EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ Hotstar goes behind the curtains of Bollywood.
The Indian streamer’s newest scripted collection, Showtime, will delve behind the colour, energy struggles and ambition of Bollywood and those that work within the biz.
The drama comes from screenwriter Sumit Roy and Karan Johar‘s Dharmatic Leisure. Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Mouni Roy and Naseeruddin Shah are starring, with Rajeev Khandelwal, Shriya Saran additionally booked in “pivotal” roles. Mihir Desai is the showrunner, and he’ll direct alongside Archit Kumar.
Bollywood Wives and Name Me Bae maker Dharmatic is producing, marking the primary time the Mumbai-based manufacturing home and Disney+ Hotstar have labored collectively on an unique scripted collection. The pair already collaborates on fashionable Indian chat present Koffee with Karan, which stars Dharmatic founder Johar and has run to seven seasons.
Showtime is billed as “an epic saga of legacy and ambition on the planet of cinema,” and supply a “sneak peek into what goes behind the multi-million greenback business of Bollywood, nepotism and the facility struggles on the prime.”
The collection is about to launch on the streamer subsequent 12 months. You’ll be able to see a first-look trailer right here.
“Collaborating with Dharmatic Leisure has all the time been a terrific expertise and the success of Koffee with Karan stands as a testomony to that,” mentioned Gaurav Banerjee, Head — Content material, Disney+ Hotstar & HSM Leisure Community, Disney Star.
“The following story we needed to inform was about Bollywood and the commerce secrets and techniques, so who higher than Karan Johar who has been the guts of the business and in addition the middle of conversations round nepotism. We hope Showtime will carry a brand new taste to the world of Bollywood that followers will take pleasure in.”
Karan Johar, Founder and Managing Director, Dharmatic Leisure added: “Showtime is a collection that may be very near my coronary heart, it provides a more in-depth look into the facility struggles of the showbiz. The present will make sure that battle traces are drawn and crossed and retains the digicam rolling with the audiences clapping.
“To inform a narrative so sturdy and highly effective there couldn’t have been a greater associate than Disney+ Hotstar. We’re extraordinarily excited and desperate to carry forth this one for the viewers and hope they benefit from the collection.”
Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions & Dharmatic mentioned the collection would “delve into the world of Bollywood, manufacturing homes and the way they perform,” including: “Tangled in energy struggles, the collection will certainly entertain the audiences.”
Lead actor Hashmi mentioned he had seen “each the great and the unhealthy facet” of Bollywood.
“We now have all the time seen the viewers longing to know extra about what goes on behind the closed doorways of Bollywood and let me simply say, now we have heard you all,” he added. “Get able to dive deep into the tales of Bollywood”
Disney+ Hotstar presents greater than 100,000 hours of TV reveals and flicks in 10 languages and protection of main world sporting occasions. Rumours its mother or father, Disney India, will likely be bought to Reliance earlier than the tip of the 12 months have been hotting up over current weeks.
Ought to the $10B deal go forward, the mixed operation will embrace Disney’s and Viacom18’s TV channels and the Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema streamers. This may give it a monopoly on the ultra-valuable Indian Premier League cricket rights, as Disney took linear broadcast rights and Viacom18 the streaming rights in final 12 months’s public sale.
