The last decade or so has witnessed a remarkable leap for South Indian films, both in terms of the diverse range of stories and their phenomenal performance at the box office. The tables have turned to the extent that it has changed the general perception among foreigners that Indian cinema is only Bollywood.

South Indian films, especially those from Malayalam, are now making a mark in uncharted global territories, reaching audiences beyond the Indian diaspora. Indywood Distribution Network (IDN), a distribution and sales company, has been at the forefront of this movement, by identifying emerging markets and introducing Indian regional language films to a new section of the international audience.

IDN is an integral part of the Indywood Entertainment Consortium, launched by Aries group chairman and filmmaker Sohan Roy. In the last couple of years, IDN has facilitated the international release of biggies like Jr NTR’s Devara (Portugal), Sivakarthikeyan’s Ayalaan (Cambodia), Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham (Mauritius), with more ambitious plans in place.

We talk to Shyam Kurup, the director of IDN, to learn more about the intricacies of global film distribution, the company’s objectives, and the potential reach of Indian films in international markets.

Excerpts

What inspired the thought of a global sales and distribution network?

Every year, major international film summits are held in Cannes, Berlin, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. We have noticed countries like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan aggressively promoting their films at the summit. Their ministers, cultural ambassadors, and high commission officials will be present to promote their films. These films can’t recover their investment by releasing in their native countries alone, so they have to promote across borders. It left me wondering why we aren’t promoting our films on a similar scale.