Guest column: Is the world sleeping on the India sync opportunity?

The Indian sync licensing market is undergoing a transformation that challenges longstanding assumptions within the global music industry. An illustrative case emerged last year when the Arabic song 'Fa9la' by Bahraini rapper Flipperachi was seamlessly integrated into the Bollywood film Dhurandhar, marking an unusual yet impactful in-context placement.

Dhurandhar, released in late 2025, quickly rose to become a blockbuster, propelling 'Fa9la' to the top of Spotify's India Top Songs and the Billboard Arabic Hot 100 charts. This cross-cultural breakthrough expanded the track's audience far beyond its original scope, unexpectedly connecting Middle Eastern music with Indian cinema's vast viewership.

The deal for 'Fa9la' was facilitated by Girish 'Bobby' Talwar, founder of Rebellion Management, who coordinated negotiations between the film's producers, B62 Productions, and Flipperachi's management in Bahrain. The process involved educating the rights holders about Dhurandhar's scale and lead actor Ranveer Singh's prominence, enabling a straightforward agreement without excessive complexity.

This success story contrasts sharply with prevailing perceptions of India's sync market among international professionals. Many envision it as a nascent ecosystem mirroring Western models—film and television placements accompanied by structured licensing systems. However, the reality is quite different: advertising and brand campaigns dominate the sync landscape in India, accounting for an estimated 80% of activity.

Unlike Western markets where movies, TV shows, web series, and gaming provide multiple mature avenues for sync, these sectors in India have yet to develop robustly. Music placements in films and series often appear in promotional materials rather than as integrated narrative elements, serving marketing rather than storytelling functions.

This structural distinction has significant implications for music rights holders and licensors. While brand campaigns offer consistent licensing volume, their budgets often treat music as an afterthought—a cost to minimize rather than an asset to strategically leverage. Consequently, licensing fees tend to be modest, and negotiations focus more on cost reduction than on the creative or commercial value music can bring.

Nevertheless, some Indian brands are beginning to recognize music's potential to forge emotional connections with audiences. Recent examples include Levi's campaign featuring Diljit Dosanjh reintroducing 'Hum Dum Suniyo Re' and Netflix using a remix of 'Koi Sehri Babu' to promote the Hindi dub of Stranger Things season five. International acts have also gained exposure through Indian sync deals, such as Volkswagen incorporating OneRepublic's 'I Ain't Worried' in a campaign.

The 'Fa9la' placement exemplifies how a well-placed sync in Indian cinema can act as a catalyst for broader opportunities. Following Dhurandhar's release, the track's streaming surged dramatically, leading to live show bookings in Mumbai and Bengaluru—although these were ultimately canceled due to regional unrest. The song also found secondary licensing in an Indian Vivo campaign, illustrating the multiplier effect a single sync can generate.

This case underscores a critical insight for the international music industry: Indian sync deals should be valued not merely as one-off fees but as gateways to expanded market presence, increased streaming revenue, and enhanced cultural visibility. The sizable South Asian diaspora in regions like the Gulf, UK, North America, and Australia further amplifies this potential.

Moreover, the current pricing structures for Western catalogues often fail to reflect the unique returns Indian placements can provide. Adjusting these valuations to align with India's evolving sync ecosystem could unlock significant mutual benefits.

In conclusion, the Indian sync market is far from underdeveloped; it is an active and growing arena with distinctive characteristics that demand nuanced understanding. The Dhurandhar-'Fa9la' collaboration offers a compelling blueprint for how international music rights holders and Indian content creators can forge new pathways together, leveraging sync not just as a transactional tool but as a strategic platform for cultural and commercial expansion.