More than three decades of action and upwards of a hundred movies later, the Indian-born tennis pro who hit his way into Hollywood and notched up many aces still follows his heart and sets his own pace. He is none the worse for it, as an upcoming autobiography is about to show.

Non-stop action, sporting and otherwise, has been a constant in 57-year-old Ashok Amritraj’s life. From his days as a successful tennis pro in Los Angeles to his over three-decade-old stint as a prolific Hollywood mogul, he has never ever encountered a slackening of pace. Only, one field of dreams has given way to another.

Starz has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Careful What You Wish For, the Nick Jonas starring thriller directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. The film will bow theatrically in June, followed by a  VOD release before it moves to Starz later this year.

The project was produced by Ashok Amritraj, Michael A. Helfant, Robert L. Stein, Bradley Gallo and Kirk D’Amico. Hyde Park-ImageNation and Troika Pictures financed the film with Amasia Entertainment and Roberi Media, in association with Merced Media Partners and Myriad Pictures.

From being a tennis star to a successful Hollywood producer, Ashok Amritraj has chronicled his journey in an autobiography which he says will give an insight on how to make it big in the American film industry.

The 57-year-old movie producer says that when he decided to begin his career in Hollywood 30 years ago, people seemed to be oblivious to the existence of India.

“I entered Hollywood 30 years ago. At that time there were no Indians there. India was not fashionable. Studio executives could barely pronounce my name. So, it was a different time than what it is today. The image has changed drastically,” said Amritraj.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are nearing a deal for a tag-team release of Life Of Crime, Daniel Schechter’s black comic adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s book The Switch. The deal will be for U.S. rights and it will be worth several million dollars. I will try to get more specific when it closes. The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Isla Fisher, Will Forte, Mark Boone Junior, Tim Robbins and John Hawkes. The picture’s World Premiere at Toronto doesn’t happen until Saturday night, when it plays as the closing-night film of the Toronto Film Festival. It has screened for buyers and press and industry.

Former tennis player, and Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group, Ashok Amritraj won the International Emmy Kids Award for Best TV Movie/ Mini-series for its production Lost Christmas on February 8, 2013 in New York.

"I'm thrilled that we won an International Emmy Kids Award for Lost Christmas. I want to congratulate our cast and crew and our partners," said Mr Amritraj, who has produced over 100 films during the span of his 30-year career, in a statement to the press.

Written by John Hay and David Logan, Lost Christmas is set in Manchester and revolves around a young boy who has a life-changing experience on Christmas eve. The program, a partnership between Hyde Park, the BBC, Impact Film & Television Limited, and Image Nation, was also nominated for a BAFTA and a UK Broadcast Award.

EXCLUSIVE: Ashok Amritraj continues to bulk up his Cannes sales roster and will introduce Untitled Elmore Leonard Project to star Jennifer Aniston, Dennis Quaid, John Hawkes and Ty Burrell. 

Daniel Schechter is lined up to direct from his adapted screenplay of the Leonard novel The Switch – not to be confused with the unrelated 2010 rom-com of the same name that starred Aniston and Jason Bateman

The story centres on two jailbird friends serving time for grand theft auto who plot to kidnap the wife of an embezzler once they are released. However their plan falls foul when it emerges that the target does not want his wife back.

Opening opposite the Nicolas Cage comic book adaptation are "This Means War," starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, and animated pic "The Secret World of Arrietty."

Action could trump romance post-Valentine's Day as Nicolas Cage sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance looks to dominate the long Presidents Day weekend.

Domestic box-office observers believe the Sony action pic, based on the Marvel Comics character, could open to $35 million through Monday, a holiday. Sony co-financed and co-produced the film with Hyde Park Entertainment.

Nicolas Cage plays with fire in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," but it's the competition at the box office that is likely to get burned this weekend.

The 3-D sequel, featuring Cage as a demonic motorcycle-riding superhero, is expected to be the No. 1 film over Presidents Day weekend. According to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys, the movie will debut with around $30 million in sales from Friday through Monday.

The world premiere of Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” will kick off the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 16, it was announced today. Written by Skip Hollandsworth and Linklater, the film stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Black plays Bernie, the beloved mortician in a small Texas town. The film is available for distribution in the United States/Canada, with Graham Taylor of WME and John Sloss of Cinetic Media handling domestic sales and Hyde Park International handling international sales.

National Geographic and Image Nation are consolidating their partnership with Hyde Park/Image Nation to finance and produce a wide array of National Geographic themed entertainment projects designed for global distribution. Hyde Park will be the managing partner, and the venture will develop feature films, documentaries, and television series designed to entertain and inspire family audiences around the world.

“We like Hyde Park’s approach to the business, their growth and success in Asia, and the fact that Ashok and his team are already working closely with our partner, Image Nation,” said Tim Kelly, President of National Geographic Society. “This partnership makes sense from all angles, and by folding our current feature film effort into this new venture, we will be able to pursue bigger, more ambitious projects and expand into growing markets like India and China.”