EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ Hotstar goes behind the curtains of Bollywood.
The Indian streamer’s newest scripted sequence, 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 authentic scripted sequence. The pair already collaborates on widespread 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 earth of cinema,” and supply a “sneak peek into what goes behind the multi-million greenback trade of Bollywood, nepotism and the facility struggles on the prime.”
The sequence is ready 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 at all times been a fantastic expertise and the success of Koffee with Karan stands as a testomony to that,” stated 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 trade and likewise the middle of conversations round nepotism. We hope Showtime will convey a brand new taste to the world of Bollywood that followers will get pleasure from.”
Karan Johar, Founder and Managing Director, Dharmatic Leisure added: “Showtime is a sequence that could be very near my coronary heart, it offers a better look into the facility struggles of the showbiz. The present will be sure that battle traces are drawn and crossed and retains the digicam rolling with the audiences clapping.
“To inform a narrative so robust and highly effective there couldn’t have been a greater accomplice than Disney+ Hotstar. We’re extraordinarily excited and desirous to convey forth this one for the viewers and hope they benefit from the sequence.”
Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions & Dharmatic stated the sequence would “delve into the world of Bollywood, manufacturing homes and the way they operate,” including: “Tangled in energy struggles, the sequence will certainly entertain the audiences.”
Lead actor Hashmi stated he had seen “each the nice and the dangerous facet” of Bollywood.
“We now have at all times seen the viewers longing to know extra about what goes on behind the closed doorways of Bollywood and let me simply say, we’ve 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 exhibits and flicks in 10 languages and protection of main world sporting occasions. Rumours its mother or father, Disney India, can be offered to Reliance earlier than the tip of the 12 months have been hotting up over latest 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 is able to give it a monopoly on the ultra-valuable Indian Premier League rights, as Disney took linear broadcast rights and Viacom18 the streaming rights in final 12 months’s public sale.
