Industry
Swastik Productions rolls out end-to-end studio in Gujarat
Summary
Swastik Productions is an Indian production company, founded by Siddharth Kumar Tewary that has produced series like Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Begusarai, Mahabharat, and RadhaKrishn.Swastik Productions, an Indian production company, founded by Siddharth Kumar Tewary that has produced series like Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Begusarai, Mahabharat, and RadhaKrishn, has planned an end-to-end studio Umargam, Gujarat, to facilitate shooting for large-format shows. The facility includes infrastructure to shoot and crews to stay on the ground.
“The idea was to build something on the lines of Universal Studios in the US, especially to develop and shoot high-budget historical and mythological shows," said Tewary who has invested ₹100 crore into the project. Portions of Akshay Kumar-starrer Ram Setu were shot on the premises of the facility, Tewary added.
The company that is coming up with a new adaptation of the Ramayana titled Srimad Ramayana on Sony Entertainment Television, backs such series that it believes has the power to unify audiences. “It tells generations that are growing up now the story of India so that they understand the core values of our history," Tewary said.
The exposure of audiences to OTT (over-the-top) streaming content in the 18 months of the pandemic in India has pushed the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) on television to tap more real, relatable subjects instead of age-old melodrama.
Broadcasters said they are recruiting fresh writing talent to tell more contemporary stories and admitted to some cord-cutting among TV audiences. Cord-cutting refers to cable TV or direct-to-home multichannel subscribers cancelling their subscriptions in favour of alternative internet-based media avenues such as streaming.
At the same time, there are great synergies possible between TV and digital as is being demonstrated by a high viewership of popular GEC shows on OTT platforms, as well as with the success of Bigg Boss OTT, a digital-only version of the TV reality show that has premiered weeks ahead of its debut on television this year.
