Anil Ambani’s Adlabs, already part of the entertainment sector in West Bengal with Big FM, is now making inroads in the state’s film industry. It has expressed an interest in taking over Rupayan studio, the state’s sick PSU at Salt Lake. The state government has lost Rs 86 crore in the venture.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declared that Reliance was keen to take over the film studio. Later, Dilip Chakrabarty, Principal Secretary in the Department of Information and Culture said: “I don’t know whether the Ambanis had sent any other proposal directly to the chief minister. Adlabs is one of the 14 companies that have shown interest in taking over the studio that has not been doing business for the last two years. After shortlisting, financial bids will be invited,” said Chakrabarty. He added that Zee Telefilms, the single bidder for the state government-owned Technicians Studio, has been asked to submit its bid a second time as the price quoted was below the reserve price fixed.

The CM also announced that the State Government had requested Shah Rukh Khan to set up a film studio here. “Recently, Shah Rukh met me and offered to set up a cricket academy in Kolkata. We requested him to set up a film studio,” he said.