• The Indywood Billionaires Club (IBC), has already mobilised funds worth Rs 3,000 crores from 20 leading NRI investors based in the United Arab Emirates, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
• Initiated by Sharjah-headquartered Aries Group, IBC aims to bring in crucial foreign direct investment to raise the profile of India’s cinema economy.
• USD 2 billion. Approx 12,000 crores! The economic value of India’s film industry.

Add to it the allied sectors of entertainment, losses due to piracy and the umpteen opportunities to market and scale Indian films on a global scale. The potential is rightly, nothing short of a valuation 10 times the above said amount.

The huge numbers are a clear indication of the possibilities India’s film and entertainment sector offers. One that needs dollops of cash infusion, as well as strategic partners who can shore up its pre-production, production, distribution and film exhibition on par with international standards.

The Indywood Billionaires Club, an innovative initiative launched during the 3^rd edition of the prestigious Indywood Film Carnival in 2017, has set the wheels rolling to this regard. By already raising investments of over Rs. 3,000 crores from nearly 20 Indian Billionaires based out of United Arab Emirates, Europe and Asia-Pacific, IBC’s end game is to secure investments to the tune of $10 billion from 2,000 billionaire Non-resident Indians and companies over a period of few years and direct the investment to the multi-billion dollar cinema economy.

The Billion Dollar Pie

NRI businessman Sohan Roy, who is consistently featured in Forbes Middle East’s list of Top 50 business owners, is the brainchild behind IBC. A serial entrepreneur and Hollywood filmmaker of Indian origin, his company Aries Group is the chief executing agency of IBC’s ambitious plan. “India is blessed with talented actors and technicians and our film industry should make movies which appeal to the international audience. The movie industry will fetch huge gains if we increase the number of international projects by using advanced technology and world-wide distribution”, said Mr. Roy.

Of the $10 billion to be raised as investment $5 billion will be spent on theatres, $2 billion on studios, $1 billion on movie production, $1 billion on equipment manufacturing and $1 billion on talent schools/agencies. Project Indywood, of which IBC is part, has already lined up plans to put up 10,000 4K projection multiplex screens, 100,000 2K/4K projection home cinemas, 8K/4K film studios, 100 animation/VFX studios and film schools adhering to international standards across the country.

IBC Initiatives

According to a report prepared by Deloitte for Indywood, the Indian entertainment industry is expected to grow at 11 per cent CAGR reaching $3.7 billion by 2020. Understandably in the coming years, the volume of foreign direct investment will play a decisive role in conceiving and implementing mega projects. And this is where the IBC comes in.

Set to include over 100 Indian billionaires into its fold by the end of this year, the Indywood Billionaires Club will also educate prospective investors on effectively tapping opportunities in the growing Indian film and entertainment sector comprising movies, animation and graphics. Mr. Roy further added that the Indian film industry should come forward to conceive and implement big budget international projects instead of following clichéd subjects and treatment patterns.

The Indywood Film Carnival (IFC) is being seen as the one stop confluence to bring together the industry’s present and future stakeholders. The annual event will be having its 4^th edition in Hitex Hyderabad between December 1 and 5, and is expecting the presence of 5,000 business delegates from across 100 countries. Business to the tune of Rs 500 crores is expected to be generated by way of signing up of big budget movie projects, co-production ventures and B2B agreements. Indywood Billionaires Meet, Indywood Academy Awards, Indywood Telly Awards, Indywood Fashion Premier and All Lights India International Film Festival are the major attractions of IFC 2018.

Please visit the following links to know more about Indywood Film Carnival.

IFC 2018 brochure
https://www.indywood.co.in/downloads2018/ifc-brochure-2018.pdf

Photo Gallery 2017
https://www.indywood.co.in/gallery2017

IFC 2018 promo

Sohan Roy

NRI tycoon BR Shetty with Sohan Roy @ IFC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNUzb5zw68