AB Corp

AB Corp, formerly known as Amitabh Bachchan Corporation and also Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), is an Indian entertainment company founded by actor Amitabh Bachchan in 1995.^[2]

Amitabh Bachchan Corporation was founded as an Indian entertainment company founded by actor Amitabh Bachchan^[2] in 1994.^[3] ABCL formally launched in January 1995.^[4]

Previously, in 1992, Bachchan announced his semi retirement from the film industry. With the exception of the delayed release Insaniyat (1994), Bachchan did not appear in any films for five years.^[5][6] He turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up ABCL. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering an entire cross-section of India's entertainment industry. ABCL's operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, and celebrity and event management.^[7] The company became involved in event management, film production, and distribution,^[8] specializing in film production and event management.^[9] Among other early productions, Dekh Bhai Dekh was a 1993 Hindi sitcom produced via ABCL^[3] by Jaya Bachchan.

The first film it produced was Tere Mere Sapne in 1996, which was a box office hit^[10] and launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and southern film star Simran.^[11]

Notably, the company organized the Miss World 1996 competition in Bangalore.^[12] The hosting proved highly controversial within India.^[3] The company burst into the limelight in 1997 when it was responsible for bringing to India the Miss World Pageant, but was then mired with controversy when the company was not able to pay its dues.^[13][14]

ABCL was plagued by financial difficulties. The main reason for the bad performance of ABCL was blamed on the gross mismanagement of the company by the, then CEO, Sanjiv Gupta, who went on to become the CEO of Coca-Cola India.^[9][15] AB Corp declared bankruptcy in 1999, resulting in substantial losses for Bachchan.^[8] With creditors led by Doordarshan and Canara Bank, ABCL approached the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction to seek protection under bankruptcy laws. Instead of closing the company over $14 million in debts, the company decided to work on clearing debts instead, with Bachchan subsequently raising funds from projects such as Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, where he was a host.^[4] According to Bachchan, after the bankruptcy, he and the company faced 55 lawsuits, and the company was Rs 90 crore in debt. He also had no film prospects until the romantic film Mohabbatein by Yash Chopra.^[16] In 2000, working on the series Kuan Banega Corepati allowed Bachchan to pay back a degree of the debts.^[17]

In 2001, ABCL was renamed AB Corp, headed by CEO Ramesh Pulapaka.^[17] In 2003, Amitabh Bachnan was chairman, while other board directors included his wife Jaya Backchan, Vinay Maloo, and Amar Singh.^[4] In 2004, AB Corp. wiped off its accumulated losses, and over the next six years, was profitable each year.^[18] From 2006 to late 2007, AB Corp had a year sabbatical in production. It then teamed with UTV to produce a new film by director Shoojit Sarkar.^[19]

In 2008, P Ramesh was CEO of AB Corp.^[20] After AB Corp entered into a contract with Reliance BIG Entertainment for Rs 15 billion in June 2008, by 2009, the deal "fizzled out", and AB Corp had contracted with Studio 18.^[21]

In 2008, its filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs showed annual profits of Rs 19.26 crore, driven in part by brand endorsements and Bachchan's media appearances. In 2009, the company again began producing major films, with the Marathi film Vihir released in January 2010.^[17] In December 2009, the company signed a three-movie contract with Toonz Animation India.^[22] At the time, Amitabh Bachchan held over 36% of the company's shares. Along with his wife Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Backchan, the family held near 50% of shares.^[18]

In 2009, AB Corp was working on the film Paa,^[23] directed by R Balakrishnan.^[24] Prior to that, its films included Virrudh with Mahesh Manjrekar and Family with Rajkumar Santoshi.^[23] Paa won four National Film Awards, which Bachchan said was a "godsend" for AB Corp. Paa was the first production by Abhishek Bachchan through AB Corp.^[25] AB Corp in 2014 was reported to be planning on bidding on kabaddi players in the Kabaddi Premier League.^[26] AB Corp and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures produced the film Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap in January 2021.^[27]

• A.B.C.L. at imdb