Q. This is the first time an Indian media company has tied up with the Arabia Pictures Group. What kind of opportunities does Saudi Arabia provide?
A. There is a great strategic fit between India and the Middle East. Expanding to Saudi Arabia was largely inspired by Vision 2030 that His Excellency Mohammed bin Salman had set up for the development of Saudi in a manner that is very transformative. This is a country where, till 2018, movies were banned, to a scenario [now] where there is strong and proactive support to the performing arts, including films, music and entertainment…. From our perspective, we look at that market as one where we can expand and get new locations, new story ideas. And, there are commercial advantages also of working there.
Q. The incentives are huge to make films there. It would make sense to shoot there.
A. It makes a lot of sense commercially…. While incentives are a great draw, I think what is really charming or of interest to us is just the sheer diversity of geography in that country.
We have been working with them for over two years. The entertainment and media and the studio ecosystem that is getting developed is new. We intend to be an enabling partner to that ecosystem. Our vision for and our engagement with the Saudis are very long term. What we are looking at is setting up a long-term base, which will involve setting up talent development in that area, both in terms of performing as well as post-production, pre-production, music, technical, visual effects, VFX, etc. We want to enhance the skills of the local people, because we believe that if you commit to that economy in a long-term manner, it will work better for both of us.
Q. What does the tie-up entail?
A. We are looking at multiple approaches. The Indian audience is tired of seeing the same London and Toronto and New York. The idea is to give them something new. [We are working to] develop storylines and talents from local markets to develop skills that are intended for consumption, not just in the Saudi market, but the Arab [speaking] market.
Q. Hollywood is also doing large productions in Saudi Arabia. Why do you think Bollywood has an advantage?
A. I would say [because of] the cultural affinity and similarity. You have seen Indians [finding a] connect [in] countries as diverse as Russia and Japan. The big Khans are superstars in almost all parts of the world. We definitely believe that that's a massive opportunity for us as well. Obviously, there is an intent to come out with stories really quickly and to collaborate to create films. The idea is to go beyond that—how do you take films into industries such as gamification, Metaverse, that can then appeal to the younger audience in those markets that are looking at better ways of expressing in technologies that are prevalent today.
Q. What are the challenges?
A. One challenge is the sheer infrastructure, just the setup of studios, sound stages, technical expertise that is required to make a film. You can't really export all of the manpower from India to make a film.
It is the whole ecosystem that needs to get developed. It is going to require a lot of effort. There are challenges around language, the weather, because they are hovering between 43-44°C, at least half the year. So for us to be able to shoot and to do production in peak summer is going to be challenging. There are periods when the availability of inventory comes to naught, especially during the Ramadan period.
What we can do is lay the roadmap, and enlist the collaborative support of government institutions as well as private players there to build the ecosystem.
Q. Has there been an interest for a film to be shot in Saudi Arabia?
A. It is a little early for us to announce the names and the storylines. We have three projects that are in advanced stages. Two of them are feature films; one a web series.