Ashvin Kumar's The Forest to Release as First Day First Show Film on Mela

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mela, a global multi-platform consumer entertainment service with one of the largest aggregations of premium South Asian video content, has acquired director Ashvin Kumar's acclaimed The Forest. The film will be available as the fourth title in Mela's First Day First Show initiative, releasing in theaters on Friday, May 11, the same day as its theatrical release in India by the PVR Director's Rare initiative.

The "environmental thriller" will be distributed across Mela's current platforms including the Mela Movies Channel on Roku and the Mela Bollywood iPad app.

Known for tackling hard-hitting, often controversial subjects, Kumar was previously nominated for an Academy Award for his 2005 live action short, Little Terrorist. With The Forest, his first fiction feature film, he merges action and suspense with environmentalism, building the narrative around a couple who vacations to a wildlife sanctuary to salvage their marriage, only to encounter numerous threats to their life, including a man-eating leopard on the prowl. Nandana Sen, Ankur Vikal, Jaaved Jaffrey and Salim Ali Zaidi star in this tale merging themes of fear, and jealousy within human relationships with those of ecological conservation and adventure.

Speaking to the film's release on Mela, Kumar expressed enthusiasm at the acquisition: "The Forest's day and date release on Mela not only eliminates viewers' struggle for access to the movie, but also extends that access to them even beyond its theatrical lifespan. It's an optimal situation."

More information on The Forest, including trivia, stills, and a trailer, can be viewed on Mela's website.

About Mela: Mela, a division of Verismo Networks Inc, curates content from diverse sources by combining dozens of live TV channels covering news and entertainment, hundreds of Bollywood regional movies, with an increasing number of titles in high definition, besides a large catalog of independent films and selected premium Internet videos. Mela's content partners include India's leading and most popular film studios and TV networks.  Mela is currently available on Roku streaming players, iPads, and PC. In addition to its movie service containing over 900 titles in 9 languages, the entertainment provider offers 60 live TV channels spanning entertainment, news and music. Mela's footprint will soon extend to other major platforms including mobile phones, distributed devices, gaming consoles, connected TVs and other popular over the top devices. To learn more about Mela, visit http://www.mela.com.

For details on Mela, please contact:
Pooja Kohli
Director, Content Strategy & Acquisitions

SOURCE Mela