Yash Raj Films And Netflix Announce Multi-Year Creative Partnership

Streaming platform Netflix and leading Indian film studio Yash Raj Films have announced a multi-year creative partnership. The two firms will be creating content for audiences in India and abroad.

The two entities will “collaborate to create films and series to bring defining stories to audiences in India and across the world,” they said in a statement.

“We are passionate about serving our broad audiences with series and films that they connect with and love, and we want to do more of this. Yash Raj Films have defined the essence of Indian film-making," Monika Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India, said.

“YRF’s mission is to create entertaining, inspiring and extraordinary stories from India for the world. Netflix is the biggest streamer in the world and offers us an opportunity to tell our stories in over 190 countries. Their belief in the ‘content-first’ approach, is noteworthy and synergistic with our ethos. This partnership will certainly push YRF as a storyteller to new audiences and allow them to consume Indian stories in their own languages too. India is a young and aspirational country. We want to showcase our content, as well as provide a platform for our brilliant homegrown talent to a global audience.” Akshaye Widhani, CEO, Yash Raj Films said.

The four-part drama series 'The Railway Men', a previously announced ode to the unsung heroes of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, will serve as the partnership's debut offering. In 1984, a deadly gas cloud erupted from an American pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal, in central India. It caused thousands of deaths and injuries. Workers at the Bhopal train station who rescued hundreds of lives serve as the story's protagonists. It is the studio's streaming production division, YRF Entertainment's maiden effort.

The series will be starring R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu Sharma and Babil Khan, and will be directed by debutant director Shiv Rawail.

The partnership's second endeavor is similarly a historical drama inspired by actual events. A David vs. Goliath tale set in the 1800s, 'Maharaj' tells the tale of a journalist who faces off against a powerful social role model who is revered by many as the people's messiah.

The film will mark the debut of actor Junaid Khan, who is the son of actor Aamir Khan. It also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari Wagh and Shalini Pandey in prominent roles. The film will be directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, whose last venture, "Hichki" was a blockbuster hit.