Yash Raj Films has made a strategic investment in Rusk Media, the digital-first entertainment company behind the Alright! TV platform that specializes in original content for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, as the Bollywood major moves to establish a foothold in India’s fast-growing vertical content economy.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The collaboration will focus on developing original IP across animation and vertical microdramas, distributed via Rusk Media’s proprietary platform and its global digital channels.
The deal signals a broadening of YRF’s ambitions beyond its core theatrical business. The studio has built one of Bollywood’s most recognizable franchise operations through its YRF spy universe, which spans seven films and counts “Pathaan,” “War” and the “Tiger” series among its entries. The next chapter, “Alpha” – a female-led entry starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, alongside Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol – is set for theatrical release on July 3. It is directed by Shiv Rawail, who also helmed YRF Entertainment’s debut Netflix miniseries “The Railway Men,” a four-part drama set against the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. YRF Entertainment’s second Netflix series, “Mandala Murders,” a mythological crime thriller starring Vaani Kapoor, premiered on the platform last year.
Rusk Media, co-founded by Mayank Yadav, has built its business around original vertical storytelling.
“Vertical entertainment in India has produced extraordinary reach, but not the enduring IP that defines a category. That is the gap this collaboration is designed to close,” Yadav said. “We bring a native understanding of how digitally native audiences discover and build community around content, and with YRF’s backing, we are building for longevity, not the algorithm.”
“The instinct to evolve has always been central to YRF’s DNA. Platforms are infrastructure, content and IP are culture,” added Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films. “Mayank and his team at Rusk Media have built a deep understanding of how the next generation discovers and inhabits stories, and that is exactly the kind of vision we want to invest in. Together, the aspiration is to build worlds, not just content.”
Rusk Media’s Alright! TV platform will serve as the primary distribution vehicle for the jointly developed titles.