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Tag: FilmKaravan

  • FilmKaravan’s Pooja Kohli Taneja on experimenting with genres, episodic format and post-Covid2019 production changes

    FilmKaravan’s Pooja Kohli Taneja on experimenting with genres, episodic format and post-Covid2019 production changes

    MUMBAI: From a serious thriller Delhi Crime to a teenage drama What Are The Odds? That's the route FilmKaravan has taken. While most people experiment with similar genres, FilmKaravan took a bold step and will continue to do the same.

    While What Are The Odds? is streaming on Netflix, the production house is also in talks with other OTT platforms. It currently has a total of 13 projects at different stages, FilmKaravan founder and managing director Pooja Kohli Taneja says.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, she speaks about the future plan of the production house, Covid2019 impact and how the post-pandemic world will look.

    Edited excerpts: 

    How was the experience collaborating with Netflix for the second time?

    It was a great experience. The first time we had a show called Delhi Crime that we had produced and we licensed to Netflix. And now for the first time, we were talking about a feature film. What are the Odds? is a very different kind of a film produced by FilmKaravan Originals and Abhay Deol Presents and Netflix was the only platform that really saw the vision that we were coming from. They believed in the content and type of storytelling, especially having gone through once before with a show that was also considered very sensitive. But this collaboration worked really well and the film did wonders on their platform. They were equally eager to see where and how a film like this would go and we got maximum support and love from audiences through their platform. 

    Are you in talks with other OTT platforms?

    Yes, we are in talks with all OTT platforms. We have from our end tried to see what different platforms' mandates are, what they're looking for, what their budgets are, what kind of material is working on their platform since audiences are still very new to this. It's almost like channels from the old days. A show on Zee would technically sometimes be different from a show on Star or Sony and I see all these OTT platforms as the new broadcast channels with their own niche audiences. So as we develop things with different platforms in mind, we keep that audience view of that platform in mind while developing.  

    What are the other genres that you are planning to explore?

    We're working on a bunch of projects, and in fact all genres are completely different from one another. We are working on Delhi Crime season

    two and three. In addition to that we have a bunch of shows that we are currently writing and are in development ranging from a young dance musical to a period piece that is set in pre-Independence India with also a youth relationship drama and a bunch of other things. There's a detective show in the pipeline as well. There are all kinds of genres that we're playing with. The art of telling a story in an episodic manner is something very new to the Indian market and we want to be able to tell something very accurately and authentically for the local audiences, but also have a treatment that is slightly more international and gripping and those are the backbones for which we are developing most of our material.

    How many projects do you have in the pipeline? 

    We have a total of 13 projects right now at different stages. Some are books-based, some are based on true case files or stories, some are completely fictionalised and we have a mix of writer directors from India as well as international talent. We see a huge improvement in the kind of material that we were able to put together if we have some of the senior people that have worked on episodic content outside India previously who bring their learnings along with storytellers from India who can really grasp the characters and the world and tell that story together convincingly and in a tight manner.

    How many of your projects were stuck because of this crisis? 

    We were in the middle of Delhi Crime season 2 shoot. We had eight days left to complete but because of the situation really escalating very quickly in Delhi where we were shooting we had to stop the shoot. A lot of our crew that was from outside India had to fly back to be with their families before the shutdown happened and we're waiting. We're not in a rush to get back. We want to be sure that it's safe and all procedures and protocols that are being set out by the producers unions, as well as the Motion Picture Association, are being followed and we can get back maybe end of July to complete the shoot on our current production and then resume the others but there's just a lot of writing and development work that's going on alongside. 

    How do you see the overall production space changing post-Covid?

    Like I said time will tell as and when things get better, we're in a wait and watch mode. We're not in a rush to get back into production until it is safe for our teams to resume getting on flights and going to locations and being with a hundred plus people on set. We have testing kits that we are organising. We have medical staff on ground and a lot of these protocols that we are planning and ensuring that we can take care of as we move forward into our next phase of post Covid2019 productions. 

    When do you expect everything to go back to normalcy?  

    It's going to be a new space and will be a new normal. It's going to require a lot of checks and takes from our side to ensure the safety and the security of our cast and our crew and moving forward, I think there will be an early check on the kind of material that we are writing whether it is even going to work when it comes to production time, so, you know large crowds, B rolls, street scenes, etc. It will be very difficult to have a crowd scene with a thousand people like we had in a Delhi Crime showing the sights at India Gate in these times. Until we have complete control and check on this situation we'll have to be very creative to make these shoots and stories happen in a post Covid2019 normal that will exist. 

  • FilmKaravan Originals, makers of ‘Delhi Crime’, releases first feature presentation

    FilmKaravan Originals, makers of ‘Delhi Crime’, releases first feature presentation

    MUMBAI: FilmKaravan Originals, the producers of the Netflix Original Delhi Crime, is in it for the long haul. The much-talked about taut thriller based on the investigation of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case had been widely praised and lauded by critics and audiences alike.  Moving to a completely different turf, FilmKaravan Originals, , now releases its second offering, a full-length feature film titled, What Are The Odds?, exclusively on Netflix worldwide. The film is also backed and co-produced by matinee idol Abhay Deol while reprising a pivotal role of a rock star in the film.

    A consolidated content distribution, marketing and delivery service house, FilmKaravan diversified into production with Delhi Crime and now with the release of What Are The Odds? the company has cemented itself as a bonafide content production house in the digital space.  The company operates from two of the largest entertainment hubs in the world- California and Mumbai. In the past, the company has also produced two short films, titled Leeches and Grant Street Shaving Co. Leeches is currently streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime. The film had won a National Award for its music and premiered across multiple prestigious international film festivals. Grant Street Shaving Co. is live on both Amazon Prime and Mubi. The music for the film was given by Sagar Desai who was also given the music for What Are The Odds?

    Sanjay Bachani stated, “Production had always been on the cards and we were scouting for stories that we would be compelled to back. Our effort will always be directed towards being diversified while working with a wide array for makers and talents. We are currently developing a slate across genres and different formats of story telling which are at various stages of production."

    Set in a whimsical version of Mumbai and peopled with characters and incidences personifying the title, 'What Are The Odds?' is an honest, often hilarious and rapt exploration of growing up in contemporary India devoid of its cultural specifications and celebrating unusual friendships. Directed by Megha Ramaswamy, the film features Karanvir Malhotra (Selection Day, Forgotten Army) and Yashaswini Dayama (Delhi Crime, Dear Zindagi) in lead roles. The film also stars Monica Dogra Priyanka Bose, Jugal Hansraj and Manu Rishi Chadha.

    FilmKaravan boasts of tie-ups with the largest streaming platforms to reach maximum viewers and specialises in release over EST, VOD and SVOD services. The company has more than 1000 films and episodic TV catalog (Indian and international) and has successfully executed worldwide Day and Date digital film releases simultaneous to their theatrical release.

  • DreamWorks & Technicolor’s VoD platform to offer Bollywood fare

    DreamWorks & Technicolor’s VoD platform to offer Bollywood fare

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor’s video on demand (VOD) JV company M-GO has launched its Bollywood collection comprising a slate of more than two dozen films.

     

    The library of titles, presented in association with Indian film distributor FilmKaravan, features the 2015 release Ek Paheli Leela, starring Sunny Leone.

     

    The reincarnation-themed Ek Paheli Leela, produced by T-Series and distributed by Saavn in North America, is part of an initial assortment of more than two dozen feature Bollywood titles now offered on M-GO, with some available in 4K.

     

    “I am so excited that my fans will now be able to watch Ek Paheli Leela on their favorite digital platforms. I believe in the power of the digital ecosystem and am thrilled that my film will now be available for my fans to watch when they want,” said Leone.

     

    T-Series president Neeraj Kalyan added, “We are proud to be a part of this digital release for our latest title, Ek Paheli Leela on M-GO. Sunny has done an exceptional job and we are glad that this film is the centerpiece of the Indian film category.”

     

    “This partnership with FilmKaravan represents our first concentrated effort to bring even greater variety to our selection of international, foreign language, and independent content. In the increasingly global film community, Bollywood content is incredibly popular with movie fans all over the world, including here in the US,” said M-GO senior vice president of content Cameron Douglas.

     

    “FilmKaravan’s goal is to bring the best of Indian content produced by big studios like Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Excel Entertainment, T-Series and Rajshri, among others, to platforms committed to presenting eclectic programming to their audiences. It gives us great pleasure in partnering with M-GO, one of the fastest growing VOD services, to reach their audiences through aggressive positioning and passionate marketing plans,” said FilmKaravan managing partner Pooja Kohli.

  • Yash Raj Films inks deal with BSkyB for movies on-demand

    Yash Raj Films inks deal with BSkyB for movies on-demand

    MUMBAI: In a move to cater to international audiences, Yash Raj Films (YRF) has partnered with BSkyB to provide its movies on the Sky Store for audiences in the UK & Ireland.

     

    About 30 YRF films have been made live on Sky Store and users can watch them digitally directly on demand. The charges appear on the monthly bill, making for an easy transactional process. FilmKaravan has enabled this distribution.

     

    The United Kingdom & Ireland have been one of the top five preferred territories worldwide for the banner with almost 1.5 million Bollywood fans constantly seeking to watch blockbuster titles.

     

    Yash Raj Films vice president – digital Anand Gurnani said, “Consumers today want to watch their favourite content at the time they want to watch it and on a platform they prefer the most. It is important to understand their choices and enable reach via reducing friction to access our content. Our movies are easily accessible now digitally via Sky, thus tapping into a hybrid platform accessible directly on TV. Making our films available through the Sky Store platform was a natural extension to our digital distribution efforts. It’s imperative that we be where our consumers are.”

     

    Sky Store director Nicola Bamford added, “Sky Store offers the complete service – straight to your TV, across your devices and you get the DVD in the post too. We are delighted with the early success our hybrid proposition has seen with Bollywood movies from Yash Raj Films. This partnership with Yash Raj Films enabled by FilmKaravan has further strengthened Sky’s presence amongst South Asian audiences in the UK and based on the fantastic initial response, we look forward to bringing in many more films from Bollywood studios.”

     

    FilmKaravan managing director Sanjay Bachani said, “Yash Raj Films understand the content game and strategy exceptionally well. The pioneers of Indian cinema are yet again at the forefront of engaging viewers in a preferred territory via the cable and satellite’s digital platform eco system. Sky Store is a great innovation by Sky and we are thrilled to facilitate this phenomenon of bridging the gap between fans and their favourite films.”

  • Digital: A complement or challenge for existing platforms?

    Digital: A complement or challenge for existing platforms?

    MUMBAI: FICCI Frames 2015 laid the stage for a open discussion on the 360 degree disruption, which the digital ecosystem has effected upon the entertainment sector. The session also had panelists analysing future and current trends in the digital business in order for these platforms to become growth drivers in truest sense. The emergence of the digital platform can become a threat to the other established platforms as all the platforms share the same source of revenue.

     

    The session was moderated by Filmkaravan founder Pooja Kohli and the panel comprised producer and actor Abhay Deol, Tata Sky chief content and business developing officer Paolo Matteo Agosstinelli, Facebook Wallla president Eric St. Anthony Pence and LA digital media advisor James Veraldi.

     

    Supporting the theory that content is king, Agostinelli said, “The emergence of the digital platform is not a threat but an opportunity for the enterprises willing to serve creative content. We are here to deliver content and sensible content in any platform will find relevance and generate revenue. We have to put efforts in understanding the change in behaviour and nature of our target audience and adapt as per need. The millennium youth in India is an encouragement for content makers and we have to utilise that by providing captivating content.”

     

    Technology is evolving with time and the existing platforms are challenged by the new ones. The battle for the old ones is to still be relevant. Commenting on the evolution, Veraldi said, “DVD came into existence in 1999 and saw huge success till 2005. Now the digital platform is growing and is poised to grow even bigger. There are various platforms that enable creators to deliver content and the challenge is in finding a way to monetise those platforms. If we keep earning money and devote it on quality content and the demand of consumer is taken care of, the new revolutions won’t make a difference. The biggest challenge is not how you adapt with the emerging challenge but is to keep meeting the demand of audience.”

     

    Digital has given unconventional content makers a platform to exhibit their excellence and offer new options to the audience. Traditional content finds producers easily, while the out of the box or breaking stereotype concepts are portrayed as risky. Hence financiers more often avoid such risks. Moreover global distribution of content is another tough challenge, which finds digital as a big solution.

     

    Deol produced movie One By Two was released on the internet for global audience the same day as it was released in Indian theatres. “I was sure of the fact that I won’t manage to get screens abroad but at the same time I also wanted the audience to have the option of watching the content and that’s when I took the decision of launching it online. The other reason was that whenever I have been to United States, I saw the willingness in people to see the unconventional but the option was not available for them. They used to ask me why we can’t make more unconventional content. When a theatre is three hours away and the pirated DVD seller is nearby, people opt for the pirated version but when we gave the same person option of watching it online by paying certain premium, they opted for it. That’s the beauty of the digital platform,” said Deol.

     

    While Pence was of the opinion that change complements other existing platforms. “The digital platform will complement the existing ones and the biggest beneficiary of that will be consumers. Every platform will try to provide as high quality content as possible and that’s the best part. With development of bandwidth and online payment infrastructure digital will grow but the traditional platforms will co-exist.”

     

    While the number of smartphone user is an encouragement for the digital platforms, low bandwidth and high tariffs are the major challenges that the venture has to tackle.