Netflix-YRF announce creative partnership, Junaid Khan's debut film to release on platform

Mumbai: Streaming platform Netflix and Yash Raj Films (YRF) on Friday announced a multi-year creative partnership, under which the studio will create films and series that will define storytelling in India and across the world.

The first two projects to come out of this partnership are thriller series "The Railway Men" and "Maharaj", a film marking the acting debut of superstar Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan.

Inspired by true events, "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.

Also starring Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari and Shalini Pandey, the film has been directed by Siddharth P Malhotra.

Four-part series "The Railway Men" is based on the deadly gas leak in the central Indian city of Bhopal. It is the untold story of the unsung heroes, who rose to the occasion that night to save the city and its people.

The thriller show stars R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu Sharma and Babil Khan. It is directed by debutant Shiv Rawail.

“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. 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," Monika Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India, said in a statement.

Akshaye Widhani, CEO, Yash Raj Films, said the partnership with Netflix will push the company as storytellers and help them showcase the Indian content to global audience.

"Netflix is the biggest streamer in the world and offers us an opportunity to tell our stories in over 190 countries. 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," Widhani said.