RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT AND NEERAJ PANDEY & SHITAL BHATIA’S FRIDAY FILMWORKS PARTNER TO FORM PLAN C STUDIOS

 

RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT AND NEERAJ PANDEY & SHITAL BHATIA’S
 FRIDAY FILMWORKS PARTNER TO FORM PLAN C STUDIOS

Mumbai, February 2, 2016: Anil D. Ambani owned Reliance Entertainment and prolific filmmaker producer duo, Neeraj Pandey and Shital Bhatia’s Friday Filmworks, today announced the formation of Plan C Studios, a 50:50 Joint Venture for production of movies.

Neeraj Pandey is one of India's most successful Directors and has received wide appreciation and acclaim from audiences and critics alike, in addition to blockbuster success at the box office. Neeraj is also an extremely well accomplished writer, and has received multiple awards for his films.

His first film “A Wednesday” made in 2008, went on to win the National Award. Subsequently, he directed “Special 26” in 2013, and “Baby” in 2015, both widely appreciated and huge commercial successes. Neeraj is currently on the floors with “M S DHONI – The Untold Story” - one of the most anticipated films of the year.

The combination will benefit from the creative and production strength of Friday Filmworks, and leverage the global marketing and distribution capabilities of Reliance Entertainment.

Plan C Studios will kick start with Akshay Kumar starrer, the period drama, Rustom, directed by Tinu Suresh Desai. Other projects include Neeraj Pandey’s cinematic version of his novel, Ghalib Danger and films helmed by Shivam Nair, Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, Anurag Singh, Anvita Dutt and Shree Narayan Singh.

Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, Group Managing Director, Reliance Group, said, “We are delighted to partner with creative minds like Neeraj and Shital. This relationship is in line with our continuing strategy in the media and entertainment business, of partnering with like minded and successful individuals, while playing the role of supportive investors on our part.”

Commenting on the partnership, Neeraj Pandey said: “The partnership with Reliance Group is very significant and welcome, as it enables us to further raise the bar on our continued strategy of developing cutting edge commercial content. We like to keep pushing the envelope, and this partnership will greatly expand our vision.”

“The alliance with Reliance Group and our continued success at the box office, are a welcome and clear vindication of our focused strategy. Reliance's significant global and domestic distribution and monetization network, not just perfectly complements our distinct content, but will also ensure highest value creation for all our partners and stakeholders,” added Shital Bhatia.

Reliance Entertainment has produced, distributed and released more than 170 films in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, etc.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered for over the past 7 years with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios and announced the continuation of that relationship with the formation of Amblin Partners in December 2015.

Bridge of Spies, the latest release from this partnership, has received 6 Oscar nominations and 9 BAFTA nominations this year, including Best Picture and Best Director.

In India, Reliance Entertainment has recently formed an exciting partnership with Phantom films, a company created by highly talented directors and producers.

About Reliance Entertainment

Reliance Group, led by Mr. Anil D. Ambani, is among India’s major business houses, with a leadership position in telecommunications, power, infrastructure, financial services, and media and entertainment. The Group has over 250 million customers, serving 1 in every 5 Indians and has over 8 million shareholders, amongst the largest in the world.

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and is engaged in the creation and distribution of content across film, television, digital and gaming platforms. Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered since 2009 with iconic film producer and director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios.

This relationship has produced several highly successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey and most recently, Bridge of Spies, which has been nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Film and 9 BAFTA nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

In December 2015, Reliance Entertainment, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media and Entertainment One formed Amblin Partners, a new film, television and digital content creation company.