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JAR Pictures
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This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2013) |
JAR Pictures is an Indian motion picture production company based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2011 by Bollywood producers Ajay G. Rai and Alan McAlex.[1] Jar Pictures is mostly known for making independent films. Jar Pictures also provides production services to leading studios in India.
Key Information
Jar Pictures' Liar's Dice was India's Official Entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 87th Academy Awards.[2][3]
History
[edit]Jar Pictures was formerly known as Jar Entertainment, a company wholly owned by Ajay G. Rai. Ajay met Alan McAlex while working on the film Thank you (2011) where Ajay was the Executive Producer and Alan was the line producer. They decided to collaborate and Jar Pictures was formed.
Filmography
[edit]Films produced by Jar Pictures
[edit]| Year | Film | Director | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Anurag Kashyap | Co-production with Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Tipping Point Films, AKFPL, Phantom Films, Elle Driver, and Bohra Bros |
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | Anurag Kashyap | Co-production with Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Tipping Point Films, AKFPL, Phantom Films, and Bohra Bros | |
| Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana | Sameer Sharma | Co-production with UTV Spotboy and AKFPL | |
| 2013 | I.D. | Kamal K.M. | Co-production with Collective Phase One |
| Vakratunda Mahakaaya | Punarvasu Naik | ||
| Mastram | Akhilesh Jaiswal | Co-production with Bohra Bros | |
| 2014 | Njan Steve Lopez | Rajeev Ravi | |
| Liar's Dice | Geetu Mohandas | Co-production with Unplugged and Hubert Bals Fund, India's official entry to the 87th Academy Awards | |
| 2015 | Killa | Avinash Arun | |
| Nil Battey Sannata | Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari | Co-production with Eros International, Colour Yellow Productions, and Opticus Inc | |
| 2017 | Gurgaon | Shanker Raman | Co-production with Hashtag Film Studios and M R Filmworks |
| Qarib Qarib Singlle | Tanuja Chandra | Co-production with Zee Studios | |
| 2018 | Once Again | Kanwal Sethi | |
| Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 | Tigmanshu Dhulia | Co-production with Raju Chadha Films and Rahul Mittra Films | |
| 2019 | Moothon | Geetu Mohandas | |
| Hummingbird | Ajitpal Singh | ||
| River Song | Sange Dorjee Thongdok | ||
| Chaar Pandrah | Saif Baidya | Starring Gehna Seth as Sarika, [Puneet Mishra], Abhishek Singh | |
| 2020 | Bamfaad | Ranjan Chandel | Distributed by ZEE5 |
| London Confidential | Kanwal Sethi | ||
| Choked | Anurag Kashyap | Co-production with Good Bad Films, distributed by Netflix | |
| 2021 | Lahore Confidential | Kunal Kohli | Distributed by ZEE5 |
| 2023 | Sergeant | Prawaal Raman | Co-production with Jio Studios, distributed by JioCinema |
| 2025 | Nishaanchi | Anurag Kashyap | Co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Flip Films, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios |
Film Production Services by Jar Pictures
[edit]| Year | Film | Director | Studio | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Gulaal | Anurag Kashyap | ||
| 2011 | No One Killed Jessica | Rajkumar Gupta | UTV SpotBoy | (Credited as Jar Entertainment) |
| 7 Khoon Maaf | Vishal Bhardwaj | UTV SpotBoy VB Pictures |
(Credited as Jar Entertainment) | |
| Thank you | Anees Bazmee | UTV Motion Pictures | (Credited as Jar Entertainment) | |
| Chillar Party | Nitesh Tiwari Vikas Bahl |
UTV SpotBoy | (Credited as Jar Entertainment) | |
| Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster | Tigmanshu Dhulia | |||
| 2013 | Kai Po Che! | Abhishek Kapoor | UTV Motion Pictures | |
| 2014 | Bhoothnath Returns | Nitesh Tiwari | B R Films | |
| 2015 | Talvar | Meghna Gulzar | Junglee Pictures | |
| Fitoor | Abhishek Kapoor | UTV Motion Pictures | ||
| 2016 | Rocky Handsome | Nishikant Kamat | T-Series | |
| Madaari | Nishikant Kamat | Pooja Entertainment | ||
| 2017 | Simran (film) | Hansal Mehta | T-Series | |
| Mukkabaaz | Anurag Kashyap | Eros International | ||
| 2018 | Mental Hai Kya | Prakash Kovelamudi | Balaji Motion Pictures |
OTT
[edit]| Year | Title | Creator(s) | Network | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Grahan | Shailendra Kumar Jha | Hotstar | |
| 2022 | London Files | Sachin Pathak | Voot | |
| 2025 | Kanneda | Chandan Arora | Hotstar | |
| 2025 | Kankhajura | Chandan Arora | SonyLIV | |
| Perfect Family | Palak Bhambri | YouTube |
Awards
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Jar Pictures funded India's official entry to Oscar 'Liar's Dice'". Archived from the original on 25 November 2014.
- ^ "Geethu Mohandas' 'Liar's Dice' is India's official entry to the Oscars". CNN-IBN. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "Oscars: India Selects 'Liar's Dice' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ "62nd National Film Awards for 2014 (Press Release)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
External links
[edit]- Official Website Archived 2 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Ajay G. Rai at IMDb
- Alan McAlex at IMDb
JAR Pictures
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Background
Founding
JAR Pictures was established in 2011 by producers Ajay G. Rai and Alan McAlex as a private motion picture production company headquartered in Mumbai, India.[8] The company originated from Rai's earlier venture, Jar Entertainment, which he wholly owned prior to partnering with McAlex.[2] Their collaboration began during the production of the 2011 Bollywood film Thank You, where Rai served as executive producer and McAlex as line producer, leading to the evolution of Jar Entertainment into JAR Pictures.[9][10] The name "JAR" derives from "Jehaan Ajay Rai," incorporating the name of Rai's son, Jehaan, as a reflection of his personal branding.[2] Incorporated as JAR Picture Private Limited on April 26, 2011, under the Companies Act as a non-government private limited company, it initially concentrated on producing Bollywood feature films and providing production services.[3][11] The company's official website, jarpictures.com, was launched shortly after its formation.[3]Key Personnel
JAR Pictures was co-founded by producers Ajay G. Rai and Alan McAlex, who shaped the company's early direction in blending commercial and independent filmmaking. McAlex left the company in 2019 to establish Suitable Pictures.[1][12] Ajay G. Rai serves as co-founder and lead producer, bringing experience from his earlier work with Jar Entertainment and as executive producer on the 2011 Bollywood comedy Thank You.[9][13] He is recognized for maintaining a balance between mainstream commercial projects and arthouse cinema throughout his career.[8] Alan McAlex, the other co-founder and former producer, had a strong foundation in independent cinema, with credits including producer on the critically acclaimed 2014 coming-of-age film Killa, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.[14] His portfolio also encompassed international collaborations, such as line production services for the 2016 biographical sports drama Dangal.[15][16] As of 2023, JAR Pictures employs between 11 and 50 staff members, specializing in film production across features and digital formats.[3] Current directors are Ajay G. Rai and Vinamrata Ajay Rai.[17] The company has fostered ongoing collaborations with prominent directors, including Anurag Kashyap on Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 (2012), Geetu Mohandas on Liar's Dice (2013) and Moothon (2019), and Tigmanshu Dhulia on Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (2018).[18][19][20] Internally, JAR Pictures organizes its operations around dedicated creative production teams handling feature films, line production services, and OTT content creation.[21][3]Historical Development
Early Projects
JAR Pictures initially operated as Jar Entertainment, providing line production services for films prior to its formal establishment as a production house in 2011.[2] Among its early contributions in this capacity were services for Gulaal (2009, directed by Anurag Kashyap), a political thriller exploring student unrest and Rajput identity, and No One Killed Jessica (2011, directed by Raj Kumar Gupta), a crime drama based on the real-life Jessica Lal murder case.[2] These projects, handled under the stewardship of co-founder Ajay G. Rai during his time at UTV, laid the groundwork for the company's expertise in managing complex shoots across India.[2] The company's entry into full feature production came in 2012 with the co-production of Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 and Part 2 (directed by Anurag Kashyap), a sprawling crime saga chronicling generational feuds in the coal-mining town of Dhanbad, which marked JAR Pictures' foray into the gritty crime drama genre.[22][23] Produced on a budget under ₹20 crore, the films were made in association with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Anurag Kashyap Films, and Tipping Point Films, showcasing the company's ability to handle ambitious, multi-part narratives on modest resources.[24][25] That same year, JAR Pictures co-produced Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana (directed by Sameer Sharma), a comedy-drama that weaves romance with Punjabi family traditions and culinary heritage, in collaboration with UTV Spotboy and Anurag Kashyap Films.[26][27] By 2013, JAR Pictures had fully transitioned to lead production with Liar's Dice (directed by Geetu Mohandas), an independent drama depicting a woman's perilous journey along the India-Tibet border amid displacement and loss, which served as India's official entry for the 87th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.[28][2] This low-budget indie premiered at the 2013 Mumbai Film Festival and later screened at Sundance and Rotterdam, highlighting the company's commitment to socially resonant storytelling.[29][2] In 2014, it co-produced Mastram (directed by Akhilesh Jaiswal), an adaptation of the pseudonymous erotic novelist's life, blending literary intrigue with period elements in partnership with Bohra Bros Productions.[30] Later that year, JAR Pictures backed Killa (directed by Avinash Arun), a Marathi coming-of-age tale set in 1980s coastal Maharashtra, focusing on a boy's transient childhood and emotional growth through friendships and exploration.[2][31] This phase solidified JAR Pictures' reputation for nurturing diverse, regionally inflected narratives while scaling from service-oriented roles to comprehensive production oversight.[2]Expansion and Recent Milestones
In the mid-2010s, JAR Pictures marked significant growth by venturing into full-scale production of narrative features, building on its earlier line production experience. The company co-produced the inspirational drama Nil Battey Sannata (2016), directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, which explored themes of ambition and maternal sacrifice through the story of a single mother enrolling in school to inspire her daughter.[32][2] This was followed by the thriller Gurgaon (2017), directed by Shanker Raman, a neo-noir debut depicting corporate greed and family dysfunction in modern India.[33] These projects represented a shift toward auteur-driven arthouse cinema while maintaining commercial viability, establishing JAR Pictures as a key player in India's independent film scene. Between 2017 and 2019, the company diversified its output across genres, co-producing the romantic comedy Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017), directed by Tanuja Chandra, which followed an unlikely road trip romance starring Irrfan Khan.[34] In 2018, JAR Pictures backed the urban romance Once Again, directed by Kanwal Sethi, an Indo-German co-production featuring Shefali Shah and Neeraj Kabi as seafood vendors navigating love in Mumbai's markets.[35] The same year, it produced the crime thriller Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, continuing the franchise's saga of royal intrigue and betrayal with Sanjay Dutt in the lead. The period culminated with the Malayalam drama Moothon (2019), directed by Geetu Mohandas, a poignant exploration of identity and loss set between Lakshadweep and Mumbai, starring Nivin Pauly.[36] These films highlighted JAR Pictures' commitment to regional and multilingual storytelling, expanding its footprint beyond Hindi cinema. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated JAR Pictures' pivot to over-the-top (OTT) platforms, enabling direct-to-digital releases amid theater closures. A notable milestone was the 2024 social drama Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai, directed by Raj Trivedi and starring Paresh Rawal and Amit Sial, which addressed inheritance disputes and family dynamics, premiering on JioCinema.[37] In 2025, the company released the thriller Nishaanchi, a crime drama directed by Anurag Kashyap, focusing on dual identities and moral ambiguity, which premiered theatrically on September 19, 2025, and became available on Amazon Prime Video from November 14, 2025, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.[38][39] These efforts underscored JAR Pictures' adaptability to streaming ecosystems, broadening audience reach during industry disruptions. Business-wise, JAR Pictures evolved from handling line production for over a dozen international and domestic projects between 2009 and 2018—such as Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Fitoor (2016)—to producing more than 20 features by 2025, reflecting scaled operations and creative independence.[40] International collaborations further bolstered this growth, including announcements for projects like The Hunt (2015, directed by Anay Tarnekar), a cross-border story of tiger poaching.[41] By the mid-2020s, the company had diversified its revenue streams through a mix of theatrical, OTT, and service revenues. In 2023, JAR Pictures diversified into digital originals with the launch of the JAR Series YouTube channel, dedicated to short-form web series blending drama, romance, and thriller elements for free streaming. Series like Dooriyan - A Love Story (2025), featuring Eisha Singh and Samarth Jurel, exemplify this initiative, targeting younger audiences and complementing the company's feature film portfolio. This move positioned JAR Pictures at the intersection of traditional cinema and emerging digital formats, leveraging YouTube's global platform for original Indian content.Production Portfolio
Feature Films Produced
JAR Pictures has built a robust portfolio of feature films since 2012, emphasizing a blend of commercial Bollywood narratives and independent arthouse projects that explore social issues, personal relationships, and cultural nuances. The company's productions often collaborate with renowned directors and feature emerging as well as established talent, contributing to its reputation for genre diversity and critical acclaim. With over 15 feature films to its credit by 2025, JAR Pictures has navigated varying budget scales, from low-budget indies typically under ₹5 crore that prioritize storytelling intimacy to mid-scale ventures around ₹15-20 crore, such as its breakout crime saga.[42] The company's feature films span crime thrillers, romantic comedies, inspirational dramas, and coming-of-age stories, often starring actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has appeared in multiple JAR productions including Gangs of Wasseypur, Mastram, Gurgaon, and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, bringing raw intensity to complex characters. This casting choice underscores JAR's commitment to versatile performers capable of bridging mainstream and parallel cinema. Co-productions like Fitoor highlight the company's ability to scale up for larger romantic epics while maintaining creative oversight.[40][43] Below is a chronological catalog of select feature films fully produced or co-produced by JAR Pictures, focusing on key examples that illustrate its genre diversity:| Year | Title | Director | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Anurag Kashyap | Crime |
| 2012 | Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | Anurag Kashyap | Crime |
| 2012 | Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana | Sameer Sharma | Comedy |
| 2013 | Liar's Dice | Nagesh Kukunoor | Drama |
| 2014 | Mastram | Akhilesh Jaiswal | Drama |
| 2014 | Njan Steve Lopez | Rajeev Ravi | Drama (co-production) |
| 2014 | Killa | Avinash Arun | Coming-of-age |
| 2016 | Nil Battey Sannata | Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari | Inspirational |
| 2016 | Fitoor | Abhishek Kapoor | Romance (co-production) |
| 2017 | Qarib Qarib Singlle | Tanuja Chandra | Romance |
| 2017 | Gurgaon | Shanker Raman | Thriller |
| 2018 | Once Again | Kanwal Sethi | Romance |
| 2018 | Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 | Tigmanshu Dhulia | Crime |
| 2019 | Moothon | Geetu Mohandas | Drama |
| 2024 | Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai | Amit Sial | Comedy-Drama |
| 2025 | Nishaanchi | Anurag Kashyap | Thriller |
