Eros clinches Shah Rukh’s Om Shanti Om

MUMBAI: Acquisition of Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om starring Shah Rukh Khan and debutante Deepika Padukone has been generating excessive speculation for a while now. After T-Series bagged the audio rights of the film for Rs 40 – 50 million (Rs 4 -5 crores), now Eros International has acquired the distribution rights of the movie.


Eros International managing director India Sunil Lulla confirms that the company has acquired Om Shanti Om. “The deal has been signed,” he told Businessofcinema.com.


Apart from Eros International, the film had also generated buzz among film distribution companies like Adlabs and Studio 18 who were equally keen on acquiring its universal rights.


 


Going further down in the distribution chain, is Om Shanti Om also up for grabs at the sub-distribution level? Lulla says, “In market terms Om Shanti Om is definitely very hot and a lot of people are showing interest. But Eros will continue to hold the rights for bigger territories and give away smaller territories.”


 


Although the deal has been clinched, Lulla was reluctant to divulge the specific rights that have been bought. Eros has had a long standing relation with Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. His previous films Main Hoon Na and Paheli were distributed by Eros in the overseas market. “Since Eros set up its own offices in India with the release of Omkara, this deal is like an extension of our existing relation.”


 


On the other hand, Baba Films is also in the running for Bombay circuit rights. Baba Films executive director Rakesh Upadhyay says, “We are in direct talks with Shah Rukh Khan and we may get together for distribution of the movie in Bombay circuit.”


 


But why exactly has Om Shanti Om been generating so much hype? It’s not like a movie starring Shah Rukh Khan is releasing after a long gap. While Don released in October last year, Chak De! India is slated for a release next month (10 August). Moreover, director Farah Khan is only one movie old.


 


Expalins Lulla, “Shah Rukh is Shah Rukh! His association with Farah Khan during Main Hoon Na had created wonders, so expectations are higher this time around.”


 


Om Shanti Om is slated for a Diwali release this year.


 


Related story:
T-Series bags audio rights of Om Shanti Om

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