The Hindu Business Line : UTV ready to go it alone in Hollywood

New Delhi, Dec. 15 Having partnered with big Hollywood studios such as Fox and Sony and Will Smith’s production house Overbrook Entertainment, UTV Motion Pictures is ready for solo international projects on its Hollywood journey.

“Talks are under way with independent filmmakers, script writers and other talents,” said Mr Siddhartha Roy Kapur, COO, UTV Motion Pictures. The projects would be of a relatively smaller budget than the $57 million M. Night Shyamalan movie The Happening. This UTV-Fox co-production is scheduled for release in June 2008. Their first collaboration, the critically acclaimed The Namesake, earned a reported $14 million at the box-office.

While waiting for UTV’s solo project to make its possible debut at Sundance Film Festival, Indian audiences will have enough to look forward to, including the Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Jodha Akbar, and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s next for UTV after Rang De Basanti, titled Delhi 6.

“We will be investing between Rs 400-500 crore next year, both in new productions as well as in the marketing and distribution of other movies,” said Mr Kapur. Its second banner, SpotBoy, will roll out movies directed by Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and Shyam Benegal amongst others. Telugu and Tamil productions are also in the pipeline.

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