India’s Yash Raj Films Backs Rusk Media in Vertical Entertainment Push (EXCLUSIVE)

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. Under the partnership, YRF will oversee the creative direction of original animation and microdrama IP, while Rusk Media will handle production and distribution through its proprietary Alright! TV platform and global digital channels, targeting the Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences the company has built its business around.

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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.”