost importance.
Madhvani is in no hurry to release shows, erring on the side of precaution. However, he is working on a couple of scripts, but it will take time.
“Creative people live in hope. And so my hope is that soon, this will pass and we can go back to our ‘normal’ lives,” he says.
Equinox currently consists of Ram Madhvani, Amita Madhvani, Manoj Shroff, Rhea Prabhu and Annum Waris as producers, Nitin Parmar, Deb Medhekar, Sandeep Modi, Priyanka Ghose, Tanvi Gandhi and Madvani as directors while Raja Ved is the CFO. The company has an in-house production designer Anna Ipe.
Apart from this Madhvani has just started Equinox VR, a new virtual reality company where the team wants to make content for the VR world. The producer on Equinox VR is Khvafar Vakharia. These people will also be part of the Ram Madhvani Films team when needed. He adds, “These are our in-house producers and directors that we have known and been together for years. It’s a strong dedicated hard-working team. We also work with a regular team of people who make up the rest of our extended team.”
Madhvani highlights that the most important aspect while setting up a new production company is to continue the reputation that they have built so far.
A pandemic is a difficult time and one must adapt fast to the post Covid2019 budgets. He said, “We are hungry for work and we partner with clients and agencies to understand everyone’s marketing and financial problems. Everyone is there to help and understand each other. We call ourselves the youngest oldest production house.”
He concludes, “There’s only one challenge you always face when shooting and that is … time. My epitaph will read 'I wish I had more time.'”
Fiction
Banijay merges with All3Media in $6.65 billion deal
Marco Bassetti will lead the combined company as CEO
PARIS: Six years after acquiring Endemol Shine at the height of the pandemic, Banijay has struck again. The European production heavyweight is merging with All3Media in a deal that will create a television titan with $6.65 billion in revenue and redraw the contours of a fast-consolidating market.
The combined company will trade under the Banijay name and be owned 50 per cent each by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, which acquired All3Media in 2024. The transaction is expected to close by autumn, subject to regulatory approvals.
Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti, will take the top job at the enlarged group. All3Media CEO Jane Turton becomes deputy CEO. RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker will serve as chairman.
The logic is scale. Broadcasters are commissioning less, streamers are tightening budgets and global buyers are fewer but bigger. Against that backdrop, heft matters. The merged entity will generate roughly $6.65 billion in revenues based on 2024 figures, giving it sharper elbows in rights negotiations and deeper pockets for franchise-building.
“Entrepreneurialism, ambition and creativity” remain core to Banijay’s DNA, Bassetti said, flagging plans to invest more heavily in new intellectual property, live events and emerging platforms. Turton struck a similarly bullish note, pointing to All3Media’s journey from a 2003 start-up to a global supplier of hit formats and high-end drama.
Between them, the two groups control a formidable slate. Banijay’s catalogue spans MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders and Deal or No Deal. All3Media’s labels include Studio Lambert, producer of The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge; Two Brothers, behind The Tourist; and Neal Street, currently producing the forthcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes for Sony.
The back catalogue is equally muscular. Banijay Rights holds some 220,000 hours, while All3Media International adds around 35,000 hours, forming one of the industry’s largest libraries.
Banijay, controlled by French entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit and listed in Amsterdam, counts more than 130 production companies across 25 territories. All3Media operates over 40 labels, with strong positions in the UK, US and Germany. The enlarged group will also lean into live entertainment, building on Banijay’s Balich Wonder Studio, which produced the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the Independents.
The deal marks a shift in tone. As recently as October, Bassetti suggested that mergers and acquisitions were not a priority. But the drumbeat of consolidation has grown louder. Mediawan has moved for Peter Chernin’s North Road. David Ellison’s Paramount has agreed to a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros, with plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount plus. ITV has explored selling its media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky, though talks have reportedly slowed.
