India’s leading storyteller Yash Raj Films (YRF) is coming together with Netflix to form a new multi-year creative partnership. The two iconic entertainers will collaborate to create films and series to bring defining stories to audiences in India and across the world.
The first project to come out of this partnership is the character-driver thriller, The Railway Men. It is a four-part series starring R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu Sharma and Babil Khan, which is directed by debutant director Shiv Rawail.
The second, Maharaj, is a film marking the debut of actor Junaid Khan and also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari and Shalini Pandey. The film is directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, whose last film Hichki was a global hit.
“We are passionate about serving our broad audiences with series and films that they connect with and love, and we want to do more of this. Yash Raj Films have defined the essence of Indian film-making,” said Netflix India content VP Monika Shergill. “They are one of the most respected storytellers in the industry. From Kabhi Kabhie to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, War to Pathaan, their signature stories have been part of our lives and continue to fuel the zeitgeist. Together, we are confident that we can entertain the world with quality films and series like never before.”
“YRF’s mission is to create entertaining, inspiring and extraordinary stories from India for the world. Netflix is the biggest streamer in the world and offers us an opportunity to tell our stories in over 190 countries,” said Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani. “Their belief in the ‘content-first’ approach, is noteworthy and synergistic with our ethos. This partnership will certainly push YRF as a storyteller to new audiences and allow them to consume Indian stories in their own languages too. India is a young and aspirational country. We have 1.4 billion stories to tell the world. We want to showcase our content, as well as provide a platform for our brilliant homegrown talent to a global audience.”
Inspired by true stories, The Railway Men is a show based on the deadly gas leak in the central Indian city of Bhopal. A cloud of toxic gas escaped from a pesticide plant, on the night of 2 December 1984, in the city of Bhopal that injured and claimed thousands of lives. This is the untold story of the unsung heroes, who rose to the occasion that night to save the city and its people. This is the story of their courage, their sense of duty and their humanity.
Also inspired by true events, the upcoming Netflix film Maharaj, is an incredible David vs Goliath story set in the 1800s, about how a regular man, journalist by profession, takes on a powerful role-model of society, hailed by many as a messiah for the masses. The fearless reporter uncovers a series of incidents that shake the very foundation of society.