Bajirao Mastani satellite rights sold for Rs. 50 crore?

Now this is one piece of news that is as stunning as it gets. The satellite rights of Sanjay Leela Bhansali'sBajirao Mastani have apparently been sold for Rs. 50 crore. The deal has been signed, sealed and dusted, and it is about time that a public announcement in this regard is made public.

"The rights have been sold to a leading entertainment channel," informs our source, "It is a well-established channel and is known for its focus on core entertainment. The channel truly believes that Bajirao Mastani is a kind of film that would not just see a whopping response on its first ever screening but also find audience on a continued basis. A film like Bajirao Mastani has a huge reach and the channel wants to harness this to the fullest over a period of time."

With this, Bajirao Mastani has clearly cracked one of the biggest deals ever in the history of Indian cinema and satellite tie up.

"It is a myth that the satellite market is down. It is just that those in charge of the deals have turned smarter. They would rather save money for pulling off a deal likeBajirao Mastani instead of going reckless in procuring rights to films that may look big on paper but won't have large-audience-base friendly content. You may have the biggest of stars in the biggest looking film but if the genre is not quite family friendly, it becomes all the more difficult for big numbers to be put on satellite rights. This is exactly what the entertainment channels are shying away from; it is not about market being down," a trade guru adds.

No wonder, when it came to the Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra starrer, there weren't many who eyebrows raised when the Rs. 50 crore amount was quoted by the makers.

"The superb success of Bahubali, both in theaters and later on its satellite release, has showed that when it comes to historical flicks with a war backdrop, there are audience out there who are willing to explore it," the source adds, "Bajirao Mastani has all the classical elements of TV friendly viewing. It is one of those timeless affairs that don't get obsolete on repeat viewing."

Well, that would be seen when the film hits the screens next Friday. However, till then the producers of Bajirao Mastani can well be happy with the fact that close to 50% of the investment made on the film has already been recovered just through the satellite sales.