Venky's hatching a new kind of business

Venkateshwara Hatcheries is hatching a diferent kind of business. And clucking in approval is film maker Mira Nair. Nair has tied up with Bala Entertainment, the film division of Venkateshwar Hatcheries, to develop, finance, and produce Asian films.

Called the International Behnji Brigade, IBB, this joint venture is looking at an initial target of three films, and is scouting around for three directors to make them. Filmmaker Mira Nair said, "The IBB is not a training ground at all. It is to find three great directors who have things to say. And we'll use all the networking, all the expertise that I have, and the network of sales agents and film festivals, and film schools, and film distributors, to make sure that this film we choose to produce gets an entry in the world market place."

These films will be "glocal" - have local themes, but target global audiences. The first film is expected to go on the floors in six months. And the division of labour is quite clear. Nair is creative head in all the projects, but may not actually direct any of the films herself, while Bala Entertainment is shelling out the money. But they're not saying how much.

Vice president of Bala Entertainment International, Neil Prashad said, "In this joint venture, it's a syndication of a tremendous amount of money, that, certainly by Indian budget standards and independent budget standards, is a significant amount of money. Several million dollars …"

The IBB is said to be in talks with top agencies like the International Creative Management, ICM, and William Morris for the distribution of its films.

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