December 2020 - Reliance Entertainment

Rajiv Bakshi of Reliance Big Synergy Awarded “CEO OF THE YEAR” by World Brand Congress

Posted on December 23, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, December 23, 2020: Rajiv Bakshi, the CEO of Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy, has been conferred with the “CEO Of the Year” 2020 award by the jury of World Brand Congress, World Marketing Congress and CMO Global.

The award was given in recognition of Rajiv’s differentiated strategy to establish Reliance Big Synergy as the leading content development and production powerhouse in India. As the CEO of Reliance Big Synergy, one of India’s oldest and most respected content development and production companies, with a legacy of 5,000 plus hours of path- breaking content, he leads a team of creative visionaries and committed to create of high-impact web series, direct to OTT movies, TV fiction and unscripted/factual content across OTT & Broadcast platforms in Hindi and regional languages.

The jury to announce the award included Prof. Indira Parikh, Ex. Dean, IIM Ahmedabad, Dr. Harish Mehta, Chairman, Onward Technologies & Founding Member, Nasscom; Dr. Arun Arora, Executive Chairman, Edvance Schools & Former CEO, The Economic Times and Dr. R L Bhatia, Founder, World CSR Day.

Speaking about the phenomenal achievement, Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, said, “Rajiv, time and again, has proved himself to be a brilliant leader. His knowledge, wisdom and vision have been the driving forces behind his exemplary career. It’s a proud moment for all of us at Reliance Entertainment.”

Delighted with the distinction, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO, Reliance Big Synergy, said “I am grateful to my team, our esteemed partners, talent and crew and the viewers of our shows who have contributed to this recognition. I humbly accept this honour on behalf of my entire team. I am passionate about transformative disruptions that change consumer and societal behaviours and create long-term competitive advantage. This award is a vindication of the success of our business and content strategy to cater to the rapid transformation and diversity of the Indian media sector.”

An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Rajiv has 20 years of multi-functional experience of working with global and Indian consumer product and services companies. He has deep understanding of Broadcast Media, OTT Streaming Platforms, Smartphones, Consumer Durables and Electronics industries.

Earlier in his career, Rajiv turnaround Discovery Networks’ India & South Asia business, as the Head of Products & Marketing, and he is credited for building its 11-channel portfolio, 10-year leadership for Discovery Channel; pioneering lifestyle category with TLC; launching kids’ business – Discovery Kids and introducing HD experience to viewers in India. Prior to Reliance Entertainment, Rajiv was the CMO of a home-grown Indian disruptor in Smartphones and Consumer Durables where he envisioned the brand transformation and Go-To-Market strategy across product verticals – Mobile Phones, LED TVs, ACs, Washing Machines and Accessories. In his early career, he consulted companies in FMCG, Auto, Financial Services and Telecom.

About Reliance Big Synergy

Being a pioneer in content creation in the country, it has an inimitable legacy of producing shows for leading media companies including Star/Disney, Sony, Zee, Viacom, Dangal, regional language networks Star Maa, Zee Punjabi, Star Vijay, Suvarna, Asianet, Discovery, NDTV, BBC and OTT platforms including Netflix, Viu, Alt Balaji, Voot and many more. Over the years, the company has delivered successful, original and premium content across all genres, ranging from Web series, GEC fiction, Non-Fiction Game and Quiz Shows, Factual and Unscripted.

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About Reliance Entertainment:

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, and thereafter, Amblin Partners. This relationship has produced several successful films such as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln, The Hundred Foot Journey, The Girl on the Train, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge of Spies, The Post, 2019 Golden Globes and Oscar winning film, Green Book & 2020 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globes winner 1917.

Follow us on:

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https://www.instagram.com/reliance.entertainment

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126

Timur Bekmambetov partners with Reliance Entertainment and Graphic India to produce a slate of original Indian Screenlife Films

Posted on December 22, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

‘Unfriended’ and ‘Searching’ producer is to bring his Screenlife filmmaking format into new local Hindi-language productions

Mumbai, India — December 22, 2020 – One of the world’s most innovative filmmakers, Timur Bekmambetov, is bringing his digital onscreen filmmaking techniques to one of the world’s largest movie markets, partnering with producer, Sharad Devarajan’s Graphic India and Reliance Entertainment to commence the production and distribution of original local-language films leveraging his Screenlife technique in India.

Bekmambetov is one of the world’s leading filmmakers who has directed big budget Hollywood blockbusters, including Wanted starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, and produced innovative action films, such as video game-inspired Hardcore Henry. His brainchild, the Screenlife movie format, where the story is told on the screens of smartphones and computers, made a massive breakthrough in 2015, when Universal’s Unfriended was released, grossing $65 million worldwide with a budget of $1 million and spawning a sequel three years later. He followed that up with a 2018 thriller, Searching, grossing more than $75 million worldwide. Last year, his creative team, in association with Hooked, produced a 10-episode Snapchat original series for smartphones, Dead of Night, with the story revolving around a viral outbreak that turns people into zombies. It scored over 14 million unique viewers in the first month of release and got renewed for two more seasons.

Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of Reliance Group and has an established and successful track record in film production in Bollywood and Hollywood. Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered with Steven Spielberg since 2009 to form DreamWorks Studios and, later, Amblin Partners. Commercially and critically successful films of the association include The Help, War Horse, The Post, Green Book, and 1917. Graphic India is the character entertainment creator for original superheroes, whose latest short motion comics scored record views on TikTok in India.

In the first phase of the new partnership, Bekmambetov and Devarajan are working closely with Reliance Entertainment on the development and production of three films by up-and-coming Indian filmmakers and storytellers. The first project has been finalised and is expected to go into production early next year.

Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO, Reliance Entertainment, said, “India is one of the world’s leading fastest-growing entertainment economies. We are delighted to partner with Timur and Sharad to bring Screenlife, a new digital onscreen filmmaking language, to India and provide a new and powerful platform to showcase talent of Indian writers and directors.”

Commented Bekmambetov, “Screenlife films are universally relatable to people around the world, and audiences intuitively understand this storytelling language, because it’s how we live. I believe our devices can reveal more about a person than they would ever say out loud, because we never lie to our screens.”

Devarajan added, “I have been fortunate to learn so much from Timur over the past few years, and his unbounded creativity and disruptive thinking is an inspiration. At Graphic India, we strive to push the boundaries of storytelling with new genres and experiences, and this wonderful partnership with Reliance Entertainment will give us an amazing opportunity to showcase some of India’s pioneering filmmakers and creators.”

The Screenlife format has proven very resilient to the industry shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it is more flexible, making it possible to shoot remotely, ensuring the safety of the cast and crew. Bekmambetov’s production banners are now working on a Screenlife adaptation of a classic, R#J (Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet), a sequel to Searching, as well as developing a new thriller Resurrected. The unprecedented surge of interest in the Screenlife format, coupled with prolific cooperation over the past decade, resulted in the deal Universal and Bekmambetov inked in June to partner on another five Hollywood features to be made in the Screenlife format in various genres.

Following the success of his innovative movies, Bekmambetov has founded a tech startup, Screenlife Limited, developing products and services powered by artificial intelligence and neural networks to boost mainstream production of Screenlife content. Last year, Screenlife Limited established a strategic partnership with Microsoft to develop a Screenlife content platform based on the tech giant’s cloud technologies and create a film-tech R&D lab.

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126

Reliance Big Synergy’s New Fiction Daily “Guppedantha Manasu” on Star Maa Premieres to Slot Leadership with 38% Channel Share

Posted on December 18, 2020December 31, 2020 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, December 18, 2020: Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy’s new fiction daily Guppedantha Manasu premiered on the No.1 Telugu language channel Star Maa and garnered slot leadership recording a rating on 8.9 GRPs* with an astounding 38% channel share. The show premiered from November 7, airing every Monday to Saturday at 7 pm.

On the spectacular performance in the opening week, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Big Synergy said, “We at Reliance Big Synergy are delighted with the phenomenal opening of our new prime time fiction daily Guppedantha Manasu on the market leader Star Maa. Slot leadership in the premiere week itself! This achievement echos our deep comprehension and insights of the GEC audience, acquaintance with the local market and cultural truths, and the production competence to produce in challenging Covid environment. Further, I would like to express our gratitude to Star Maa for its conviction in our abilities to create high rating fiction dailies. We will continue in our endeavour to grow the show’s viewership and create an impactful, entertaining and long lasting series.”

Star Maa spokesperson said, “Guppedantha Manasu is a story of many girls across India. Its an insight that comes from a pan Indian perspective and has seen incredible success on Star Jalsha in the Bengal market as Mohor, from which our story is inspired. Our story is of an undergraduate girl Vasudhara who aspires to be a teacher, just like her real life idol. However, life takes a sudden turn and she is forced by her father to marry for his monetary gains. But, she runs away from this marriage. Life is not easy for her as she hits all roadblocks and from here starts an audacious journey to fulfill her lifelong dream. She aspires to be independent enough to be able to stand on her own feet.”

Simmi Karna, VP, Content, Reliance Big Synergy, said “We are overwhelmed with the consumer response. We have a long way to go and this energy will boost our performance in the coming quarters.

Reliance Big Synergy has entertained millions of Indians through the high rated and breakthrough non-fiction shows including KBC, Dus Ka Dum, India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and many more, and has established its leadership in the fiction content as well with its range of GEC shows and Web series in both Hindi and regional languages.

ABOUT STAR MAA

Star Maa is a leading Telugu entertainment TV channel network known for its vibrant, innovative, pleasant and interactive programming in the Telugu language market and enjoys a strong growth trajectory, driven by general entertainment and movies. Star Maa Network has a bouquet of six channels—Star Maa, Star Maa HD, Star Maa Music, Star Maa Movies, Star Maa Movies HD and Star Maa Gold.

About Reliance Big Synergy India’s leading content development and production company, Reliance Big Synergy has produced over 5,000 hours of high-rated, critically acclaimed and impactful shows across fiction, non-fiction, unscripted and factual genres in nine languages for both broadcast TV and OTT platforms. Headquartered out of Mumbai, Reliance Big Synergy produces content across India in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Punjabi languages.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/reliancebigsynergy

https://twitter.com/RelBigSynergy

https://www.instagram.com/reliancebigsynergy/

About Reliance Entertainment:

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.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/RelianceEnt

https://twitter.com/RelianceEnt

https://www.instagram.com/reliance.entertainment

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126

Reliance Big Synergy’s New Fiction Daily “Guppedanta Manasu” Premieres on Star Maa

Posted on December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by Amit Yadav

Mumbai, December 9, 2020: Reliance Entertainment’s Reliance Big Synergy’s new fiction daily Guppedanta Manasu premiered on the No.1 Telugu language channel Star Maa from November 7, airing every Monday to Saturday at Super Prime Time 7 pm.

Guppedanta Manasu is a story of an undergraduate girl Vasudhara who aspires to be a teacher, just like her real life idol. However, life takes a sudden turn and she is forced by her father to marry for his monetary gains. But, she runs away from this marriage. Life is not easy for her as she hits all roadblocks and from here starts an audous journey to fulfill her lifelong dream.

Star Maa spokesperson said, “We have always experimented with stories that have an ability to challenge social issues. Guppedanta Manasu is a very powerful story of a girl who is not allowed to fulfil her dream. We are confident that this story inspires millions of viewers. Our attempt has always been to create powerful characters through compelling stories, making Star Maa the most preferred entertainment destination leading the category by keeping the audience excited.”

On the launch of the company’s second Telugu ficition daily, Rajiv Bakshi, CEO of Reliance Big Synergy said, “Guppedanta Manasu is a story of every girl and woman who faces obstacles and gender bias; who are not allowed to express their opinions or to select the professions and lives of their choice. Its an inspirational story of an ordinary girl with extraordinary strength. Over the past years, Reliance Big Synergy has built a strong reputation for its fiction genre content, airing across Hindi and regional languages across both OTT and Broadcast platforms. We are committed to create compelling new stories and are energised by our partners like Star Maa who continue to reward our creativity and production excellence.”

Simmi Karna, VP, Content, Reliance Big Synergy, said “We are overjoyed to bring to the audience the remarkable and stirring story of Vasudhara and are confident that it will further strengthen change in the society.”

Reliance Big Synergy has in the past years entertained millions of Indians through the highest rated and breakthrough non-fiction shows including KBC, Dus Ka Dum, India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and more, and has established its leadership in the fiction vertical as well with its range of fiction TV shows and Web series in both Hindi and regional languages.

ABOUT STAR MAA

About Reliance Big Synergy

India’s leading content development and production company, Reliance Big Synergy has produced over 5,000 hours of high-rated, critically acclaimed and impactful shows across fiction, non-fiction, unscripted and factual genres in nine languages for both broadcast TV and OTT platforms. Headquartered out of Mumbai, Reliance Big Synergy produces content across India in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Punjabi languages. Being a pioneer in content creation in the country, it has an inimitable legacy of producing shows for leading media companies including Star/Disney, Sony, Zee, Viacom, Dangal, regional language networks Star Maa, Zee Punjabi, Star Vijay, Suvarna, Asianet, Discovery, NDTV, BBC and OTT platforms including Netflix, Viu, Alt Balaji, Voot and many more. Over the years, the company has delivered successful, original and premium content across all genres, ranging from Web series, GEC fiction, Non-Fiction Game and Quiz Shows, Factual and Unscripted.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/reliancebigsynergy

https://twitter.com/RelBigSynergy

https://www.instagram.com/reliancebigsynergy/

About Reliance Entertainment:

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.

Follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/RelianceEnt

https://twitter.com/RelianceEnt

https://www.instagram.com/reliance.entertainment

For further information contact:

Fatema Nagree Fatema.Nagree@relianceada.com +919867661126