Newsmaker: Anurradha Prasad

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Anurradha Prasad

Anurradha Prasad, managing director of the Delhi-based television content company BAG Films, loves the scent of camphor and you get a whiff of it in her well-appointed office in Noida's Film City.

The office is located in a sprawling campus large enough to house hundreds of employees required for a handful of television channels.

Of course, Prasad is tightlipped about it but armed with a war chest of Rs 400 crore, BAG is gearing up to launch at least four channels in the coming financial year. These will be in the general and business news and lifestyle spaces. "We will talk when we are ready," says a cheery Prasad.

Perhaps her daily practice of yoga keeps her in good spirits despite the pressures of running a Rs 60 crore company that produces a host of TV shows for channels like Star News, Star Plus and Doordarshan.

A couple of crime shows "" Sansani and Red Alert "" from her stable have turned out to be among the most watched programmes on Star News. She had the guts to gatecrash into Ekta Kapoor's territory on Star Plus as well with the family soap Kumkum... Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan.

The minor adjustment Prasad had to make to get on to Star Plus, however, was to add an extra "r" in her first name. "No, it was not a pre-condition but just a suggestion by an astrologer," she clarifies.

She did not protest when she was advised to make the addition though. To spread her risk, Prasad worked closely with channels like Sony Entertainment Television, Sahara One and Zee TV, too.

Prasad's journey as an entrepreneur started in 1993 when she set up her own company Bhagwan Allah God ("in the hurry to register some name, any name," she laughs).

Among her first few programmes were Zaike Ka Safar and Hit Hi Hit Hai. Before that she worked in PTI TV as an assistant producer and later at the Observer News Channel that produced video news magazines. Married to Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla and sister of politician Ravi Shankar Prasad, she is hardly seen flaunting her political connections.

In 14 years, BAG Films has diversified into related media and entertainment fields. It runs a television training academy, has won licences for 10 FM radio channels, has produced commercial Hindi films (Zindaggi Rocks and Mannat) and is into animation as well.

Prasad may not talk about her plans as a broadcaster but she firmly believes that as far as media and entertainment in India is concerned, "we ain't seen nothing yet". Yes, there is room for more channels, she says, both in the news and entertainment space, especially, since the industry is going through a churn. The lines between the number one and two and three players in most genres are blurring, offering scope for new entrants.

Media industry sources say things are quietly happening at BAG Films and the business blueprint is being drawn. Commenting on Prasad's TV foray, a media expert says: "She is intrepid, ambitious and resourceful. But whether she has the vision or can get people with the right vision to pull it off remains to be seen."