If you watch the Hebrew show 'Hostages' on Netflix, you will see strangers closing in on the doctor Yael Danon’s family just as she is getting ready to operate on Israel’s prime minister. If you switch to the Hindi show 'Hostages' on Hotstar, you will see surgeon Mira Anand and her family being held hostage by masked men the night before she operates on Haryana chief minister. The latter, starring Tisca Chopra, is an Indian adaptation of the former, a 2013 Israeli drama series. For the Indian viewer, hooked to streaming platforms, Tel Aviv is close by. There has been an explosion in the number of Indian adaptations of popular Israeli shows.
Since 2018, the remake rights to at least six Israeli scripted shows have been acquired for India, and more are likely to follow. Two of these shows — 'Hostages' and 'Mind the Malhotras' — premiered earlier this year. Mind the Malhotras, an adaptation of 'La Famiglia', is a comedy on Amazon Prime, starring Mini Mathur and Cyrus Sahukar.
Prisoners of War, first aired in 2010, was the breakout series that put Israeli television on the global map, thanks to its US adaptation, 'Homeland'. It has been remade in India as 'POW: Bandi Yuddh Ke' on Star Plus. The popularity of Israeli shows, like the thriller 'Fauda' on Netflix, has made people curious about Israeli content. Action-thrillers are a genre it is particularly good at, but it is increasingly becoming known for its rom-coms and dramas as well.
“Israelis are incredible storytellers and their shows travel very well across countries,” says Sameer Nair, chief executive of Applause Entertainment, which has coproduced 'Hostages' and 'Malhotras'. Applause, a part of the Aditya Birla Group, has also acquired the rights to two more Israeli series, Honey Badgers, which is being remade as 'Udan Patolas', and 'Your Honour', which is being adapted with the same title.
This comes at a time when streaming platforms are looking for original content to feed their growing viewers. In 2018, there were an estimated 240-300 million viewers for video streaming in India, of which 12-15 million paid for a subscription, according to a report by industry body FICCI and consultancy EY. Paid subscribers are expected to swell to 30-35 million by 2021. Similarly, video-streaming subscription revenues are projected to rise from Rs 1,340 crore in 2018 to Rs 5,050 crore in 2021. While building a library of movies is crucial for streaming platforms, equally essential is original content. Netflix made its name with shows like 'House of Cards' and 'Narcos', and Amazon with 'Transparent' and 'Mozart in the Jungle'. They are keen on locally produced originals in India, too, like Netflix’s 'Sacred Games' and Amazon’s 'Mirzapur'. Adapting foreign shows by infusing local flavours is a key part of the strategy for originals. The reception to these adaptations, though, has been mixed, going by reviews and online comments. Viewership data for these shows is not available and Hotstar and Amazon declined to comment for this story.
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Viu, a streaming platform, has acquired the rights to remake The Baker & the Beauty, about a baker falling in love with a supermodel, and The Stylist, about a smalltown girl’s journey in the world of fashion. These Hebrew shows are being adapted in Telugu and Hindi, respectively. Vishal Maheshwari, India head for Viu, says he did not go looking for Israeli shows. “Our approach is to look at stories from across the world. The shows we choose are based on their adaptability in India and their fit to our millennial target group.” The Indian adaptations will be ready by the first half of 2020.
Indian streaming platforms and content studios could spend $100,000-10,00,000 (Rs 72 lakh to Rs 7.2 crore) on acquiring the remake rights to a foreign show and incur up to $300,000 (Rs 2.2 crore) in production costs per episode.
Filmmaker Goldie Behl, who is the showrunner for The Stylist adaptation, says Israel is similar to India in its mix of strong local traditions and western influences. Moreover, the depth and complexity of the characters add to their appeal in other markets, says Louise Melzack, sales director for Asia Pacific at Tel Aviv-based Armoza Formats, the company which sold the adaptation rights to 'Hostages', 'La Famiglia' and 'Honey Badgers' to 'Applause'.
National Film Awards: Vicky Kaushal Shines; Ayushmann, 'Andhadhun' Win Big; Guj Film 'Hellaro' Is Year's Best
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After a three-month delay due to the model code of conduct that was in force during the General Elections, the 66th National Film Awards were announced on Friday. Following much deliberation, the juries presented the list of winners to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Top winners of the awards that honour the Indian film industry marvels included films like 'Padmaavat', 'Andhadhun' and 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'.
Another notable fact about this year's awards is that the Best Actor award was shared by two.
Here's a round-up of who won what at this year's National Film Awards.
After a three-month delay due to the model code of conduct that was in force during the General Elections, the 66th National Film Awards were announced on Friday. Following much deliberation, the jur..
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Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte-starrer 'Andhadhun' bagged the award for Best Hindi Film. The Indian crime-thriller is directed by Sriram Raghavan was a box-office success running to packed houses.
The film also took home an award in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte-starrer 'Andhadhun' bagged the award for Best Hindi Film. The Indian crime-thriller is directed by Sriram Raghavan was a box-office success running to packed..
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This year's National Award For Best Actor was shared by two B-town celebs who put up a remarkable performance. Actor Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana shared the award for their work in the films 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' and 'Andhadhun'.
This year's National Award For Best Actor was shared by two B-town celebs who put up a remarkable performance. Actor Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana shared the award for their work in the films ..
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Vicky Kaushal-starrer 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' took home three awards, and shared one. The Aditya Dhar directorial bagged the award for Best Director, Best Background Music and Best Sound Design.
Kaushal bagged the Best Actor award for the film which he shared with 'Andhadhun' actor Ayushmann Khurrana.
Vicky Kaushal-starrer 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' took home three awards, and shared one. The Aditya Dhar directorial bagged the award for Best Director, Best Background Music and Best Sound Design. K..
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Actress Surekha Sikri bagged the award for Best Actress In A Supporting Role for the film 'Badhaai Ho'.
The Amit Sharma directorial also won the Award for a Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Actress Surekha Sikri bagged the award for Best Actress In A Supporting Role for the film 'Badhaai Ho'.The Amit Sharma directorial also won the Award for a Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Actress Keerthi Suresh was given the National Award for best actress for the film 'Mahanati'.
Suresh plays the role of Savitri, an admired South Indian actress who goes through a series of tragic incidents in her life. When she fails to cope with them all and lands in depression, she resorts to alcohol.
Actress Keerthi Suresh was given the National Award for best actress for the film 'Mahanati'.Suresh plays the role of Savitri, an admired South Indian actress who goes through a series of tragic inci..
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Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Padman' won the National Award for Best Film on a social cause.
The R. Balki directorial also stars Sonakshi Sinha and Radhika Apte in pivotal roles. The film is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social entrepreneur from Coimbatore, who introduced low-cost sanitary napkins.
Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Padman' won the National Award for Best Film on a social cause.The R. Balki directorial also stars Sonakshi Sinha and Radhika Apte in pivotal roles. The film is based on the lif..
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Aditya Dhar took home the National Award for Best Director this year. The 36-year-old was feted for the film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'.
Besides being a director, Dhar is also a writer and lyricist popular for films like 'Kabul Express', 'Tezz' and 'Aakrosh'.
In an interview to the Times of India, Dhar said that the award has come to him after 15 years of failures, rejections and hard work. While thanking the team of 'Uri', Dhar said that his award is dedicated to the brave soldiers of the Indian army.
Aditya Dhar took home the National Award for Best Director this year. The 36-year-old was feted for the film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike'.Besides being a director, Dhar is also a writer and lyricist po..
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Padmaavat' shone as the National Film Awards were announced. The film that starred Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in pivotal roles, was recognised in the choreography and music direction categories.
Bhansali took home the award for Best Music Director. Jyothi D Tommaar and Kruti Mahesh Madya turned winners in the Best Choreography category for the song 'Ghoomar'.
Singer Arijit Singh won the award for Best Playback Singer (Male) for this film.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'Padmaavat' shone as the National Film Awards were announced. The film that starred Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in pivotal roles, was recognised in ..
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Gujarati film 'Hellaro' took home the National Award for Best Feature Film this year. The Abhishek Shah directorial is based on the life of Kutchi women.
Gujarati film 'Hellaro' took home the National Award for Best Feature Film this year. The Abhishek Shah directorial is based on the life of Kutchi women.
While there have been Indian adaptations of Israeli non-fiction programming like the game show Who’s Asking?, Gary Pudney, Asia general manager for Keshet International, believes the demand from streaming platforms is primarily for scripted shows. Keshet is the Israeli distributor of Prisoners of War, The Baker & the Beauty and The Stylist.
The availability of original Israeli shows in Hebrew on streaming platforms could act as a gateway to local adaptations, says Melzack. Meanwhile, Pudney, who is in Mumbai every six weeks, says Keshet is in talks for more Indian adaptations. Clearly, Indians will be spoilt for choice when it comes to local takes on Israeli shows.
