Entertainment foray
Shortly after he and his elder brother Mukesh parted ways in 2005, splitting up the empire set up by their father Dhirubhai Ambani, Anil surprised the industry with the acquisition of a film company -- Adlabs -- then owned by Manmohan Shetty.
Adlabs, which was set up in 1978 as a film processing company, diversified into exhibition and production, and also launched India's first multiplex in India.
Today Adlabs processes almost 70 per cent of the films that are made in India, making it a clear leader in the market.
"Indian companies are spreading overseas and Reliance Entertainment does not want to miss this opportunity. Even companies like Warner Bros and Sony Pictures are producing films in Bollywood so Reliance, being the biggest player, would want to have a presence in the US market. Today Bollywood audiences in the US are not restricted to only Indians. They include Pakistanis who are a major chunk of Bollywood lovers and so do Bangladeshis, Iranis, South East Asian nationals and even Sri Lankans," adds Adarsh.
Says Vinod Mirani, another Bollywood trade analyst, "At present not much is known about their plans as they are taking a slow approach, but I feel Reliance will be in a doubly advantageous position in the US. They can exhibit Bollywood and Hollywood films. They have no restrictions on that. Moreover, the tax systems are not so complex in the US -- unlike in India where taxation differs from state to state."
Image: Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and ADAG chairman Anil Ambani before the two parted ways. | Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
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