The lineup includes one of the biggest shows on the streamer, ‘Mahabharata’, to be produced by Madhu Mantena’s Mythoversestudios and Allu Entertainment. Envisaged as a multi-season series, ‘Mahabharata’ is expected to release in early 2024.
The other two shows, season 8 of ‘Koffee with Karan’ and fiction series ‘Showtime’ are produced by Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment Production.
“The big show that we’re talking about for the first time publicly today, is ‘Mahabharata’,” said Gaurav Banerjee, Head – Content, Disney+ Hotstar & HSM Entertainment Network, Disney Star.
He said that while the Mahabharata was probably first written down some 2000 years ago, it’s a living text that is everywhere in every Indian’s thought and spirit.
“It is 110,000 couplets, making it the longest epic poem ever written… while there are over a billion people in India, who know the story in some form or the other having heard it as children from their grandparents, there are billions more who remain unaware of what they have been missing. It would indeed be a privilege to be able to bring this incredible story to a wider global audience,” Banerjee said.
He was talking during a panel on international content, along with Rebecca Campbell, Chairman, International content and Operations, The Walt Disney Company; Fernando Barbosa, SVP, Media Distribution & Production for the Latin America; Jessica Kam-Engle, Head of Content & Development for Asia Pacific; and Lee Mason, Director Scripted Content, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The discussion focused on global content trends and how travelability and universality of local content can make it go global.
“Our philosophy is that one size doesn’t fit all,” said Campbell. “We want to serve our viewers in every market with locally produced stories that resonate to them, while also taking the very best of our global brands and IP across the globe.”
