(Cannes, London,New York,India): Eros International, the leading vertically integrated media company which is part of the $10 billion Indian entertainment sector, officially began celebrations of its 30th anniversary at the Cannes Film Festival by unveiling its special anniversary logo as well as announcing a series of further content alliances. Having played a pivotal role in taking Indian cinema to global audiences, Eros International became the first company within this sector to list on the AIM London Stock Exchange in July 2006.
Eros unveiled the 'first-look' of Goldie Behl's Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra starrer, 'Drona' which is Eros's first co-production with Rose Movies. Drona, a major production mounted on a lavish scale, will take audiences to a land of fantasy with Hollywood style special effects. The film defines Eros's commitment to raising the bar of Indian cinema.
Another 'first-look' was Big Screen Entertainment's John Abraham starrer, 'No Smoking' which will be released globally this summer. Eros acquired 64% of Big Screen Entertainment last year.
'Partner' , a Sohail Khan Production starring Salman Khan and Govinda which will be released worldwide this summer by Eros, was also showcased. This film comes through the major output deal signed by Eros with K Sera Sera last year.
Eros announced an exclusive output deal with Anil Kapoor Film Company. The first film under this umbrella to be globally presented and distributed by Eros is Feroz Khan's 'Gandhi My Father' (English & Hindi), a film with genuine crossover potential to discerning mainstream audiences, scheduled to release worldwide this August.
Eros announced a major exclusive output deal with established producer Sajid Nadiadwala who has produced several hits like Judwaa, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Jaaneman. The next film under the deal, 'Heyy Babyy', starring Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan & Ritiesh Deshmukh is slated for a global release this summer.
Finally, Eros announced a significant joint venture tie-up with one of the most distinguished film makers in the Indian film fraternity, Abbas Mastan. Renowned for his big star cast thrilling blockbusters, Abbas has given several hits such as Aitraaz, Humraaz, Ajnabee, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Baadshah, Soldier, Daraar and Baazigar, most of which already form a part of the Eros library. Abbas will now exclusively make films through the joint venture company with Eros.
These major announcements follow the previously announced tie-ups with K Sera Sera, Big Screen Entertainment, Rose Movies, Venus Productions, Soham, Anurag Kashyap, E Nivas, AR Rehman, Manish Jha, Samir Karnik and Jeeva, sealing Eros's firm intention to lead the consolidation of the highly fragmented but lucrative Indian film industry. Eros films are likely to dominate the screens in the summer of 2007 and beyond.
Kishore Lulla, Chairman and CEO, Eros International Plc commented, 'The Indian film industry is going through an explosive growth phase. Our goal is to consolidate content, talent and global distribution in the first phase so that we can catapult the business to the next level. By consolidating the fragmented industry we are looking to give it the scale and muscle it deserves to be recognised seriously on a global platform. We are very excited about the possibilities and delighted to see our strategy taking tangible shape and thank the entire film fraternity for their continued support and faith in Eros'.
