ParamountFilms of India Ltd (PFI), distributor of UIP product on the sub-continent, hasoverhauled its set-up across Indiaand entered into agreements with four local distributors to release Paramount,Universal and DreamWorks films.

PFI,which is one of the oldest motion picture distributors of American films inIndia, will now work with Shringar Films in Maharashtra, Gujarat and CentralIndia; PVR Pictures in the regions ofDelhi and Gurgaon; Eurasia Visuals forthe North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, East Punjab and Rajasthan; and HansaPictures in South India.

PFIwill continue to directly distribute films in the cities ofMumbai,Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad,Secunderabad and Chennai from its Mumbai office, headed up by general managerSarabjit Singh, who reports to Kurt Rider, vice-president (sales and marketing)of United International Pictures.

UIPitself has no direct office in India,and tradesthrough PFI.

PVR isowned by Ajjay Bijili, veteran distributor Uday Kaushish heads up EurasiaVisuals, while Hansa Pictures is owned by Bipin and Nitin Shah.

Paramount'sWar Of The Worlds is the next big UIP release in India,going out in English, Hindi and Tamil on July 1, followed by The Interpreter,Hand Of The Dead and Red Eye. According to the MPAA, India'sbox office is growing between 10 and 15 % annually, and the sub-continent isthe fourth-largest market for Hollywood films in Asia after Japan,Taiwan and SouthKorea.