Page 205 - From Bombay to Bollywoord The Making of a Global Media Industri

192 << Profiles of Key Bollywood Companies

debut, deals with a child coping with dyslexia, and Peepli Live is a low-budget
satire focused on the issue of farmer suicides in India.
Aamir Khan Productions crafts an image of a small, independent, arti-
sanal production house that handpicks projects reflecting Khan’s social con-
science, intelligence, creativity, and unique authorial vision. The produc-
tion staff consists of the small core creative team of Aamir Khan, executive
producer B. Shrinivas Rao, and Associate Producer (and Khan’s wife) Kiran
Rao. While the company often handles domestic theatrical distribution of
its films, it has entered into agreements with a range of large corporations,
including UTV, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, and PVR Pictures for
overseas distribution.

2. Studio 18

Studio 18 is part of Viacom 18, a joint venture between the transnational
media conglomerate Viacom and the India-based Network 18. Viacom 18 is
a publicly traded, multinational media conglomerate with interests in maga-
zines, the Internet, films, e-commerce, television, mobile content, and related
businesses. The company’s Indian operations began with a focus on televi-
sion, with Raghav Bahl and Sanjay Ray Chaudhuri establishing TV18 in 1993.
Bahl entered the media and entertainment industries after a career in man-
agement and consulting, and Chaudhuri came with extensive experience in
television production. By forging strategic partnerships with companies spe-
cializing in different media platforms, the company has grown into what is
now known as the Network18 Group. In 2006 it was converted into a public
limited company, and listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange as well as the
National Stock Exchange in 2007. Bahl presently retains controlling owner-
ship in the company. Network 18’s partnerships include CNBC, CNN, Yatra,
Australia Network, Viacom, the Lokmat Group (Indian newspaper publish-
ing house), and Forbes. Viacom 18, a 50/50 joint venture of Viacom and Net-
work 18, operates four key television channels in India: Colors, MTV-India,
Nickelodeon India, and VH1-India. The conglomerate also has a music label
and a home video division.
Studio 18 (the new name of the newly acquired Indian Film Company)
handles the acquisition, production, syndication, marketing, and world-
wide distribution of full-length feature films. Its catalogue includes films
such as Namastey London (2007), Bhoothnath (2008), Singh Is Kinng (2008),
Golmaal Returns (2008), London Dreams (2009), and Rann (2010). For
the most part, Studio 18 has focused on the production, distribution, and
management across platforms of domestic films, but the company has also