MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has launched a sub-brand called UTV Classics, which will promote experimental and unconventional cinema, making it accessible to a wider audience.

The first film to be released under the banner will be Vishal Bhardwaj’s The Blue Umbrella, which will be released on 5 January, 2007.

The film is based on a Ruskin Bond novella by the same name and aims at adding a new dimension to today’s genre of kids’ films by combining entertainment with a morality tale. The Blue Umbrella stars Pankaj Kapur and Shreya Sharma. The movie has already been screened at a few international film festivals.

UTV CEO Ronnie Screwvala says, “The entertainment tastes of a section of the audience are maturing with time and UTV Classics is an initiative to address the needs of this growing audience for different cinema. 2006 has been proof of this, with unconventional movies that have broken the mould and which have been applauded by audiences and critics alike.”