Singh has been named GM and head of Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP), India. He will be overseeing SPIP India’s local film development and production slate as well as its expansion in regional cinema. He will report to Michael Rifkin and Shebnem Askin, co-heads of SPIP.
Panjikaran has been elevated to the position of GM and head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India. He will manage Sony Pictures’ theatrical releasing business across the Hollywood and local cinematic slate in India, including all distribution, sales, and marketing efforts. He will report to Adam Herr, Sr VP, Distribution, Asia at SPE.
This is the first time when SPE has divided the India film business under two leaders. Earlier, Vivek Krishnani was heading SPE’s India business as MD of Sony Pictures Films India.
The company had been looking for Krishnani’s replacement since his exit in March this year.
In May, Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Group, the movie division of SPE, had told ET in an exclusive interaction that the company will aggressively invest in local projects in India with a focus on “theatre worthy” films.
On taking over production business, Lada Guruden Singh, said, “We are excited to give it our all to become one of the top players in the country. From tentpole hits to clutter break-through content, from stories unfolding at the margins to the celebration of Indian mythology, we want to push the boundaries and synergise with leading talent as well as with fresh new voices. Shony and I are committed to making this dream come true, breaking all language barriers, and turning Sony Pictures Entertainment, India into the most sought-after creative studio in India.”
In addition to its lineup of upcoming Hollywood and Bollywood films, SPE has also expanded its footprint in regional cinema including Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam projects.
“Sony Pictures is a global force that creates imaginative and engaging content for audiences across the world. It is an absolute privilege to oversee SPE’s theatrical business in India and bring an incredible slate of Hollywood and Indian cinema to Indian audiences,” said Shony Panjikaran. “For both Lada and I, it will be hugely rewarding to lead Sony Pictures Entertainment, India into a new era. Today, the film market in India is virtually borderless, and I am looking forward to pioneering new initiatives and partnerships in this dynamic distribution space and to satisfy the demand for brilliant global and local stories in India.”
Singh has been with Sony Pictures group since 2014 in multiple capacities across public relations, marketing, and creative development. He has worked on titles like ‘Piku’, ‘PadMan’, ‘102 Not Out’, ‘Looop Lapeta’ and has led the studio’s expansion in Malayalam and Telugu with ‘9’ and the recent blockbuster ‘Major’.
Most recently, he was instrumental in snagging the rights to ‘Shaktimaan,’ a superhero trilogy currently in the works at SPIP.
Panjikaran, meanwhile, has spearheaded Sony Pictures
‘s marketing initiatives over the past four years helping to launch successful releases including ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, ‘Spiderman: Far From home’, ‘Jumanji-The Next Level’, ‘Venom’ and ‘Major’.
Prior to this Panjikaran spent ten years at Fox Star Studios where he led their marketing efforts in a variety of roles; his work included films such as ‘Avatar’, ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Deadpool’, ‘Sanju’, ‘Baaghi 2’’, Atlee’s ‘Raja Rani’ amongst others.
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