



Southern comfort: Bollywood production houses turn south to de-risk, diversify with film deals and new facilities
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Lured by a wide audience base and the possibility of fresh stories, several stakeholders in Bollywood—be it producers, studios, multiplex chains and even actor Ajay Devgn—are betting big on deals in the south. Panorama Studios, the distributor of Malayalam thriller Drishyam 3 to be released in April, has signed a multi-film deal with Malayalam star Nivin Pauly.
Reliance Entertainment had earlier announced a two-film deal with Unni Mukundan, another face from Kerala. Multiplex chains Roongta Cinemas and Miraj Entertainment are expanding their presence with new properties in the south even as Bollywood actor-producer Devgn has sought government support for a film studio with VFX (visual effects) facilities in Telangana. Experts said both southern actors and technicians bring value to the table, from established fan bases to efficient working processes along with returns assured to a large extent for studios and cinemas looking to de-risk their investments in the unpredictable Hindi belt.
“On the exhibition and content side, investing in the south today is a very logical business call, especially for production houses," said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of multiplex chain Miraj Entertainment Ltd. “One big reason is audience behaviour. Moviegoing in southern states is nearly 2 to 2.2 times higher than many Hindi markets.
Read on livemint.com