1976.
Adlabs Films Ltd founded by first generation entrepreneur, Manmohan Shetty as an advertis-ing film processing laboratory.
1977-1978.
Ad-labs sets up its State-of-the-art lab in Film City, Mumbai foraying into feature film processing.
1980’s.
Manmohan Shetty goes on to produce many films like Chakra (1981), Ardh Satya (1983), Hip Hip Hurray (1984), Aghaat (1985), Shrikant (1987), and more, winning national awards across several categories like Best Film, Best Story & Screenplay, Best Director, Best Leading and Support-ing Actors.
1983.
Masoom, a film by Shekhar Kapoor, becomes the first motion picture processed by Adlabs.
~1988.
Adlabs goes from a humble ad film processing boutique to a preeminent name in the entertainment and film industry in India, as a major motion picture processing lab, controlling al-most 90% market share.
~1990.
Adlabs sets up its state-of-the-art lab in Film City.
2000.
Manmohan Shetty’s daughters join the Adlabs journey. Pooja Shetty helps launch the coun-try’s very first and world’s largest IMAX Dome in Mumbai, starting their new division of mul-tiplexes and cinemas across India, while Aarti Shetty assists directors like Karan Johar, Shimit Amin and Ram Gopal Verma before she joins Adlabs as Creative Director.
2000’s.
Entertainment One, a subsidiary of Adlabs, produces many blockbuster hits and notable films like Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003), Munnabhai MBBS (2003), Gangaajal (2003), Bluff-master! (2005), Waqt (2005), Apaharan (2005), Taxi No.9211 (2006).
2000.
Adlabs goes public and enters the film exhibition business.
MARCH 21, 2001.
India’s first IMAX theatre unveils at Wadala, Mumbai with a seating capacity of 520. It houses the most advanced projection system created, 12,000 watts of digital wrap-around sound, the largest film frame in the history of motion pictures, and the world’s biggest screen measuring 13,700 sq. feet.
2003-2005.
Pooja continues to set up a chain of multiplexes across the country as India enjoys a retail and economic boom.
2005.
The iconic Metro Cinema transforms into a modern multiplex by Adlabs, restoring its original art-deco interiors. It gets acquired and renamed as Metro Adlabs.
2007.
From four screens, the Adlabs multiplex chain grows to 50 screens over the years, across India, and a market capitalisation of approximately $1 billion.
2008.
Pooja Shetty named Young Global Leader by The World Economic Forum for spearheading the company’s expansion.
2008.
Manmohan Shetty sells Adlabs Films Ltd to Reliance ADAG and ventures into a new territory of entertainment, along with his daughters, Pooja and Aarti.
2008-2010.
Pooja and Aarti set up their own film production company, Walkwater Media, producing cult films like Tere Bin Laden, award-winning regional film Rita, and multi-starrer political drama Raajneeti.
2013.
Adlabs Imagicaa, India's first theme park, launches!
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2014-2018.
At a cost of 1600 Cr and spread across 300 acres located on the Mumbai-Pune highway, the project becomes a new chapter for the company. It celebrates Indian stories and original char-acters rooted in Indian culture.
2018.
Walkwater Media is rechristened Ad-Labs Films Ltd, taking the four-decade-long legacy ahead…
First generation entrepreneur, film processing and producing pioneer, father to two film-loving daughters, a ferocious dreamer and founder of Adlabs Films, Manmohan Shetty has masterfully juggled sound business with out of the box forays across the decades. With him at the helm, Adlabs went on to become one of the first few companies in the media and entertainment space to list in the public markets in 2000. Apart from producing massive blockbusters, he helped develop a new and important phase in the exhibition business bringing multiplexes to India, aswell India’s first IMAX dome theatre.
With the desire to provide even more entertainment options in India,Manmohan Shetty moved on to the next big idea with Imagicaa World — a massive entertainment destination with parks and hotels like never seen before in India— spanning 300 acres,situated on the outskirts of Mumbai. Beyond his sung and unsung successes, heis also Ex-Board Advisor to Marvel Entertainment, as the only representative from Asia prior to the Disney takeover, and he is also Ex-Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation.
THE STORY CONTINUES...
Adlabs Films is a name that has been an anchor to countless iconic works since 1976. It has been around in many sizes, shapes and forms. Today the original name and values still reign, and we continue the journey in a different avatar, as Ad-labs Films Limited.
From being a behind the scenes pioneer in media and entertainment infrastructure to getting up close to the action and transforming the technical lab into a creative content boutique—we are here to make a difference through the power of storytelling.
Our uniqueness comes from the energy we bring as sisters,driven women, excited entrepreneurs and enthusiastic creatives. We are different in skill and personality but unified in goals. We are here to invest in beautiful minds and offer support across the spectrum—from young, independent writers and filmmakers to women technicians and more. Most importantly we want to do justice to every story told.
“We are driven by storytelling, and our objective is to form really meaningful collaborations and tell stories that arefun, but also those that have the power to change perspectives.”
Over the last 20years of my professional career in the media and entertainment industry, I have created several businesses. During the first chapter of Adlabs, I helped set up India’s first, and the world’s largest, IMAX dome theatre, along with a large exhibition business, followed by helping launch the country’s first theme park, Imagicaa World.After overlooking operations, cinema design, building a park from the ground upand being responsible for the business side of things, I moved to the creative side. Along with Aarti, we set up Ad-labs Films to fuel our inherent passion for storytelling. It was very exciting for me to see everything in a different perspective. So far, we have produced four feature films, one in association with Fox Star India. We have a lot of dreams for Ad-labs. This is just the beginning.
"It needs to be relatable and have some significance. We are here to make material that resonates with the viewer, but with us as well. The genre, platform or format doesn't matter, only the story does. I believe there is no magic in magic, it’s always in the details."
After graduating from Film School at New York University, USA, my career began with assisting several directors like Karan Johar, Shimit Amin and Ram Gopal Verma, before joining Adlabs as Creative Director. Apart from piloting feature films like Tere Bin Laden, I was closely working with the international design team forthe park concept, creating stories that came to life at Imagicaa. Now, with somany platforms and different possibilities available, the potential to tell unique stories is greater than ever before, and that excites us. Yes, cinema is about entertaining people and making them imagine, but it is also about changing mindsets, and making them think. We want to tell stories that do that too.
We always want to set a good example, carry forward the amazing legacy, maintain the industry goodwill and reputation that we have inherited, while adapting to the changing times ahead.
to be authentic
to be respectful
to be supportive
to be transparent
to be inclusive
