YRF Entertainment celebrates global streaming triumphs

Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ streaming division, YRF Entertainment, is taking stock of its recent successes in the digital space while looking to the future.

The company’s series, ‘The Railway Men’, emerged as a standout performer on Netflix, marking a major milestone for Indian content on the platform. The four-part miniseries, which debuted on November 18, 2023, maintained its position on Netflix’s Top 10 series list for a whopping 100 consecutive days. This achievement set a new benchmark for Indian series on the streaming platform. The show’s wider appeal was evident as it also secured a spot in the Top 3 of Netflix’s Global Top Shows and lasted for several months.

YRF Entertainment’s first film collaboration with Netflix, ‘Maharaj’, also impressed. The Siddharth P. Malhotra-directed period piece, released on June 21 this year, quickly climbed to the second position in the top ten of Netflix’s non-English film category. The popularity was reflected in the ratings, with more than 8.5 million viewing hours in the second and third weeks combined.

Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, reflected on the company’s streaming strategy. “We always strive to produce content that can represent our country, our people, our culture, our values ​​and ambitions in all their glory to a global audience. We want to be proud of the content we put out and in turn we want to make our country proud too,” he said.

“We invest a lot of time in carefully selecting and refining our stories because we believe that it is always the content that survives the test of time and can transcend borders and languages,” said Widhani.

He also praised Netflix’s support in marketing the titles to a global audience. “We have a partner like Netflix with us, who trusted us in our vision and is committed to bringing these titles to the world,” said Widhani. “We share this moment with Netflix for their unwavering support, teamwork, clear insight and commitment to content brilliance.”

YRF Entertainment’s success with ‘The Railway Men’ and ‘Maharaj’ follows the documentary series ‘The Romantics’. The company has two more projects in the pipeline: film ‘Vijay 69’ and series ‘Mandala Murders’.

Widhani highlighted YRF’s commitment to telling Indian stories to a global audience. “We believe the India story is what the world wants to see, engage and discuss, and we want to be at the heart of it,” he said.

As YRF Entertainment continues to expand its streaming offerings, the company aims to work with top talent while discovering new voices. Widhani promised a diverse slate of projects across multiple genres, hinting at future surprises. “Our three YRF Entertainment projects demonstrate our ambition to be ultra-risky while putting content at the heart of disruption. Our next line-up will only take this intention further,” said Widhani.