Yash Raj Films has made a strategic investment in Rusk Media, the digital-first entertainment company behind Alright! With a TV platform specializing in original content for Gen Z and Alpha audiences, the Bollywood giant is looking to gain a foothold in India’s fast-growing vertical content economy.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The collaboration will focus on the development of original IP across animation and vertical microdramas, distributed through Rusk Media’s proprietary platform and its global digital channels.
The deal signals YRF’s ambitions to expand beyond its core theater business. The studio has built one of the most famous franchises in Bollywood through the YRF Spy Universe. The series spans seven films and also includes ‘Pathaan’, ‘War’ and ‘Tiger’ series. Her next chapter, the female-led film ‘Alpha’ starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari alongside Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol, is scheduled to hit theaters on July 3. The four-part drama is based on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and will be directed by Shiv Rawail, who also directed YRF Entertainment’s Netflix debut miniseries The Railway Men. YRF Entertainment’s second Netflix series ‘Mandala Murders’, a mythological crime thriller starring Vaani Kapoor, premiered on the platform last year.
Rusk Media, co-founded by Mayank Yadav, has built its business around unique vertical storytelling.
“While entertainment verticals in India have created extraordinary reach, category-defining enduring IP has not. That is the gap this collaboration is designed to fill,” Yadav said. “We bring a native understanding of how digitally native audiences find and build communities around content. With the help of YRF, we’re building for longevity, not algorithms.”
“Evolving instinct has always been at the heart of YRF’s DNA. The platform is the infrastructure, and the content and IP is the culture,” added Akshaye Widhani, CEO, Yash Raj Films. “Mayank and the Rusk Media team have built a deep understanding of how the next generation will discover and inhabit stories. That’s exactly the kind of vision we want to champion. Together, we aim to build worlds, not just content.”
Rusk Media’s okay! The TV platform will serve as the primary distribution vehicle for co-developed titles.
