BENGALURU: "Building a home is every man's dream. So our business is in selling dreams," Confident Group chairman CJ Roy once said during an interview.
The group's real estate business boomed in his native state of Kerala too, where he catered to every segment of society, ranging from luxury property units to compact residential spaces for middle-income groups in cities such as Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kottayam.
But what made him a household name in Kerala was his entry into the entertainment industry. As early as 2007, he sponsored the gift — an apartment worth Rs 1 crore — for the winner of a reality music show on Asianet. Since then, Confident Group was a regular sponsor of the winner's prize in many of the subsequent seasons of the reality show. He announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam series this year. Many of these programmes became major hits, reinforcing the group's growing influence in the entertainment sector.
Buoyed by his success in the TV and realty sectors, Roy steadily expanded his business interests into the film and entertainment industry, making significant strides over the past decade or so.
In 2012, he ventured into Mollywood with the Mohanlal-starrer ‘Casanovva'. Roy funded more than 10 films in Malayalam and Kannada, many of them big-budget projects.
In 2021, Roy's group deepened its presence in cinema by co-producing the historical epic ‘Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham'. Featuring a star-studded cast of Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Arjun Sarja, and Suniel Shetty, the film was released in multiple South Indian languages and emerged as a landmark project linking Confident Group with marquee cinematic ventures.
Building on this momentum, the group was involved in several other film productions, including ‘Mei Hoom Moosa', starring Suresh Gopi and released in 2022. Notable Sandalwood productions included the comedy hit ‘Rangappa Hogbitna', followed by ‘Krazy Loka', directed by Kavitha Lankesh, and ‘Radhana Ganda' starring Komal.
The group also had high-visibility sponsorships in international sports. It served as the official sponsor of the West Indies cricket team between 2013 and 2014, and later backed the Sri Lankan cricket team during the 2016 ICC World Cup, signalling ambitions beyond construction and property development.
In the latter half of 2022, Roy's group further formalised its presence in the entertainment space by sponsoring a movie awards ceremony, which had global editions in Dubai, Singapore, and India.
Beyond films and awards, Roy was also involved in sponsoring charity initiatives and cultural events. He was also active in rebuilding houses after the devastating floods in Kerala in 2018. Roy was also active on social media, where he showcased his fancy high-end cars and chopper rides.
Sruthy Susan Ullas is an assistant editor with over 14 years of e...
Read MoreSruthy Susan Ullas is an assistant editor with over 14 years of experience and writes extensively on education. Her work focuses on government policies across educational departments—ranging from primary and secondary to higher, and medical education-- offering in-depth analysis and reporting on how they shape the academic landscape in Karnataka. She also keeps a pulse on campus trends and activities, the evolving perspectives of young people, and capturing the voices and vibes of the next generation.
Read Less