Gujarati cinema’s growth story sparks Rs 100

Gujarati cinema’s growth story sparks Rs 100-crore bet on films, IPs and media startups

For decades, film financing in India has largely been a project-by-project exercise — filmmakers pitch scripts, chase investors and raise fresh capital every time a new project gets greenlit.

National Award-winning actor-producer Manasi Parekh and singer-producer Parthiv Gohil believe that model has run its course.

The duo, along with Orenda Group, proposes to launch Rs 100-crore Orenda Media Growth Fund, an alternative investment fund (AIF) to bring institutional capital, governance and financial discipline to the media and entertainment sector, an industry they say remains largely unstructured despite its growing scale.

The fund is awaiting the approval of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approval. Once approved, it would be third such fund in the media and entertainment space.

Bridging the creativity and finance gap

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Parekh said one of the biggest challenges for producers is raising money from scratch.

"When we entered production, we realised it is still a very unorganised market. Every project comes with its own financing challenges. The idea was to create a more regulated and structured approach that enables creative people to fulfil their ambitions," she said.

Gohil said entertainment continues to suffer from a trust deficit among investors.

"People often say don't put money into films because it is risky and unstructured. There has always been a gap between creativity and finance," he said.

The four-year fund proposed to allocate around 50 percent to motion pictures, 30 percent to media and entertainment startups, and 20 percent to original intellectual property and live-event franchises, according to the structure announced earlier this month. The vehicle is targeting a projected internal rate of return (IRR) of 30 percent.

Investor conversations have already begun, with expected participation from domestic investors, family offices and members of the Indian diaspora, Gohil added.

Riding on Gujarati cinema's growth

The timing of the fund is closely linked to what Gohil sees as a “transformation” in Gujarati cinema over the past decade.

After a growth of 66 percent in 2024, Gujarati box- office continued its success story in 2025, with collections surpassing the Rs 200-crore mark for the first time, driven by the blockbuster Laalo: Krishna Sada Sahaayate, which grossed Rs 114 crore.

Earlier, Gujarati films depended almost entirely on box-office collections. Today, filmmakers have access to multiple revenue streams, including OTT licensing, music rights and overseas distribution, making the business much more attractive to investors.

"Earlier, Gujarati films were considered high-risk because there was only box-office income. Today there are multiple avenues. OTT, music rights and international markets have changed the economics completely," Gohil said.

He pointed to Soul Sutra's (Parekh and Gohil's film production house) track record. The company's 2020 film Golkeri secured an OTT deal worth Rs 1 crore at a time when Gujarati films typically fetched only Rs 25-30 lakh from streaming platforms, while Laalo became one of the biggest industry successes.

"Gujarati cinema has been on a strong growth trajectory. The ecosystem today allows producers to take bigger creative risks because there are more monetisation opportunities than ever before," Gohil said.

While movies will remain the fund's largest allocation, the founders are widening the investment mandate.

It will also back media startups, original IP creation, live entertainment, media-tech businesses and AI-led ventures.

According to Gohil, diversification is critical to reducing the dependence on the success or failure of any single film.

Among the areas being evaluated are a digital media marketing company and an AI-focused entertainment production venture.

"Live entertainment has always been a passion. We want to create on-ground IPs and eventually take them across markets globally," Gohil said, adding the group hopes to begin with three such properties.

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