Following the release of family comedy Air Buddies and romantic drama Feast Of Love, India's Moser Baer is extending its theatrical distribution plans by releasing psychological thriller Righteous Kill, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, in India this week.

Moser Baer, which has carved a strong home video presence in India, is now making strides in local distribution of both Indian and foreign films.

The company has distributed Hindi movies Shaurya and Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam with another four films slated for release early next year. It has also acquired product from US companies such as Hyde Park Entertainment, Lakeshore and New Image International.

'Our objective was to start with home video, which was an obvious entry point for us into the Indian entertainment space as Moser Baer had the back-end capacity for manufacturing top quality/low cost DVDs. We are now looking at other opportunities in the entertainment space including acquisition of rights for English, Hindi and regional-language product. We have two more Hindi films ready for release,' Moser Baer India CEO Harish Dayani told Screendaily.

The company's strategy is to identify big independent films, such as Righteous Kill, and 'non-studio films with a certain value,' adds Dayani.

Moser Baer then aims to acquire theatrical, home video and satellite rights for India and SAARC countries, usually via film markets and on-going home video relationships. The company's homevideo catalogue currently comprises about 10,000 titles of which 7,000 are in the market.

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