Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group, has joined hands with the South-based OTT platform Aha for an adaptation of the book Half Lion based on the life of Shri PV Narsimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India.
Titled Half Lion, the web series is based on the book of the same name written by Vinay Sitapati. The series will be helmed by National award-winning director Prakash Jha, a filmmaker known for his expertise around socio-political themes such as Gangaajal, Apaharan, Rajneeti and Aarakshan, and most recently, the award winning drama series Ashram, to name a few. Half Lion will release in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil in 2023.
Sharing his thoughts about the newly-launched studio, Allu Aravind – Promoter, aha and Managing Director – Geetha Arts, said, “It’s been a remarkable journey with aha in Telugu so far. We are overwhelmed with the love and support we’ve received globally from the audience, who’ve made aha one of the fastest growing apps in India within a span of two years. In what is another pioneering effort from aha, we believe aha Studio will help us work with the best creative talent in the country to present world class entertainment to our global audience. I’m proud to announce the partnership with Sameer Nair and Applause Entertainment and have the opportunity to present the story of our beloved late Prime Minister P.V Narsimha Rao to audiences across the world.
Speaking about his association with aha Studio and Applause, Director Prakash Jha commented, “It is exciting to work on real life stories and subjects, especially with platforms like Aha who share the same vision and energy! Applause has already established its credential as a formidable content creator and that makes it even more exciting! It’s important for today’s generation to know the story of those who’ve played an instrumental role in making the country what it is today, and I believe that there is a lot to learn and be inspired from the life of the great PV Narsimha Rao.”