The Story Ink and Locomotive Global Inc. acquire exclusive screen adaptation rights for ‘The Making of Star India’ book

It all started with one channel and is now an industry with a whopping $11+ billion dollar annual turnover. The Indian broadcast and television industry is known as the world’s second largest Television market (population of 1.3 billion and 850 million daily consumers of media and entertainment, total annual turnover $25 billion dollars), and since its inception, has spoilt consumers for choice with an endless variety of content spread across hundreds of channels. The endless twists and turns and numerous colourful characters that have all contributed to television’s evolution in India are now set to get their own dramatic treatment.

The Story Ink, India’s No.1 book to screen content company along with Locomotive Global Inc., a producer of premium content, announced their acquisition of the exclusive screen adaptation rights for ‘The Making of Star India’ written by well-known Indian media expert Vanita Kohli-Khandekar. Sidharth Jain, founder & producer, The Story Ink and Sunder Aaron, Co-founder and Principal , Locomotive Global Inc will produce a 10 episode, multi-season scripted drama series that utilizes Kohli-Khandekar’s fascinating book for source material. The on-screen adaptation will carry the audience on a journey through the meteoric rise and revolution of the Indian television industry. Jain and Aaron’s objective is to produce a premium drama series that will be made available to viewers via a global streaming platform partner.

Talking about the screen adaptation of her book, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar says, “I am delighted that my book ‘The Making of Star India’ has inspired this series. The book is not just about Star, but also about the growth of television in India over three decades. The stories behind the making of the world's second largest TV market will make you laugh, cry and gasp at the audacity and sheer bull-headedness of the men and women who created it. This series aims to take that journey to another fictional dimension. I am so looking forward to working as a consulting writer with Sid and Sunder on this project.”

Sharing thoughts on the acquisition of the book and production of the series , Sidharth Jain stated, “Our aim is to create a global quality scripted series. A ground-breaking new show that will be akin to MAD MEN meets SUCCESSION, and set in the roaring rah-rah early days of the Indian television industry of late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sunder Aaron also commented, “ We aim to pull the curtains back, and present the story of Indian television in an unconventional and ground-breaking way that people around the world will find compelling to watch. Today more than ever before, viewers of premium drama series want to lose themselves in an authentic world they find fascinating and yet never knew existed.”

(We got this information in a press release).