Sony Pix infuses local flavour to expand in India

Tushar Patel - Televisionpoint.com | Mumbai
In step with screening Hollywood flicks, Sony Pix, the English movies channel, is focusing on infusing local flavour in the channel. The channel is looking at entering the production scene to produce English language-oriented Indian films, which will be released in theatres and aired on the channel.

Sony Pix is also homing into broadcasting English language films made in India. On the Hollywood front, the channel is in talks with well-known Hollywood studios like Universal, Warner, Paramount, Sony Pictures and Lionsgate to stitch up licensing deals in the future.

Sunder Aaron, business head, Sony Pix, said, "We are looking for the right Indian film project. One expects it to materialise in the next six months. We haven't really zeroed in on the director or a script yet. Incidentally, the movies will be in the feature format and more in the model of parallel cinema. They will be part of Sony Pix's original movies repertoire."

Aaron continues as, "These properties will be English language films produced in India. To position these films, we will tie up with other Sony brands like Sony Electronics and the studio Sony Pictures Releasing. The association with Sony Pictures Releasing will facilitate the theatrical distribution and release of the movies we produce."

Sony Pix is also keen on screening a spread of English language Indian films. The channel has already shown films like Aparna Sen's 15 Park Avenue. Programmes with a local flavour like Framed have also been rolled out which is revolving around fleshing out biographies of Indian movie personalities.

Biographical accounts of film makers Aparna Sen and Being Cyrus director Homi Adajania have already been compiled and screened for TV viewers. The reality show Gateway, which featured Indian-born Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj, also went in search of a completely new Indian director and finally found Bejoy Nambiar.

Nambiar will direct a Hollywood film which will be produced by Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment. "Nambiar has already been taken through orientation programme for 6-8 weeks in Los Angeles at Hyde Park. Of course, the entire details of the film are still to be frozen. These are various ways we are connecting with the Indian film community," Aaron said.

As far as the programming mix goes, Sony Pix menu comprises 80% movies and 20% non-movie content. Interestingly, a fresh non movie content which is coming up soon is Chicks on Flicks where actress Ira Dubey and TV host Neha Sareen will come together to review the latest Hollywood releases across India.

The ratings of the movies will be dubbed Catch It or Trash It. They will also put on air a special review show of the latest James Bond flick Quantum of Solace. It will embrace a 20-minute capsule, which will hover around interactions with the stars including the protagonist Daniel Craig.