New Delhi, Sept 20: Bollywood Inc. is gathering steam. With the release of his maiden film venture, Khel, in October, cine star Suniel Shetty is scripting a move to take his production outfit into the capital market in the second half of 2004. On the anvil is a private equity placement by divesting around 10 per cent over the next three months in production venture Popcorn Motion Pictures, besides JVs for a greater play in the entertainment, leisure and hospitality industry. The company plans to produce five to seven movies each year, apart from a foray into the television software business. Flop Abhi needs hit Ajay Navbharattimes
For Khel, a Rs 15-crore movie, the company has tied up with Galaxy Entertainment, a company floated by the Chatterjee Group and the Ruias, which is into family entertainment centres. The second movie venture from Popcorn Entertainment, Rakth, in association with liquor baron, Vijay Mallya, is slated to hit the big screen early next year. The company is already into events management and has presence in leisure and hospitality industry through water sports complex, H20, and floating lounge bar, Suzie Wong, in Mumbai. An art-leisure-entertainment-sporting complex is also in the making in North Mumbai.
The budget for the movie projects to be undertaken by the company would range between Rs 5 crore and Rs 20 crore, says Shetty. Talks are currently on with directors such as Nagesh Kuknoor and Anubav Sinha for specific projects. "We would like to promote new artistes through our projects," he adds. Khel, for instance, is a launch-pad for cricketer Ajay Jadeja and former Miss India Celina Jaitly, along with debutant director Yusuf Khan.
Popcorn's next venture, Rakth, a Rs 15-crore odd project, has already generated fair degree of publicity with buzz about Latino heart-throb Ricky Martin and Pak pop band Junoon crooning a song for the film. The movie stars Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, among others.