K C Bokadia Films bags $2 m UK order

Close on the heels of launching a corporate venture, K C Bokadia Films Ltd has bagged a $2 million project from the UK-based C&C Solutions to produce a documentary on Indian heritage and culture for the international audience.

The contract includes producing 20 episodes of 45 minutes each. The company is expected to get the advance payment of 60,000 pounds for the contract on Tuesday.

K C Bokadia Films will shortly open a distribution office in Dubai to tap the global market and will enter the business of producing serials for television.

While three movies "" Ek Hasina Ek Diwana, Challenge and We are Friends "" are expected to be produced within the next few months, the company will produce a mega serial too.

"While the three movies will have budgets between Rs 15 crore and 20 crore, the television serial Sikander will be a huge project. It will be of the likes of the Ramayana and Mahabharata," said K C Bokadia, chairman and managing director of K C Bokadia Films, in Ahmedabad on Monday.

On the UK contract, he said he had planned to do a documentary on India, its culture and heritage and other aspects. "I had named it My India and was looking to sell it to someone. The documentary is still not complete, but I am happy that C&C Solutions of Glasgow, UK, has taken the documentary."

Bokadia said on the technical front, talks are on with one of the Hollywood studios for adopting the best technology.

"This collaboration, which is still being worked out, will help the company produce movies and TV serials of world class technology. And with the new overseas distribution office being planned at Dubai, the company will be better placed to tap the ever growing international market for Indian movies," he said.

K C Bokadia in January acquired a 14 per cent stake in the Ahmedabad-based Galaxy Infomedia Ltd and renamed the company as K C Bokadia Films Ltd.

Company officials said K C Bokadia Films expects a turnover of around Rs five crore by the quarter ending June 2004 and aims to increase this at least five times by the end of the fiscal year.

"We want to be a complete entertainment company, providing end-to-end solutions to the industry and aim to become a global player with these new initiatives," Bokadia said.

The company also has chalked out plans to tap the satellite, home video and DVD markets for its movies.