Applause Entertainment, India’s leading content studio backed by the Aditya Birla Group is synonymous for creating premium Indian content for domestic and global audiences. Keeping in line with its commitment, the content studio in collaboration with Locomotive Global Inc. has teamed up with International content mavericks Simon Mirren and his partner Benjamin Anderson to develop a ‘Crime Pro-serial Drama’.
“Pro-serial” is a term referring to a procedural drama series with some serialized elements in the storylines. Bringing the global phenomena to India, Mirren was the creative force behind iconic shows like ‘Waking The Dead’, ‘Spooks’, ‘Without A Trace”, “Versailles” and the iconic 15 year long run series ‘Criminal Minds’. Case Closed, Simon and his partner Ben’s company, are on-board with Applause & Locomotive to create a pro-serial precinct project.
Credited for creating, writing, and show running authentic crime procedurals, Simon will build a creative eco-system based on his years of expertise to empower local writers to run the show. He and Ben will then work in ongoing collaboration to fully develop and produce the series. This new approach to all phases of the creative process will be supported by the creative and production teams at both Locomotive and Applause. It all starts with a select and talented pool of dedicated writers who will work closely with the team and have an opportunity to explore the creative, visual, technical language and other best practices applied in International procedural dramas. Currently in the development phase for the first series, Simon and Ben are undergoing an experiential process in bringing alive the show’s storylines by meeting the judiciary, police experts, crime journalists in India and visiting production facilities.
Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment shared “Stories are universal, and yet must have intense and local authenticity. Telling International stories in an Indian context has always been an integral part for us at Applause, and now taking it a notch higher, we are bringing International creators to work with us. Simon and Ben are veterans in the field of crime dramas and we believe having them on-board will help us develop a local ‘international’ series with a fresh pair of eyes applying international best practices in narrative storytelling. These two mavericks, along with Sunder Aaron and the creative team at Applause have set out to create an Original multi-season crime drama series.”
Sunder Aaron, Co-founder of Locomotive Global stated, “Our vision at Locomotive Global is to create global quality content with rooted Indian stories. It is a pleasure to join hands with Sameer Nair and the team at Applause, who share the same vision and ambition in storytelling. Simon and Benjamin bring with them heaps of experience, and global best practices for creation and execution of high-quality iconic content. I really look forward to working with the duo and Applause to create a potent partnership and unprecedented writing team in India to create a never-seen-before crime drama.”
Simon said, “As a storyteller, I really like to go out into the world and find new stories, meet real people. There is nothing more impactful than tapping into local storytellers and we aim to bring forth the talent’s authentic voices into our show. Applause Entertainment is the hub of some gripping crime dramas, and it is truly a pleasure and a whole new experience to work on an Indian crime drama, collaborating with the best of Entertainers – Applause and Locomotive.” Benjamin added, “With the growth of Indian OTT, there is a wide canvas of scope and creative potentials in storytelling. It is the start of an interesting journey ahead to work with a force of creative minds at Applause to create an Indian story for a global audience.”
About Applause Entertainment:
Applause Entertainment is a leading Content & IP Creation Studio with a focus on premium drama series, movies, documentaries and animation content. A venture of the Aditya Birla Group, led by media veteran Sameer Nair, the studio has produced and released popular series across genres and languages which includes shows like Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, Mithya, Criminal Justice, Scam 1992:
The Harshad Mehta Story, Undekhi, Bhaukaal and others that have gone on to win acclaim and applause. Currently in production is also a robust slate of Theatrical and Direct-To-Streaming movies including Sharmajee Ki Beti, Jab Khuli Kitab and more. Applause’s first feature, The Rapist, directed by Aparna Sen, recently won the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival, 2021. Applause has partnered with leading platforms like Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Sony LIV, MX Player, ZEE5 and Voot Select for its creative output.
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