Viacom18 ropes-in Ajit Andhare to Head its Motion Pictures Business

Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd., one of India’s leading entertainment companies, today announced the appointment of Ajit Andhare, as the Chief Operating Officer of its films business – Viacom18 Motion Pictures. Joining today, Ajit will be responsible for the growth and profitability of Viacom18 Motion Pictures and will be reporting to Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO – Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. In this role, Ajit will also lead Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ distribution alliance with Paramount Pictures.

Ajit replaces Vikram Malhotra, who put-in his papers, some time back, to pursue his entrepreneurial interests.

Announcing the appointment, Sudhanshu, said, “In Ajit, we’ve found the right leader to drive Viacom18 Motion Pictures to the next level of growth & profitability. His passion for films coupled with his education and experience across varied fields like Engineering, Marketing and Creative production give him the edge to build a Business that would become a benchmark in the industry.”

With an experience of over 17 years in FMCG & Media, Ajit has been the CEO of Colosceum Media Pvt. ltd. since 2007, a venture that he founded, along with Capital18. Colosceum is today amongst the leading media content development & production companies, having produced some of the very successful TV franchises like MTV Roadies and MTV Splitsvilla & Jai Shri Krishna for Viacom18, Wheel Smart Shrimati for Unilever and Master Chef India series for Star India. Prior to setting up Colosceum, Ajit worked with Unilever Plc. in India and Asia Pacific region for over 12 years across Sales, General Management and Marketing roles. He holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business & B Tech from REC Rourkela.

Speaking on his appointment, Ajit commented, “The fundamentals of Motion Pictures business in India are improving with growth in digital distribution, multiplex screens, emerging digital platforms and above all success of high content cinema. It's a great opportunity to lead one of country's premier studios recognized for its distinguished work in this exciting context.”

Over the last two years, Viacom18 Motion Pictures has had hits like 'Tanu Weds Manu', 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama', 'Shaitan'; and superhits like 'Kahaani', 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'OMG - Oh My God!', 'Son of Sardaar' and the recently released 'Special 26' and 'Saheb Biwi Gangster Returns'. Through its strategic alliance with Paramount Pictures, Viacom18 Motion Pictures also released some of the biggest Hollywood grosses in India, like 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' and 'Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol'.

2013 started on a great note for Viacom18 Motion Pictures, with the studio sweeping all film awards with Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur and also notching up an impressive tally of 5 National Awards, announced recently. Further, the year looks even more promising with an impressive line-up of movies like Chashmebadoor, Bhag Milkha Bhag, Madras Café and Boss amongst others.