Deepak Dhar Archives - Banijay Group

Banijay Asia Elevates Rajesh Chadha to Chief Operating Officer of Scripted Division

16th April 2024 9:50 am Comments Off

Banijay Asia, a part of media & entertainment powerhouse Banijay, today announced the promotion of Rajesh Chadha to Chief Operating Officer of its Scripted Division. Previously serving as EVP & Business Head – Scripted, Rajesh has been pivotal in driving the success of its scripted content across various platforms.

In his elevated role, Rajesh will spearhead the development, production, and strategic operations of the scripted division. His promotion is in line with Banijay Asia’s commitment to strengthen its market leadership in producing compelling, narrative-driven content.

Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO of Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, commented on the promotion, stating, “Rajesh’s journey with us has been marked by remarkable achievements and relentless dedication to excellence. As he steps into his new role, I am confident that Rajesh will continue to lead our Scripted Division to new heights, reinforcing our commitment to delivering outstanding content that engages audiences worldwide.”

Expressing his enthusiasm for his new responsibilities, Rajesh Chadha said, “It’s an absolute privilege to be given this opportunity to further contribute to Banijay Asia’s journey. Being part of this incredible team has been an enriching experience, and I am eager to embrace the challenges and opportunities this new role brings. Together, we aim to continue innovating and captivating our audience with high-quality, impactful narratives.”

A media veteran with over 30 years of experience, Rajesh has worked with Endemol, BBC Studios and RBNL, amongst others. He has spearheaded content execution of multiple seasons of award-winning OTT series like Criminal Justice, Out of Love, Rudra, The Night Manager and The Trial, amongst others. As a founder of IMRC Entertainment, he also produced fiction and non-fiction shows across Star Network, Sony TV, Zee TV & Colors.

Deepak Dhar forms CreAsia Studio for South East Asia

7th February 2024 9:02 am Comments Off

Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO – Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India, today announced Banijay Asia’s strategic expansion into South East Asia, with the formation of a new entity – CreAsia Studio. With a focus on local collaborations to create local originals and produce local Banijay IP adaptations, he announced the appointment of Jessica Kam-Engle as the EVP & Business Head of CreAsia Studio. She will report to Deepak Dhar, and be responsible for driving business strategy and growth in the key markets of South East Asia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. An established Film/TV producer and studio executive, Jessica has more than 20 years of experience working in the region, with brands like Disney+, HBO Asia, Warner Media Entertainment Networks, MTV Networks/Viacom, MGM Gold Network, Dow Jones Newswires, and Celestial Pictures

Talking about the development, Deepak said, “Given Jessica’s unparalleled experience in the Asian market, Banijay’s global IPs and marquee concepts, exciting local collaborations and a focus on India as a production hub for the region, CreAsia Studio is our next growth engine.” He further added, “We’re confident of Jessica’s leadership to steer us towards a leading presence in the region. Her appointment is also a testament to our commitment to tapping into newer markets and diversifying our portfolio in the vibrant South East Asian entertainment sector.”

Talking about her new innings, Jessica Kam-Engle said, “It’s my privilege to join the Banijay family, and I am excited to lead the strategic expansion in South East Asia. There are vast opportunities to develop local and global IPs with the pool of creative talent from this region, leveraging Banijay’s world-class content production expertise and its global distribution clout. I am looking forward to exciting collaborations with key players in the region.”

Jessica was most recently Head of Content and Development for Disney+ in APAC, during which she commissioned more than 60 scripted and non-scripted original series across the region with notable commercial hits include Korean dramas Moving, Big Bet, Connect; Japanese live action Gannibal; Chinese series Taiwan Crime Stories, Delicacies Destiny; and Bahasa series Wedding Agreement, Mendua, Call My Agent, Teluh Darah. In 2017-2021 Jessica was Head of Original Production for HBO Asia overseeing its original productions across Asia in 10 languages, including TV series like Workers, Invisible Stories, The Talwars: Behind Closed Doors, Folklore, Food Lore, Grisse, The Teenage Psychic 2, and feature film The Garden Of Evening Mists. Prior to HBO, she has been an independent film producer, based out of Beijing and Hong Kong from 2008 to 2016, during which time she produced 10 feature films including the critically acclaimed The Piano in a factory.

This latest move complement’s Banijay’s existing activity and presence in the region driven by its global distribution operation, Banijay Rights, which continues to handle format licensing across the region in collaboration with Dhar and the team.

Know Malaika Arora up close and personal as she makes her digital debut with Disney+ Hotstar’s all-new show, Moving In With Malaika.

10th November 2022 3:02 pm Comments Off

Relationships, Glamour and more. This Bollywood’s iconic diva has seen it all. Capturing hearts with her stellar dance moves and charisma – Malaika Arora makes her much awaited digital debut with Disney+ Hotstar. She is set to give fans access to her past, present, and future through unfiltered conversations in an all-new, exclusive show, Moving In With Malaika. Releasing from 5th December onwards this exciting series produced by Banijay Asia, will also see guest appearances from her friends and family as they spill the tea on her.

Gaurav Banerjee, Head- Content, Disney+ Hotstar & HSM Entertainment Network, Disney Star, said, “After the successful season 7 of Koffee With Karan, we are delighted to bring before our viewers yet another exciting reality show, Moving In With Malaika. With this latest addition we expand our catalog of nonfiction shows, giving audiences a sneak peek into the life of Malaika Arora.”

Malaika Arora, sharing her excitement said, “For the longest time, the world has viewed me through the lens of social media. But this time I am excited to shake that up a bit. With this show, I want to break that barrier between me and my fans and invite them into my world through Moving In With Malaika. It will be a fun ride as I take everyone along with me exploring my day-to-day life with some of my closest family and friends. I am exhilarated to kick-start this new venture and delighted to collaborate with Disney+ Hotstar on this.”

Deepak Dhar, CEO & Founder, Banijay Asia, added, “We are always excited to get new and innovative content to our audiences and Moving In With Malaika is another show from the Banijay Asia team. It’s a special glimpse into Malaika’s life. We are excited to bring Malaika to the enchanting world of OTT. Disney+ Hotstar has always been a great content partner with us for earlier shows like Roar of the Lion, Hostages, and more recently with the success of Dahan, we are itching to get this show out to our viewers!”

Banijay Asia Inks Deal with Keshet International

1st November 2022 2:54 pm Comments Off

Entertainment powerhouse Banijay Asia, part of Banijay, today announces a partnership with global content producer and distributor, Keshet International (KI). The collaboration between the two companies will see the former option key scripted formats in the latter’s content library, with the ambition of adapting them to deliver Indian viewers quality scripted comedies and dramas from territories all over the world in local milieu.

From original IP to local adaptations of popular scripted and unscripted titles, in its four-year journey, Banijay Asia has introduced some of the most iconic international shows to India, such as Survivor, Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls, Call My Agent Bollywood, and The Voice. In addition to distributing Israeli IP like False Flag, Rising Star, and Yellow Peppers (The A Word), KI is internationally recognised for its rich catalogue of local language dramas and comedies from elsewhere – including Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, Turkey, Mexico, and Quebec – and with this partnership, Banijay Asia has unlocked access to its impressive content library.

Deepak Dhar, CEO & Founder, Banijay Asia said: “Indian audiences have an insatiable palette for diverse stories and shows, and Banijay Asia strives to meet that demand by inking partnerships with a range of production networks from all around the world. Keshet International has a brilliant content library, and its prioritisation of quality content and storytelling with authenticity, perfectly aligns with our philosophy. Together, we are working to build a raft of shows that will continue to broaden the content offering in our market.”

Keren Shahar, KI’s President of Distribution and COO, added: “We are really excited to be working with Banijay Asia to help it identify more dramas and comedies from our library to adapt for Indian audiences. Following successful local adaptations of our Israeli IP as two seasons of Bandi Yuddh Ke (Prisoners of War) and the Telegu adaptation of The Baker and the Beauty – we are looking forward to seeing similar successes with shows from Israel, Europe, and beyond!”

Under the leadership of Deepak Dhar, Banijay Asia creates premium content for the Indian and South East Asian market. Across television, films and OTT platforms, the company has expertise across all genres including entertainment, factual, scripted and reality. Recent successes include Disney+ Hotstar’s supernatural thriller, Dahan – Raakhan Ka Rahasya, mystery drama Hostages and India’s first interactive reality special Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls for Netflix.

Banijay Asia Announces the Official Indian Adaptation of the Canadian Award-Winning psychological thriller Vertige

12th May 2022 1:41 pm Comments Off

Banijay today announces Banijay Asia, one of India’s foremost production houses, is collaborating with Armoza Formats, part of ITV Studios, to bring the official adaptation of the award-winning Canadian mini-series, Vertige, to screen. Via the partnership, the Deepak Dhar-led outfit will reimagine this psychological thriller for the Indian audience.

The high-profile Canadian show, originally broadcast in French, deconstructs the alleged suicide of a young girl, Daphne Roussel. Vertige follows her as she miraculously wakes up from a three-month long coma with no memory of the 24 hours prior to her alleged suicide attempt. Struggling to put pieces together about the events, the question is raised – is it a suicide attempt or was it a murder? As every new piece of the puzzle is revealed, another layer of the story is discovered, in this intense, unpredictable, psychological thriller, which has you on the edge-of-your-seat.

Deepak Dhar CEO & Founder, Banijay Asia said, “Our audience is developing a vast appetite for exciting and engaging content, making it increasingly important to bring innovative, catchy titles to screen. Armoza Format’s Vertige is spellbindingly suspenseful, and the way the story catches you in the thrill-storm of the main character is extraordinary. Our audiences love strong narratives and solid characters, and Vertige is a series that fits the description seamlessly – it’s great to be collaborating to create our own, localised version of the show.”

Salome Peillon, Head of Sales at Armoza Formats adds, “We are thrilled to see more of our scripted titles being adapted in India thanks to our great partners in the Indian market. Together with our partners at Banijay Asia, we are looking forward to bringing this thrilling drama series, Vertige, to the Indian viewers who have shown clear appetite for our scripted series.”

The six-episode thriller, originally produced by Pixcom, received multiple awards at the prestigious Prix Gémeaux in 2012 for categories such as Best Direction, Best Writing and Best Original Music to name a few. Originally directed by Patrice Sauvé, Vertige features a stunning cast with Fanny Mallette, Normand Daneau, Marilyn, Castonguay, Noémie Godin-Vigneau, Monique Spaziani and Germain Houde in the pivotal roles.

Under the leadership of Deepak Dhar, Banijay Asia has constantly elevated viewing experience with global stories including critically-acclaimed French show, Call My Agent, Hostages, Survivor, The Voice, Into the Wild with Bear Grylls and The Big Picture.

Armoza Formats is one of the top creators and distributors in the international content market and is known for its popular formats including prime-time singing competition, The Four and entertainment show I Can Do That!, hit game show Still Standing, and award-winning scripted drama, Hostages, which recently aired two seasons in India.

Banijay Asia appoints Rajesh Chadha as Executive Vice President and Business Head, Scripted Content

9th February 2022 10:12 am Comments Off

Banijay today announces that Banijay Asia has appointed Rajesh Chadha as Executive Vice President and Business Head for the company’s scripted business. In this position, Rajesh will be responsible for developing the scripted slate for Banijay Asia, building its legacy going forward and taking the company to its next phase of growth.

A media veteran with a career spanning over 27 years in the media and entertainment industry, Rajesh has spearheaded projects at prominent companies including BBC Studios, RBNL and Endemol. He led the content execution for award-winning OTT series, Criminal Justice and Out of Love at BBC Studios, and was also involved in Ajay Devgn’s digital debut, Rudra and Guilt & Press in early 2022.

Rajesh Chadha says: “The Indian streaming space is facing a content revolution and Banijay Asia is leading the shift seamlessly. Producing premium content, associating with top streaming platforms, and collaborating with national and international studios to churn out newer formats, Banijay Asia is a uniquely positioned production house in the industry. I am looking forward to contributing towards the growth and success of Banijay Asia along with Deepak Dhar.”

Deepak Dhar, CEO & Founder, Banijay Asia said: “Innovation and creation is the way forward in the rapidly changing content industry and we are delighted to have Rajesh join the leadership team. His determination and wealth of experience in the space will certainly add immense value to our future endeavors.”

Banijay Asia is a hub for premium scripted and non-scripted content in India. Some of its key titles include Call My Agent: Bollywood, Tribhanga, Matsya Kaand, Hostages, Roar of the Lion, The Kapil Sharma Show, Myntra Fashion Superstar and Into the Wild with Bear Grylls.

NBCUniversal Formats and Banijay Asia Strike Co-Production Partnership

24th February 2021 8:35 am Comments Off

NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group has signed a co-production deal with Banijay Asia to adapt a number of its iconic, world-class formats in India.

The country’s leading producer, Banijay Asia, will now represent and work with Universal Studio Group to create local versions of award-winning scripted and entertainment titles Suits, House, Monk, Saturday Night Live, The Titan Games and Top Chef across the region. The carefully curated portfolio will be reimagined for a new audience across the linguistically diverse and culturally rich region, having already achieved great success in the US and across the globe.

This deal marks the first co-production agreement for NBCUniversal Formats in India, as it strives to create more local content across Asia and the globe. To date, Suits has already been adapted successfully for audiences in Japan and Korea; Saturday Night Live has been a ratings success in Japan, China and Korea; and Top Chef continues to perform well in Thailand and Vietnam.

Enrique Guillen, EVP, Commercial Strategy & International Development, Universal Studio Group says “These stories, characters and formats have proven to have universal appeal. The broad reach and expertise of Banijay Asia across scripted and unscripted content makes them our ideal partner to develop and produce these titles for Indian audiences in the language and form that they prefer.”

“These titles are proven hits and carry significant gravitas in the market, with many ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist worldwide” says Deepak Dhar, CEO and Founder, Banijay Asia. “Entertaining, story-driven and hugely adaptable, there is no doubt, with the right talent and partners, we can get India talking about these shows too.”

Most recently, Banijay Asia, part of leading global group, Banijay, was behind the nation’s ratings-winning-hit, Into the Wild with Bear Grylls.

Kamal Haasan, Banijay Asia and Turmeric Media Come Together to Create Regional Content

3rd February 2020 12:00 am Comments Off

Banijay Asia has been quick to position itself as the leading content creation hub in India and South East Asia following its launch two years ago. After developing successful business partnerships with six brands across genres, Banijay Asia today announces the collaboration with Turmeric Media Networks Private Limited and Kamal Haasan to produce content across screens and languages.

Combining the massive fan base of Kamal Haasan and Deepak Dhar’s expertise in content creation and production, the two parties will join forces to gain a strong foothold in the South. The partnership will also see the two entities come together to create long and short-form content across OTT and television.

“We wanted to partner with someone who knew the crux of the content creation and production business. Hence we were in a conversation with Deepak for a while now. With his extensive knowledge in the field, we could see the potential of venturing into a new space of creating regional content in India with Banijay Asia. His understanding of the craft and network have been invaluable in making it a reality. We are excited to collaborate with them to create revolutionary content across all screens and languages,” signs off Kamal Haasan.

Commenting on the partnership, Deepak Dhar, CEO and Founder of Banijay Asia states: “In less than two years, we have created content across genres which has been widely accepted by the viewers. With this partnership, we are confident we will be able to create material which will suffice demands and be appreciated by vast audiences. Along with the mainstream market, we would also like to target the regional base, creating ground-breaking titles for the masses. We at Banijay Asia are proud to have partnered with a personality like Kamal Haasan, who has been a part of our industry for close to 60 years.”

R.Mahendran, Founder Turmeric Media adds: “We are so excited to partner with Banijay Asia. Deepak has an unblemished record of creating success out of many new initiatives in the content space. This association is going to be no different. It is an honour for us to showcase Mr. Kamal Haasan’s expertise in the entertainment business. We are confident that this team shall conjure up some brilliant content that will keep the viewers “spellbound”.

High-Octane Shift Set for India and Southeast Asia

10th December 2019 12:00 am Comments Off

Two of Banijay Group’s JVs, The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia, today announce they are partnering to bring high-octane content to the Indian and Southeast Asian market. The collaboration will see the businesses come together to create long and short-form content in this space across both local and global platforms.

The Group partnership is the first for The Natural Studios, a JV launched with Bear Grylls and Delbert Shoopman in October 2019. Combining Grylls and Shoopman’s expertise in the adventure space with Deepak Dhar-led Banijay Asia’s extensive territory knowledge, the united operation will create and build the high-octane genre in the subcontinent. With work already underway on a development slate of projects in India and Southeast Asia, they hope to announce their first green-lit title in the coming weeks.

Delbert Shoopman, CO-CEO, The Natural Studios comments: “Conversations with Deepak followed almost immediately after launching the JV. Together we all could see the potential of venturing into a new space in India and Banijay Asia’s knowledge and contacts have been invaluable in making it a reality. Already, the response from the market has been positive and we are all looking forward to working together to establish a new genre and original IP.”

“In 20 months, we have made Banijay Asia into a credible and creative content driver, which delivers high-quality content to clients across the board. The partnership with The Natural Studios came at the perfect time, as we look to create and bring new genres into the country and the region. Adrenaline-fuelled projects have been relatively unexplored with huge potential on the horizon, and with Bear and Delbert, we are confident we have what it takes to turn this genre into a must-have for buyers in Asia and around the world” says Deepak Dhar, CEO & Founder of Banijay Asia.

The latest activity further bolsters Banijay Group’s position as the “Home of Adventure” globally.

Banijay Asia and Wavemaker Help Create Myntra Fashion Superstar; India’s First Digital Reality Show

18th September 2019 12:00 am Comments Off

Wavemaker, the media, content and technology agency from GroupM and Content powerhouse, Banijay Asia, have partnered with Myntra to create India’s first digital reality show – Myntra Fashion Superstar. The show is aimed at identifying the country’s most sought after digital fashion influencer. The eight-part reality show stars actor Sonakshi Sinha and celebrity stylist Shaleena Nathani as judges.

The show will provide an opportunity to fashion aficionados with a knack for creating and projecting styles to bring forward their unique personalities, through digital and social-first content. Contestants will compete in a variety of fashion styling and digital content innovation tasks to showcase their penchant for fashion and be given the coveted title of India’s Fashion Superstar.

Speaking about the show, Achint Setia, Vice President, Marketing at Myntra said, “Consumers these days look for experiences coming from people whom they can relate to, which are more authentic. Fashion as a category is highly dominated by influencers who play a huge role in consumer’s decision making journey. Rather than create for them, we realised that we should put them in the centre and create with them and take the game to the next level.”

“Fashion and Entertainment dominate the lives of young Indians. To cater to their specific needs we decided to combine these two worlds and put together a truly unique and relevant reality show that’s bound to resonate with young India. We are delighted to have found a partner in Wavemaker to bring this idea to life”, says Deepak Dhar, Founder and CEO, Banijay Asia.

Commenting on the partnership with Banijay Asia, Karthik Nagarajan, Chief Content Officer, Wavemaker said, “In Myntra Fashion Superstar, we landed on an idea that was the perfect marriage between audience-centric, digital first content, which was also moving the needle on business goals. In Myntra, we had a client who was willing to push the boundaries and Banijay Asia was the perfect partner for us as their ability to create quality content and innovative concepts at scale, is unmatched in the country. We are delighted to partner with them for such a unique, path-breaking show that promises to merge the boundaries between reality television, digital content and fashion – creating a first of its kind genre along the way.”

The show format is created by Monia S Pinto, Banijay creative ream and the wavemaker team.

Groupm’s Motion Content Group And Banijay Asia Come Together To Create Scripted And Non-Scripted Content Across Genres

5th June 2019 12:00 am Comments Off

Motion Content Group, a division of GroupM and Banijay Asia, the 50:50 joint venture between world’s largest independent content creation company Banijay Group, and media veteran Deepak Dhar, has announced a first of its kind partnership for the Indian market in order to create content for TV broadcasters and OTT platforms.

The partnership sees the coming together of two giants from their respective industries and will provide a win-win for content platforms across the small and digital screens.

Banijay Asia will bring in experience of creating premium content, from ideating, developing, producing, and acquiring format rights while Motion Content Group will leverage GroupM’s expertise in understanding audiences, media consumption, brands and managing format rights. Through this association, the two partners aim to produce content as well as assist the broadcasters and digital platforms with format rights and complete the value chain by helping monetize the content being produced.

Deepak Dhar, Founder & CEO, Banijay Asia, said, “While the content industry is growing in the country and we truly are only at tip of the iceberg, there is a lag in bringing brands to premium content and vice versa. With this partnership we aim to fill that gap of economics and ensure that content reaches its viewers in a faster and more efficient fashion. I know we have found the perfect partner for this in GroupM’s Motion Content Group.”

Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia, says, “With this new partnership, we want to continue to create engaging and premium content for GECs and OTT platforms. We strive to enhance the ecosystem and deliver top value entertainment content, while simultaneously helping brands reach their audiences. With the help of Motion Content Group’s media and audience understanding powered by Banijay Asia’s creative strength, we look forward to reaching out to more fans across platforms in innovative ways.”

Elsewhere in the Banijay Group, Motion Content Group has acted as partner on Fizz’s (part of RDF Television) Shipwrecked and IWC’s Secret Scotland in the UK, and Banijay Production Germany’s Wild Things.

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