MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has sold the perpetual music rights of some of its upcoming films to T-Series.
While this can be touted as one of the biggest music deals in the industry so far, the exact deal size continues to remain ambiguous. While some sources say that the two companies have inked a 16 film deal for Rs 280 million (Rs 28 crores); some others say that the deal entails 12 films for an astronomical Rs 430 million (Rs 43 crores).
On the other hand, media reports over the last three days have also been churning out mixed numbers. Some reports suggest that the deal between the two has been sealed for 14 films for a sum of Rs 300 million (Rs 30 crores). Yet other media reports suggest that it’s a 20 film deal!
While UTV Motion Pictures officials declined to comment on the size of the transaction; T-Series vice president marketing Vinod Bhanushali said that the deal was for 16 films. He however, refused to comment on the deal size.
Earlier this year, UTV Motion Pictures launched its own music label – UTV Music – with Jodhaa Akbar. However, the music of the film was distributed by Sony BMG. The music of UTV Spotboy’s recent release Aamir was out on Sony BMG.
While this deal with T-Series might have been a lucrative one for UTV, the fate of the company’s music label remains unclear.
An industry observer on condition of anonymity says, "It is sad that there are so many different numbers floating in the market for the same deal. It just goes to show that there is no transparency in the business. While the Indian film industry has been seeing increasing corporatisation and is attracting global interest, lack of transparency can prove to be a big hindrance in our growth."
Some of the films included in this deal are – Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion starring Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Dilli 6 starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, Sohail Khan’s Main Aur Mrs Khanna starring Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sohail Khan and Govinda, Neeraj Pandey’s Wednesday starring Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Amir Bashir and Deepal Shaw, Nishikant Kamat’s Mumbai Meri Jaan, Kaminey starring Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra, Ken Ghosh’s film starring Shahid Kapur, Shyam Benegal’s Mahadev, Hawaii Dada, Shoebite, Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D and Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye.
