Washington: Actor Dev Patel has launched his own production company, Minor Realm, which has a mission to “explore and develop the creative landscape of voices and talent that too often are unrecognized, bringing these stories to life in a larger way.”
Minor Realm, which will focus on both films and television, already has a first-look deal with ShivHans Pictures, developing and creating projects with ShivHans’ CEO and founder Shivani Rawat and president of production Julie Goldstein.
Iyengar most recently served as Sony Pictures’ vice president of worldwide acquisitions and production, working on films including ‘Ammonite’, ‘Late Night’ and ‘The Wedding Guest’, in which Patel starred. During her career, she has also worked at Universal Pictures and Focus Features.
At Minor Realm Iyengar will take on the role of EVP, head of production and development, overseeing the film and television development slate.
Sahni joins Minor Realm as EVP, production, producing film and television projects. He has previously worked on major studio releases including ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ and ‘Life of Pi’.
Sahni is a producer on Patel’s directorial debut, ‘Monkey Man’, which was recently acquired by Netflix. He was also a producer on ‘The Wedding Guest’ and Patel’s directorial short ‘Home Shopper’.
“There are so many critical stories and visions from incredibly talented minds that need to be told but there too often is no avenue or opportunity to do so,” Patel said in a statement, adding, “Our passion at Minor Realm is to foster and advocate for these creatives. Both Lakshmi and Samarth have such strong backgrounds in developing a wide range of content and I couldn’t think of two better executives to work hand and hand with.”
As per variety, Rawat added, “We are thrilled about the expansion of Minor Realm and the opportunity for ShivHans Pictures to continue to partner with such a creative team. Their vision perfectly complements the storytelling we look to produce and we look forward to developing and showcasing important voices and content to audiences.”