Disney to distribute UTV movies

Walt Disney Studios will market and distribute some of UTV’s Raajneeti and I Hate Luv Storys through their already-established home video network in India.

After selling 22 of its titles to a British home video network last month for distribution in the UK, UTV Motion Pictures has forged another international alliance. Walt Disney Studios will market and distribute some of UTV’s films through their already-established home video network in India.



The line-up of films will include the Imran Khan-Sonam Kapoor starrer, I Hate Luv Storys, and Prakahs Jha’s political blockbuster, Raajneeti. And in a unique mix, Disney has also signed UTV’s marathi production, Harishchandrachi Factory, making the film one of the first in regional cinema to be distributed by a Hollywood studio.

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"We will be distributing their titles through our home entertainment business, which began last year in India. This would involve marketing for some of their titles on Blu-ray discs and DVDs as well," says Mahesh Samat, managing director, Walt Disney Company, India.

For Disney, being a part of a Hollywood studio and distributing Bollywood titles in India means strengthening their hold on markets here. “Being ‘Walt Disney Company’ they have established a strong foothold in the home entertainment space in India relatively fast, and it’s great that we can partner with them for our own titles,” says Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures.