Siddharth Roy Kapur


Siddharth Roy Kapur is an Indian film producer, founder and MD of Roy Kapur Films and the President of the Producers Guild of India. Prior to this, he was Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company India.

Early and personal life

Siddharth was born in Bombay on August 2, 1974. Siddharth's father is Kumud Roy Kapur, and his mother, Salome Roy Kapur, is a former Miss India and renowned dance choreographer. She is the daughter of Sam and Ruby Aaron, who were pioneering teachers of ballroom and Latin American dance forms in India. Siddharth is the eldest of three brothers; his younger brothers are the well known actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Kunaal Roy Kapur.
Siddharth did his schooling at G.D. Somani Memorial School where he was Head Boy, and went on to study Commerce at Sydenham College, where he headed the Dramatics Society and edited the annual college magazine. After completing his Bachelors in Commerce, he obtained a Masters in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
Siddharth's wife Vidya Balan, is one of the most admired and respected actress in contemporary Indian cinema. Siddharth and Vidya were married in December 2012.

Career

Siddharth began his career with the Procter & Gamble Company in Mumbai in brand management. From P&G, Siddharth moved to STAR TV in the strategic planning division. After a brief stint in Hong Kong as part of the Newscorp Executive Development Program, he moved back to Mumbai to work on the launch marketing of the first season of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' on Star Plus. In recognition for the ground-breaking marketing efforts behind the success of the show, he was nominated for the Team Newscorp Global Excellence Awards. Siddharth then moved to the STAR TV Middle East operations, based in Dubai, where he was Regional Marketing Manager for the network, responsible for Ad Sales, Marketing, PR and Corporate Communications for the region.
In 2002, Siddharth moved back to the STAR headquarters in Hong Kong, as Director and was promoted to Vice President in 2003, the youngest Vice President in STAR TV at the time. At the STAR headquarters in Hong Kong, he led the Central Marketing & Creative Services team, which developed marketing campaigns for STAR channels across India, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, the U.K. and the U.S.
Siddharth joined UTV in Mumbai in 2005, as Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the Group, across Motion Pictures, Broadcasting, TV Production, Animation and Corporate. He led the marketing efforts responsible for taking Hungama TV to a leadership position in the competitive kids broadcasting space. He also led the marketing efforts behind multiple path breaking films, including the cult BAFTA-nominated blockbuster Rang De Basanti and the sleeper hit Khosla Ka Ghosla, both of which released in 2006 and started a new trend in the way movies were marketed in India. In his next role, he took over the Revenue function at UTV Motion Pictures and was responsible for Distribution & Syndication worldwide, in addition to his marketing responsibilities.
In January 2008, Siddharth took over as CEO of UTV Motion Pictures and after the integration of UTV with The Walt Disney Company in 2012, he held the role of Managing Director, Studios. Responsible for all aspects of Development, Production, Marketing, Distribution and Syndication, he led the studio to incredible commercial success and critical acclaim across a six-year period, producing and releasing some of the most important and successful films of the decade, such as Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Jodhaa Akbar, Fashion, Aamir, A Wednesday!, Dev D, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Kaminey, Wake Up Sid, Raajneeti, Udaan, Peepli Live, Welcome to Sajjanpur, No One Killed Jessica, Delhi Belly, Paan Singh Tomar, Shahid, Rowdy Rathore, Barfi!,, Kai Po Che, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, The Lunchbox and Chennai Express. The films produced by UTV under Siddharth's leadership won numerous awards, including prestigious National Awards, Filmfare Awards and many others, establishing UTV Motion Pictures as one of India's most admired and successful studios. Five of the movies that were selected to represent India at the Academy Awards during this period were either produced or released by UTV, under Siddharth's leadership
In January 2014, Siddharth was promoted to Managing Director of Disney India, with the responsibility for driving the strategy and growth for The Walt Disney Company in one of its most important growth markets in the world. Disney India's business spans across broadcasting, movies, consumer products, digital experiences and live entertainment, and is represented through multiple brands namely Disney, UTV, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, ABC, bindass, Indiagames and Hungama TV.
Under Siddharth's leadership over three years from January 2014 till December 2016, Disney emerged as one of India's leading media and entertainment companies. It produced and released India's Highest and Second Highest Grossing Movies of All Time as well as India's highest grossing Hollywood movie of All Time, as well as a host of other successful movies like Kick, 2 States, ABCD 2, Haider, Heropanti, Highway, Khoobsurat and Filmistaan. It also pioneered a new format of entertainment in the country, producing the first-ever Broadway-scale theatrical show to be mounted in India with a completely local cast and crew, Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, which opened to huge commercial and critical success in Mumbai and Delhi in 2015.
Starting January 2017, Siddharth moved on from Disney to set up his own production house, Roy Kapur Films, which produces movies and digital content across all scales and genres. Roy Kapur Films' first production The Sky Is Pink starring, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Farhan Akhtar was the only Asian film to be selected for the Gala Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. More recently, Roy Kapur Films' Yeh Ballet, a Netflix original released to great acclaim.
Siddharth has featured on Variety's #Variety500Global of the most influential people in global entertainment for three consecutive years from 2018-2020.
Siddharth is President of the Producers Guild of India, Co-Chair of the CII National Media & Entertainment Committee 2020-21 and a Managing Trustee of Mumbai Academy of Moving Images, India's pre-eminent international film festival. He has been featured on The Economic Times Top 40 Indian Business Leaders Under 40 and The Hollywood Reporter Next Generation Asia Inaugural Class of Young Leaders, amongst numerous other awards for his leadership and achievements.

Filmography

Producer