Movies
Why Abundantia’s Vikram Malhotra is looking to raise Rs 250 crore in 2025
MUMBAI: It’s had an abundant share of hits. Now Abundantia Entertainment is gearing up to ramp up its slate further and is in the market to raise a nice little treasure chest of money to fund its future film and series projects.
Speaking to moneycontrol.com, its CEO Vikram Malhotra said that he was looking to raise Rs 200-250 crore in the first half of 2025, only one third of the investment of Rs 750 crore he has lined up for movies and series for the company going forward.
Abundantia has been behind some critically acclaimed and commercially successful films like Baby, Airlift, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, Chhorii, Jalsa, Ram Setu, Sukhee and Sarfira. Its series Breathe which ran into three seasons and Hush Hush which brought yesteryear super stars Juhi Chawla and Ayesha Jhulka onto streaming have got him hungry to do more.
“Out of the 23 titles in development actively at Abundantia right now, the next three years should see an output of 18 of them, starting with six releases in 2025,” he told Moneycontrol. “So far, we’ve had a tremendous five years in terms of creative and financial success and now the plan is to take it to the next level with the infusion of additional capital that allows us to exploit the opportunities that exist in the market.”
Among the titles which are under developed or are on the production floor include: Amazon Prime Video’s Bhoomi Pednekar-starring Suresh Triveni-directed Daldal, the sequel to the 2021 released Chhorii, and the Anil Kapoor-starring Suresh Triveni-directed Subedaar. Many a talent have also been signed up by Abundantia, reveals Malhotra. Among them: Hansal Mehta (the director of the successful Scam series ) who is working on a multi season series, Gullak director Palash Vaswani who’s working on a film, Bhav Dhulia (the director behind Drishyam and Paan Singh Tomar) who’s got a film project as well as Mayank Sharma (he directed Breathe’s three seasons) for a film.
Malhotra has been restructuring Abundantia and has built two verticals within it: psych for horror and paranormal stories and Filters for the young adult segment and is actively developing content under these.
A creative studio called Opening Image has been launched with Suresh Triveni. The idea: focus on creating and developing differentiated content across mediums and aims at being an ecosystem for young writers and directors to flourish under Triveni’s guidance.
This is not the first fund raise Malhotra’s attempting. He initially secured funding from Dalip Pathak’s Callista Capital and Ashok Wadhwa’s RW Media, who he later bought out.
Going by his track record (and despite the mixed response from movie goers that the film industry has been receiving), Malhotra and his Abundantia should get the fund raise through and right – in the first take itself.
Hindi
Zee5 and Applause Entertainment team up for whodunnit ‘Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa’
Rajat Kapoor directs star-studded murder mystery streaming from 10 April.
MUMBAI: Zee5 is serving up another killer collaboration and this time, the murder mystery comes with a generous side of dark humour and family dysfunction. The streaming platform has partnered with Applause Entertainment and Mithya Talkies to bring Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa, a fresh, twisted whodunnit written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker and actor Rajat Kapoor. The film will stream exclusively on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
The movie reimagines the classic murder mystery genre with a contemporary, darkly comic edge. It revolves around a group of friends and family who smile, drink, and celebrate together until the silence snaps and long-buried secrets spill out. The stellar ensemble cast includes Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Waluscha De Sousa, Saurabh Shukla, Chandrachoor Rai, Neil Bhoopalam, Koel Purie, Palomi Ghosh, and Rajat Kapoor himself.
This latest offering continues the successful partnership between Zee5 and Applause Entertainment, which has previously delivered diverse hits such as Mithya, Bloody Brothers, and Jab Khuli Kitaab.
&TV Business Head of hindi Zee5 and chief channel officer Kaveri Das said, “Our collaboration with Applause Entertainment has consistently delivered distinct, high-impact storytelling. Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa is a natural progression, reinforcing our focus on genre-led content with a compelling whodunnit premise and a strong ensemble cast.”
Applause Entertainment business head for movies Sunil Chainani added, “This film adds yet another compelling layer to our slate with Rajat Kapoor’s unmistakable voice.”
Rajat Kapoor shared, “What interested me was not just the mechanics of a whodunnit, but the emotional violence that precedes physical violence. These are people who smile at each other, but there’s so much that is not said.”
The film promises razor-sharp writing, layered performances, and simmering tension, inviting viewers not just to solve the crime but to unravel the complex relationships at its heart.
If you love a good murder mystery served with wit and emotional depth, Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa looks set to be your next addictive watch. Mark your calendars, the whodunnit drops on Hindi Zee5 from 10 April.
