Applause Entertainment: A new era of storytelling
A bold vision for the future
Indian studio Applause Entertainment is stepping into its eighth year with an ambitious slate of projects that promise to redefine the landscape of Indian entertainment. Under the leadership of managing director Sameer Nair, a veteran of Indian television, the company is poised to explore new genres and formats while building on its established successes.
Spotlight on ‘Nyaya’
Leading the charge is the courtroom drama Nyaya, produced in collaboration with Mangata Films. Directed by Nitya Mehra, Karan Kapadia, and Heeraz Marfatia, this series is based on real events and follows a 17-year-old girl seeking justice against a powerful religious cult leader who raped her. The cast includes Fatima Sana Sheikh, Aneet Padda, Arjun Mathur, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, and Raghubir Yadav.
Nair expressed his enthusiasm for the project, highlighting the procedural nature of the show and praising Aneet Padda’s performance as the victim. “They’ve shot it really well,” he noted, emphasizing the show’s focus on the criminal justice system in action.
Diverse and ambitious projects
Applause’s upcoming slate is a testament to its diverse and ambitious vision. Black Warrant, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, is based on a bestselling insider account about Delhi’s Tihar Jail. The series Gandhi, directed by Hansal Mehta and starring Pratik Gandhi, is based on Ramachandra Guha’s books about the Mahatma.
The first episode of the documentary series Modern Masters, featuring “RRR” director S.S. Rajamouli, is now streaming on Netflix. Another intriguing project is Assassins – The Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Killers, a crime procedural directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. Additionally, an adaptation of A+E Networks’ Peabody-winning series UnREAL, about the behind-the-scenes of a reality show, has just completed filming.
Building on past successes
Applause has built a strong reputation over the past seven years with critically acclaimed and popular series. Notable among these is the Scam franchise for SonyLIV, which began with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and continued with Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. The success of these shows has paved the way for a new installment, Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga.
Nair emphasized the company’s focus on contemporary history across business, nation-building, and crime. This focus is reflected in Applause’s deal with iconic Indian graphic novel label Amar Chitra Katha to adapt their 400+ titles as animated content.
Expanding horizons
As the streaming market evolves, Nair sees opportunities for expansion. He predicts that while mass-appeal content will grow, niche offerings will coexist. “We’ll see a lot more massy, soapier kind of content on streaming as well, which is a good thing because the market has become wider, the audience has become much bigger,” he said.
Applause is adapting its strategy accordingly, developing long-form content and exploring new genres. The company is venturing into young adult romantic sagas and considering shorter versions of daily soaps with higher production values. The studio is also expanding into unscripted content, with plans for game shows and comedy setups. Nair expressed particular interest in food-related programming.
International collaborations
International collaborations are on the horizon as well. Applause recently wrapped shooting on Apex, a crime procedural developed with Simon Mirren, co-creator of “Criminal Minds,” and his production partner Benjamin Anderson. The company is also in development deals with U.S.-based firms, working together on co-developing projects rather than just format acquisitions.
Venturing into films
In the film space, Applause’s The Rapist, directed by Aparna Sen and headlined by Konkona Sen Sharma, premiered at Busan and won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award. Zwigato, directed by Nandita Das and starring Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami, premiered at Toronto and screened at Busan. Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s Sharmajee Ki Beti bowed on Prime Video in June.
Nair explained the company’s vision for the film space: “We really want to grow into the big movie studio which does theatrical movies with streaming in place.” Applause’s upcoming Tamil-language Bison, directed by Mari Selvaraj and starring Dhruv Vikram, is a step in this direction.
A sustainable business model
Applause continues to license its content to platforms for multi-year periods, a mutually beneficial approach that allows the studio to handle early development while giving platforms the option to provide input before production begins.
Looking ahead, Nair outlined Applause’s vision for the next seven years: “We’ve built up a really good network of creators and producers and platforms that we work with. We want to use what we’ve built as a springboard to really bloom out now. We want to do those big movies, we want to do the shows, we want to do a lot more collaboration.”
Profitability remains a key focus for Applause. “We want to do all of this in a manner which can be profitable,” Nair added. “Creating these wonderful entertainment brands is a big focus area for us.”
Applause Entertainment is clearly on a path to becoming a powerhouse in the Indian entertainment industry, with a diverse and ambitious slate of projects that promise to captivate audiences both domestically and internationally.