Zee Group forays into Tollywood

India’s media major, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) is re-entering film production and distribution. A subsidiary, Zee Entertainment Studios, has been created, which will raise around $250- 300 million (Rs1,072.5-1,287 crore) for the films business.

Zee Entertainment Studios will have two divisions : Zee Motion Pictures will produce Bollywood movies with budgets of Rs50-60 crore and Zee Limelight will produce low-budget movies in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada.

Zee films last production was Gadar in 2001 with Sunny Deol.

Now, Zee Limelight is producing a film in Telugu, with Sharwanand of Gamyam fame and Meera Chopra, who acted in Bangaram and Vaana, in the lead. This film will be directed by Chandra Sidharth.
The other members of the cast and crew are in the process of being finalized. The shooting is scheduled to commence in August 2008.