Beach House Pictures enters India with former Netflix exec Raghav Khanna

Beach House Pictures in Singapore has partnered with former Netflix exec Raghav Khanna to launch a non-fiction and documentary prodco in India as part of its continued expansion in Asia.

Raghav Khanna

Mumbai-based Riverland Entertainment will partner with local Indian talent to offer premium non-fiction and documentary programming to streamers and broadcasters in India and around the world.

Riverland will also provide line-production services to incoming international productions and help them unlock access to local talent, crews, permits and tax incentives as India attracts more and more production.

Khanna, former head of Netflix’s documentary productions in Asia Pacific, will serve as MD of Riverland Entertainment and work with Beach House Pictures founders Donovan Chan and Jocelyn Little.

Khanna is writer and creative director of food series Raja Rasoi aur Anya Kahaniyaan, which is available on Netflix. He has been executive producer with Fox and National Geographic Channel for series such as Masters of Taste with Gary Mehigan and Mega Icons.

Over the past three years, Beach House Pictures’ expansion in Asia has seen it acquire Tokyo-based Vesuvius Pictures and Singapore’s South-East Asian scripted producer Momo Film Co. The company also recently launched a post-production facility in Singapore, while it has been established in Beijing for 15 years.

Beach House’s recent productions include The Raincoat Killer (Netflix), Evolve (Curiosity, Amazon Prime), Best Dog India (Netflix), Uptown Otters (Animal Planet, Love Nature), MasterChef Singapore (Mediacorp, Motion Content Group), Bake Off Japan (Amazon Prime), Ed Stafford: First Man Out (Warner Bros Discovery) and Wild City with David Attenborough (Sky, BBC America).

Khanna said: “It is an unprecedented time to be a creator as local stories told with authenticity are transcending regional and linguistic boundaries. We want to partner with the Indian creative community, and tap into Beach House Pictures’ genre expertise, to tell stories that are true to their milieu for Indian and international audiences.

“India’s geographical diversity, robust entertainment industry and recently announced filming tax incentives make for an attractive destination for incoming international productions.”

Chan, creative director at Beach House Pictures, added: “Indian storytellers have been important players in the global film industry for decades and we believe India will continue to grow more prominent as it becomes a vital market for international and regional streamers.

“We want to work with the country’s amazing creators and platforms to produce a range of new and unique premium stories that will shine a spotlight on its most fascinating characters and celebrate its rich history and culture in diverse ways.”

Little, MD at Beach House Pictures, added: “Partnering with Raghav and entering India is critical to Beach House Pictures as we expand across Asia, but it’s also crucial that we work with the country’s most exciting storytellers to ensure our projects are truly authentic to the region and its communities.”