For a population of barely 100,000, Burbank has a disproportionate share of the global media industry. Housed in Los Angeles County, the landscape is dotted by names such as Warner Bros Entertainment, ABC Studios, Nickelodeon and NBC. It was here, on a sunny morning in late 2006, that the top brass of The Walt Disney Company met to discuss a proposal from its India subsidiary. Disney had been present in India since the early 1990s, first through a joint venture and then independently. In 2004, it decided to set up the business from scratch and two television channels, Disney and Toon Disney, were launched the same year. In mid-2006, it acquired Hungama TV and picked up a minority 14.9% holding in UTV Soft ware Communications, both from entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, signalling its aggressive intent.

It had barely been six months since the two deals were announced, but the Disney team in India was in no mood to sit tight. They had been contacted by Bollywood actor, Aamir Khan for his new film, Taare Zameen Par. To be produced by Khan, the theme revolved around a dyslexic child and India’s high-pressure education system. The actor, who had already tasted success as a producer with Lagaan in 2001, wanted Disney to produce his upcoming film and was open to giving them the best possible terms. It entailed off ering another film as well, Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, scheduled for a mid-2008 release. Taare Zameen Par was on the table for just the cost of production and Khan bluntly told the folks at Disney India that he was keen on a global release for the film; in short, it was up Disney’s alley.