While other entertainment companies are planning to go global with Bollywood by roping in foreign actors and producing cross-over movies, Sahara India Entertainment Management Company is busy setting up base in Hollywood.
The media and entertainment division of the Subrata Roy-promoted Sahara group will soon announce three Hollywood projects at an investment of over Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion).
"We are finalising three projects with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood and the top three film production studios," a senior Sahara official told Business Standard.
Although he declined to mention names, sources close to the development said a film with Michael Douglas is on the cards.
The said that all three ventures would be complete Hollywood movies and might star a couple of Indian actors. The scripts for the movies have been finalised.
This is not the first time an Indian company is targeting the US film industry. The Adlabs-promoted Entertainment One has already produced 'Marigold' in association with the US-based Hyperion Pictures starring Salman Khan.
The company has invested $2 million in this $5.4 million project. Despite its Hollywood binge, Sahara is aggressively expanding back home.
According to Shantonu Aditya, chief executive officer, the company will release 40 Hindi films this year. Twenty-two films are already in various stages of production.
Thus far, the company has consciously stayed away from producing big budget films, which call for over Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) investment. Instead, it has chosen to go for joint productions with medium budgets. It has joint venture agreements with K Sera Sera productions for 10 movies and Sridev-Boney Kapoor Productions for 20 movies.
Sahara is also eyeing production of films for television on the lines of English film channels HBO and Hallmark that have been producing movies for the small screen.
Two of Sahara co-productions -- Bose-the forgotten hero and Page 3 have won national awards this year.