MUMBAI: Lionsgate India has expanded its India team with the appointment of Amit Dhanuka as executive VP, who joins the company’s Mumbai-based office to develop its strategy for the Lionsgate and Starz brands and build its local operations. 

Dhanuka will report to Lionsgate India managing director Rohit Jain and work closely with the company’s creative head Maitreyee Dasgupta.

Dhanuka was previously with Fox’s Star India network where he led its direct to home affiliate sales division. He has also worked with Indian film production companies E-City Films and Zee Motion Pictures in addition to Sony Pictures Television International in Los Angeles.

Speaking on his appointment, Rohit Jain says, “Amit is a very experienced content production and distribution executive and a skilled business strategist. His wealth of knowledge and acumen will further strengthen our Lionsgate India team and enable us to continue to expand our Lionsgate and Starz brands locally.”

Amit Dhanuka mentions that he was looking forward to bringing Indian audiences original, premium and bold content that aligns with Lionsgate and Starz’s mission of creating content that cuts through the clutter.

Even before opening its Mumbai office last year, Lionsgate co-produced with Endemol India a 2015 Bollywood remake of the Tom Hardy-starrer Warrior, titled Brothers, which starred top actor Akshay Kumar in the lead role.

More recently, Lionsgate announced it would produce Indian versions of Mexican comedy Instructions Not Included and South Korean action thriller The Terror Live in partnership with Globalgate and Indian banner Azure Entertainment.

Globalgate is a joint consortium of Lionsgate and 10 other leading international content companies which include Germany's Tobis, France's Gaumont, Brazil's Paris Filmes and Colombia’s Cine Colombia, among others.

The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content platform whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual reality and other new entertainment technologies.

Lionsgate’s content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global licensing infrastructure.