Movie Wizard

To film mogul Manoj Punjabi, the sky is the limit.

- Aastha Saboo

Dressed immaculately in a well-cut grey suit, 45-year-old Manoj Punjabi’s face lights up as he discusses MD Pictures, the movie arm of one of Indonesia’s biggest media and retail conglomerates, MD Corp. Wholly owned by Manoj and his father, Dhamoo Punjabi, it went public in August, making it one of the first few media companies to do so after MNC Studios. The journey from a small entertainment company to a diversified conglomerate has made MD a household name today.

MD CORP is housed at a cutting-edge building that stands out in Jakarta’s skyline; it symbolizes the living and growing nature of the company. Since its inception, the company has expanded into several businesses, from film, music production and distribution to animation, real estate and F&B over the last decade.

The company takes its name from Manoj and Dhamoo Punjabi, both of whom started the group in 2002 initially producing popular soap operas known in Indonesia as “sinetron”. It was Manoj’s first step towards following his dream of movie making.

“As a child, when trailers and posters weren’t easy to come by, I had a scrapbook full of newspaper clippings advertising movies. Making movies was my childhood dream,” Manoj says, adding that his family always supported him and his love for movies.

Shortly after leaving university in 1995, he briefly worked in pulp, paper and textiles, only to realize that he did not belong there. Soon he joined his family business, Multi-Vision Plus, a successful national film and television production house now run by his uncle, Ram Punjabi. After seven years, Manoj with his father decided to part ways and set up a different company, and the rest is history.