Seema Sinha (BOMBAY TIMES; January 20, 2015)

Producer Firoz A Nadiadwala recently announced the third instalment of Hera Pheri. It was a dual celebration since his family (headed by his grandfather A K Nadiadwala and his father A G Nadiadwala before him) completed a 60-year-run in Bollywood. “My grand-father and father were meticulous in their planning. They gave quality and clean family entertainment on a big scale with good actors, directors and technicians. We want to carry the legacy forward,“ says Firoz, who established a subsidiary company called Base Industries Group in 1993.

Besides pioneering technology in the movies like cables (Awara Paagal Deewana) and Dolby digital (Kartoos), the Nadiadwalas have also pioneered movie franchises. He further adds, “We are the only company to have three franchises. The scripts of four of our films - Phir Hera Pheri, Welcome, Aarakshan and Fool N Final, are archived at the Oscar library.“ It is noteworthy that they have also had the distinction of getting some eminent directors, actors, composers, lyricists and technicians working with them for decades.

Says Firoz, “My granddad and dad have worked with the giants of their times like Amitabh Bachchan, Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra and Yash Chopra. They forged personal relationships with the talent they associated with and my endeavour is to keep that going. My company also wants to align with A-list Hollywood directors.“

While the banner will shortly release one of their sequels, Welcome Back with John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah, Firoz is also planning a sequel to Awara Paagal Deewana.
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AG Nadiadwala is one of the most reverred names in the film business. His son Firoz A Nadiadwala who has taken on the mantle of film production from his father says, “While keeping film aesthetics and requirements in mind, we make our budget according to the movie and not the other way round. We first understand the dynamics of the story and screenplay before we put down our expenses. Even if we end up spending a little more, we ensure that the money spent should be visible in terms of both, sensibility and quality.“

For Firoz, travel, reading and observation helps him assess the likes, dislikes and taste of the audience at large.Says he, “We blend that in our scripting and filming. Our basic effort and focus is always to make sure that our stories and presentation is aimed at the family audience.“