Connekkt Media and Mercuri Group forge Partnership for Multiple Mega-Budget South Films with an investment totaling Rs. 925 Crores starring Megastars.

Embarking on an exciting Cinematic Partnership, Connekkt Media and Mercuri are delighted to announce  a transformative collaboration, bringing forth a slate of multiple mega-budget films which are set to  enthral audiences over the next three years. Connekkt Media will be the studio for the films and Connekkt  Media and Mercuri Group will be Producing the Films together.

Mercuri Group India has unveiled a specialized unit, Mercuri Movies, in collaboration with Connekkt  Media with a focus and on to leverage the Entertainment and Content Businesses in the South. This  partnership will open a whole new world of Content Creation in South Cinema, besides Streaming  Content, Original Content IPs and other formats and explore opportunities in the wholesome South  Entertainment Business. The First Film in this thrilling Partnership is the much-anticipated Official Biopic  based on the life and times of the Music Maestro, isaignani ILAIYARAAJA with the very versatile and  talented Dhanush portraying the legendary Composer on Screen. Filming for the same is scheduled to  commence in October 2024 with the release slated for mid-2025.

The Partnership will be a catalyst in bringing best in class global practices and structured studio production  to the Cinema and Entertainment Industry in the South. The combination of the leading  creative capability of South Cinema with these global best practices will deliver significant business growth  over the next decade. The partnership will be based out of Chennai and ably led by Shri. Ilamparithy Gajendran.

Southern entertainment industry releases more than 900 movies in a year and has taken a big leap in the  Indian entertainment industry and has started leading the way in terms of original content creation  especially post the pandemic. Commenting on the association, Connekkt Media’s Varun Mathur said  “Mercuri is one of the most reputed names in global entertainment space and has been an amazing partner  to us and we are thrilled to be joining hands with them to produce multiple mega-budget films  starting with the biopic of a music legend unlike any other. The Indian Media and Entertainment industry is  at a very important juncture, with the next two decades poised for amazing growth. As a national studio  our partnership with Mercuri places us is a great position to deliver enthralling content to millions of fans  India and globally during this very exciting phase.”

Sriram Bakthisaran, MD & Group CEO, Mercuri says “A resurgence of quality content from the region  which is home to the four thriving film industries besides a large entertainment-hungry viewership, a  larger than life fan following base seen nowhere in the world and the content coming out from this region  fast attracting global interests and gaining prominence on pan India scale and with our already significant  presence in the south market having serviced some of the biggest production houses and the celebrities in  the past, we feel we are better placed to expand our offerings than before as we jointly venture out to feed  all stake holders including the consumer. As Mercuri has all the experience and knowhow with their global  exposure, am very confident that this collaboration will further elevate the best practices and production  standards being used in the business.” said Sriram. He further added, “In Connekkt Media, we not only  have a trusted partner for this venture but also a clear and strong understanding of the entertainment  industry and excellent relationships with various stake holders in the industry.” This first of its kind  specialized unit will design, assemble, create, develop, execute content in collaboration with  Connekkt  Media.