6 Hollywood Production Houses That Have Come To Bollywood

Directed by Dadasaheb Torne, Shree Pundalik was the first movie shot in India and sent overseas for processing, thus marking the beginning of the flourishing relationship between Indian film industry and Hollywood. Since then, Bollywood stars have made considerable foray into Hollywood while some of the top Hollywood movies have been partially or fully shot in India. The bonding between the two has grown stronger as both are now leveraging mutually beneficial business aspects and churning out big bucks by co-producing movies. Interestingly, Saawariya (2007) was the first Hollywood-produced Bollywood film, financed by Columbia. Business Insider India has come up with a list of 6 top-notch Hollywood production houses that are now operating in India.

1. Viacom18: Set up in 2007, Viacom18 is a joint venture between Viacom and Network18. Other than producing films under Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Viacom18 has also launched Colors, one of India’s leading entertainment channels. The latest movies out of their stable include Boss, Inkaar, Special Chabbis, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns and the super hit Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

2. Sony: Japanese giant Sony has set up a production house here called Sony Pictures India. It was also the first production house from Hollywood to co-produce the Bollywood film Saawariya. Other films co-produced by Sony include We Are Family, Teree Sang and Straight.

3. Fox Star Studios: Founded in 2008, this is a joint venture of 20th Century Fox and Star, both owned by the media giant, Rupert Murdoch. The most memorable films produced by Fox Star India are Slumdog Millionaire and My Name Is Khan. The upcoming movies like Bang Bang and Bombay Velvet are also co-produced by Fox Star.

4. UTV Motion Pictures: Owned jointly by Walt Disney and UTV Software Communications, this is the leading production house in India, with stakes in almost every big film of Bollywood. The key persons of UTV Motion Pictures are Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur. The latest films co-produced by UTV are Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Race 2, Kai Po Che, Chennai Express and Shahid.

5. Warner Bros: Warner Bros. is another major Hollywood production house that has set up base in India. Starting in 2008 with Saas Bahu Aur Sensex, WB has produced a number of films such as Utt Patang, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge and Chandni Chowk To China.

6. Walt Disney Pictures: Other than producing films in collaboration with UTV, Walt Disney has also set up its own independent unit in India. Till date, the key films produced here include Roadside Romeo, Do Dooni Chaar and the upcoming Haider and P.K.