Applause Entertainment announces new Tamil film

Aditya Birla group company Applause Entertainment has announced a new Tamil film called Por Thozhil. The investigative thriller stars Ashok Selvan, Sarath Kumar and Nikhila Vimal.

In an interview last year, Applause said it is looking to increase investments by five to 10 times over the next decade to produce 6-8 films and 12-15 web shows every year. The content studio will diversify into regional language content and has bought the rights for Amar Chitra Katha comics and graphic novels to produce animated web series.

“When we started five years ago, the OTT ecosystem was at a nascent stage with around five million paying subscribers in India. Today, we’re looking at a subscriber base of 40 million including (through) partnerships with telcos. This massive audience base will dictate the kinds and genres of content we create,“ chief executive officer Sameer Nair had said.

It has announced feature films, including Jab Khuli Kitaab starring Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia, and another project featuring Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Ileana D’cruz.

Unlike television, streaming platforms allow production houses to experiment and take risks, he had added. “We’re bullish about growing our topline by five to 10 times over the next 5-10 years and it will obviously need higher investment, more shows and collaborations with partners,“ Nair had said, without divulging details on its investment plans.

The feature films will be first released in theatres and then go on streaming platforms, he said. The Rapist, directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Applause was screened at the Busan International Film Festival, London Indian Film Festival, Kolkata International Film festival and International Film festival of Kerala.

Upcoming web series from its stable include a biopic on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, to be headlined by Pratik Gandhi based on historian Ramachandra Guha’s books.