Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Bollywood connection: English Vinglish, Ki & Ka, Shamitabh

Veteran stock market investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who passed away at 62, also had a strong connection with the entertainment industry. In 1999, he launched Hungama Digital Media as an online promotion agency, which later came to be known as Hungama Digital Media Entertainment and also launched its gaming portal in 2007. The Mumbai-based company has since then grown to become an aggregator, publisher and distributor of Asian entertainment. 

Today, the company operates platforms including music streaming app Hungama Music, video streaming platform Hungama Play, Hungama ArtistAloud – a platform for independent artists and Hungama Games – a developer, publisher, distributor, and marketer of mobile games. It also has digital content rights tie-ups for over 5,000 Bollywood, Hollywood, regional Indian films and television series. Two years back, the company expanded to new markets like Switzerland, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Batelco, and Nepal through telco partnerships.

Jhunjhunwala also turned into a producer with the 2012 Hindi film ‘English Vinglish’, which marked the comeback of late veteran actress Sridevi. The film was made with a budget of Rs 20 crore and managed to collect a worldwide gross of Rs 84 crore, according to Sacnilk. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala went on to produce two more films, 'Shamitabh' and 'Ki & Ka' which collected Rs 22.46 crore and Rs 70 crore at the Box office.

He was also known to be a huge fan of Waheeda Rehman and Amitabh Bachchan.

Famously referred to as India’s Warren Buffet, Jhunjhunwala was also portrayed in the 2020 hit series Scam 1992 based on Harshad Mehta's stock market trials and tribulations. He had claimed the title of the ‘Big Bull of Dalal Street’ after Mehta’s downfall.

His presence will be missed both in the markets as well as in the entertainment industry.

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