Delhi-Noida Bridge Set To Beat Deadline

Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal and Bollywood's most powerful financier

Bharatbhai Shah are joining forces to start a new film finance company

which will invest more than Rs 100 crore each year to back new screen

blockbusters.

The new company Mega Bollywood Pvt Ltd will back around 10 blockbusters

and several smaller productions each year and it aims to become the

biggest financing machine for the Mumbai film industry.

Kishore Lulla of Eros International, which is starting a new

international film channel B4U in August, will be the third partner of

Mega Bollywood.

Mega Bollywood is holding talks with leading Mumbai directors who are

scouting for cash, and it will announce its maiden ventures in coming

weeks.

"It will be the largest financing and production company in Bollywood,"

says Ravi Gupta, CEO, B4U, who is closely involved with the new project.

The new company will get a flying start by transferring several

blockbusters which are already under production and being being backed

by Bharatbhai Shah. Mega Bollywood will tie-up with top music directors

and producers and attempt to bring together the best talents in the

Hindi film industry. "We will have strategic alliances so that we have

key creative inputs," says Gupta.

The company hopes to capitalise on the burgeoning international market

for Hindi films. Eros International is already the largest international

distributor of Hindi films and its new channel B4U will also need a

constant supply of new films. "Overseas is becoming more important. This

collaboration will achieve growth in this area," says Gupta.

Shah's existing company VIP Enterprises will handle theatrical

distribution inside India. Shah, who has been a leading figure in the

Hindi film industry for the last 10 years, is expected to play a leading

role in Mega Bollywood.