Beauty and the Geek Gets Hindi Treatment

LOS ANGELES: Fox LOOK has secured a licensing deal with India’s Bulldog Media & Entertainment for a Hindi-language version of its 13×1-hour reality format Beauty and the Geek.

As part of the agreement, which was one of Fox LOOK’s last deals before closing operations, a local Hindi version of the U.S. reality show will launch on STAR’s Channel V this month. The localized version will also roll out to Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.

Brendan Zauner, the VP of sales for Asia at Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, who brokered the deal, said: “The opportunity to work with Bulldog to produce a Hindi version of the international hit Beauty and the Geek has been a great experience. In whatever country the show has been localized, it has managed to strike a chord with viewers and achieve ratings success—and I don’t see it being any different for India. The team at Bulldog has embraced the look and feel of the show, and their enthusiasm flows through to the contestants and the viewing audience. Beauty and the Geek is a show with real heart and I look forward to sharing another success with the team at Bulldog.”

Ramit Mittal, the co-founder and joint managing director of Bulldog Media & Entertainment, added: “We are here to make the popular adage come true that ‘opposites attract.’ Since its inception, Bulldog has kept in mind the evolving taste of Indian audiences and, with this show, we promise to bring another revolution to reality television. With Beauty and the Geek we start our maiden production of a successful international franchise television format. We are proud to be associated with Twentieth Century Fox and Channel V, and are confident that this show will open a new era of entertaining programming in India.”