Amazon Confirms Exit Of India Originals Chief Aparna Purohit; Exec Set For Key Role At Aamir Khan’s Production Company

Sara Merican and Jesse Whittock

May 8, 2024 at 5:05 a.m.·2 min read

Prime Video has confirmed that Aparna Purohit, Head of Originals for India and Southeast Asia, has left the Amazon streamer.

Purohit first joined Amazon in January 2016 and is now set to join Aamir Khan Productions as CEO, according to local reports. We’ve reached out to her and Bollywood star Aamir Khan’s reps for confirmation.

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Local reports are heavily linking Nikhil Madhok, Head of Original Hindi Content, as her replacement. A successor could still come from outside the business, however.

On her departure, a Prime Video spokesperson said: “Over the past eight years Aparna has played a key role in developing some of the most-loved and popular Amazon Originals for India. She’s championed authentic, rooted and diverse narratives that made Prime Video’s local Original content resonate with audiences.

“She was also the driving force behind the diversity initiatives at Prime Video, significantly increasing female participation in storytelling in front of and behind the camera. Aparna will now be returning to her entrepreneurial roots and continue to work on bar-raising stories. We deeply value her contributions to Prime Video that has made us the home for stories, storytellers and talent, and wish her the best in her new role.”

Purohit was one of the few original productions execs focused on Southeast Asia who survived the staff cull earlier this year, which was part of the wider redundancies that hit Amazon’s entertainment operations. That situation saw the SE Asia originals team cut, with a smaller teams focused on activities such as acquisitions remaining in Singapore.

She joined Amazon eight years ago and was promoted to Head of Indian Originals in 2019. In late 2022, she added Southeast Asia to her duties, commissioning shows from across the region. Her shows including the Indian version of Modern Love, which was made in three Indian languages.

In February this year, Purohit appeared at the Prime Video Presents India showcase, where the streamer announced a slate of 69 films and shows.

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