Reliance’s Jio Studios plots 100-strong film and TV slate, invests 2K cr

Reliance Industries’ Indian content arm Jio Studios has unveiled a huge slate of films and streaming shows at a star-studded event in Mumbai. It also struck a production deal with Bengali film powerhouse SVF Entertainment.

The slate titles comprise projects for the Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, South and Bhojpuri markets, and span action, drama, thriller, comedy, romance, biopics, horror and musicals.

The studio was launched in 2018, around the same time Indian streaming content began to boom as international players such as Netflix and Prime Video and local services such as ZEE5 Global and SonyLIV began to pump cash into their local originals slates.

The SVF agreement will see Jio Studios and the Bengali company working to create blockbuster-sized features from creators such as Dhrubo Banerjee, Raj Chakraborty, Anirban Bhattacharya and Srijit Mukherji that star the likes of Mithun Chakraborty, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta.

“We are in the most exciting and eventful phase of Indian entertainment, with storytelling taking centre stage in an era of explosive digital disruption,” said Jyoti Deshpande, President of Reliance Industries Limited Media and Content Business.

“Since its inception five years ago, Jio Studios has worked very hard to lay solid foundations in scaling what is traditionally a very fragmented industry. We have actively partnered with some of the best names in the business and newcomers alike to reach this day, when a staggering and exciting 100 content assets have been produced, ready to be showcased to the world.”

The film line up includes Dunki, which stars Shah Rukh Khan); Shahid Kapoor vehicle Bloody Daddy, and Bhediya 2 starring Varun Dhawan. Bhul Chuk Maaf, Untitled, Stree 2 , Section 84, Hisaab Barabar, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, BlackOut, Mumbaikar, The Storyteller , Dhoom Dhaam, Empire are other high-profiler titles with major Indian talent attached.

On the web series side is Laal Batti, a political thriller helmed by Prakash Jha starring Nana Patekar; Union: The Making of India (Kay Kay Menon, Ashutosh Rana); Inspector Avinash (Randeep Hooda, Urvashi Rautela); Rafuchakkar (Maniesh Paul); Bajao (Rapper Raftaar); The Magic of Shiri (Divyanka Tripathi), Doctors (Sharad Kelkar); and A Legal Affair (Barkha Singh, Angad Bedi).

It has also invested heavily in its Marathi slate on titles such as Baipan Bhari Deva, Four Blind Men and 1234 and premium streaming series such as Kaalsutra, Eka Kaleche Mani and Aga Aai Aho Aai. Gujarati features include Bachubhai, Chaandlo and Ghulam Chor.

“Our vision is to power stories that are from, by and for India and Bharat [alternative name for India], tell stories that not only entertain but also have purpose, partner with storytellers in every Indian language and take these stories mainstream,” said Deshpande.

“Our mission to ‘Make in India and Show the World’ is vast and inclusive and will ensure the growth of the entire entertainment value chain. The future holds infinite possibilities, and this occasion marks a new chapter in our journey to give wingsto the greatest stories ever told and champion the creative excellence of incredible storytellers.“ Deadline