Bikram Duggal opts out of Disney-Reliance JV

Bikram Duggal, head of studios at Disney Star, has chosen to opt out of the merged entity formed by Disney and Reliance. However, he will still be staying on with Disney.

At Star, Bikram has been responsible for driving the Studios business, which encompasses all global releases from the iconic brands Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures, along with local productions through Fox Star Studios.

In this role, he has been responsible for the marketing and distribution of the global movie releases in the country and he also led the charge for the local productions on the creative, marketing, and distribution strategies.

Under his leadership, with a sharp focus on consumer, creativity, and localization, the Studio business has grown exponentially.

Bikram has been instrumental in the local success of blockbusters like Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame (the No.1 movie across India in 2019), Avengers: Infinity War, Thor Ragnarok, and Black Panther, and Disney titles including The Lion King, Frozen 2, which set new benchmarks in the film industry.

In his previous role, Bikram was leading marketing and distribution for the Studios business.

Before that he was spearheading the corporate strategy and business development functions for Disney India. Bikram has also led the marketing and digital efforts for the Media Networks business, and supported creative functions in building Disney’s linear TV business in India.

The merger between Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company’s Star India is anticipated to be finalized by November.

K Madhavan, Country Manager and President of Disney Star, and Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar, have stepped down from their positions.