Indian entertainment platform PTC Punjabi has partnered with Australian production company Temple to develop three feature films that will be official co-productions between India and Australia.
Details regarding the film have not yet been announced, but the companies plan to develop and screen the project across India, Australia and New Zealand over the next 18 months.
Temple will manage Australia’s co-production responsibilities, including treaty compliance, studio partnerships, post-production infrastructure and access to incentives, while PTC Punjabi will drive India’s creative, production and distribution sectors. Each film uses Australian locations, actors, studios and post-production facilities, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales. Three independent producers from PTC Punjabi’s roster will invest and have creative involvement in the project alongside Temple. Forum Films is on board as the project’s theatrical distributor at ANZ.
Cooperation between Australia and India is increasing following the ratification of a co-production agreement in November 2023. Indian films are also booming in Australia, with recent reports showing that Indian films consistently outperform local films at the box office.
PTC Entertainment Channel CEO Rajee M Shinde said Punjabi films were ready for a global leap forward and “Australia has given us the perfect runway”.
“This partnership with Temple is not just about making a film, it’s about making history. Punjabi stories deserve to be told to the world, and together with Australia, we will do so with confidence, scale and pride,” she said.
Temple founder Anupam Sharma added that the co-production agreement is a game-changer.
“Australia, with world-class staff, studios, incentives and distribution access, will be the driving force behind taking Punjabi films to the world. PTC Punjabi has been a custodian of Punjabi culture for decades, and now together we will take Punjabi stories to the world,” he said.
