A small cheque, firm control: Bodhi Tree tightens its grip on content creation

MUMBAI: Bodhi Tree Multimedia’s move to acquire a 50.01% stake in Moving Image Studios may have slipped under the radar when it was cleared late last year, but the logic behind it is anything but modest. For Rs 7 crore in cash, the content producer has secured operational control of a young media studio, signalling a deliberate push towards tighter ownership and faster execution in a crowded entertainment market.

The board cleared the transaction on December 31, 2025, approving the acquisition of a controlling interest in Moving Image Studios Private Limited (MISPL) through a Share Purchase and Share Subscription Agreement (SPSSA). The agreement, executed on December 24 and formally received a week later, hands Bodhi Tree majority control while keeping the structure clean and regulator free.

The deal combines immediacy with optionality. Alongside the upfront acquisition, Bodhi Tree has committed an additional Rs 6 crore via convertible instruments, leaving room for future expansion without overextending capital at the outset. The consideration is entirely in cash, and the transaction is neither a related party deal nor subject to regulatory approvals.

Moving Image Studios, incorporated in April 2024 and based in Mumbai’s Bandra West, is a fledgling but focused player in the media and entertainment space. Its youth appears to be part of the appeal. By stepping in early, Bodhi Tree gains decisive leadership control, with 50.01% being just enough, while preserving governance safeguards and information rights for minority shareholders.

Control, rather than scale, appears to be the point. The acquisition brings MISPL onto Bodhi Tree’s consolidated books, reinforcing a strategy that favours ownership clarity over loose partnerships. In an industry where delays are costly and accountability often diffused, majority control offers speed.

The approval came during a one hour board meeting on December 31, chaired by managing director Mautik Ajit Tolia, who also signed off on the regulatory filing. The company remains focused on content production across television, films and digital platforms, where competition is intensifying and margins depend as much on execution as ideas.

Bodhi Tree’s stock performance has been uneven in the short term, down over the past year, but the long view tells a different story, with five year returns exceeding 550%. This acquisition, modest in size yet firm in intent, fits that longer arc, disciplined capital, early control and a bet on content that can be shaped, not merely commissioned.

In an industry addicted to splashy announcements, Bodhi Tree’s quiet consolidation may prove the more durable play.