Maddock Films' Dinesh Vijan has produced films that include Being Cyrus, Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail, Go Goa Gone and Finding Fanny. Reserved, unless he's promoting a film, we caught Vijan celebrating the audience's overwhelming appreciation of his latest outing, Badlapur, and managed to get some insights into the man and his process.

How do you choose your projects?

I have to be emotional about them. We generally don't seem to accept that the audience will accept atypical content. This is a misconception. I choose stories that resonate and don't initially look at figures. This keeps the film pure. After it's canned is when my insecurities surface. I wonder what mad dog bit me to make stuff that is considered risky or niche and I analyse how to pitch it to the right audience.

But your choices have no pattern and seem like such a mixed bag.
Maddock Films enjoys the loyalty of talented directors like Sriram Raghavan, Homi Adajania, and with Illuminati Films, I've had the fortune of working with Imtiaz Ali and Raj & DK as well. Now, if my directors are a mixed bag of nuts, then what will our films be?

Director Homi Adajania told us that you were largely responsible for the unforgettable music of Cocktail and director Sriram Raghavan echoed the same about Badlapur's music.
That's generous of them. Music is a very important part of my life and my films. The process of collaborating to create music has taught me the value of harmony and helped me grow as a person. I enjoy a very special association with Pritam and Sachin-Jigar as well. Both relationships are unique, though they share the same ideology to explore and achieve some thing special.

Isn't a large part of producing about people management?
I'd be highly stupid to think that I know everything and only used technicians to execute things rather than apply their individual creativity. The energy on a project is very important. My main job is to bring out the best in people and make sure my team is happy. I'll risk sounding clichéd, but I have no doubt that the actual joy of the experience reflects on the screen.

How do you deal with failure?
Agent Vinod, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil and Happy Ending didn't end happily, to say the least. I truly believe that failure teaches you so much more than success ever can. How I see it is if a film goes down, it is my mistake and if it succeeds, it's everyone's victory. If that sounds like a lonely place to be, so be it, but I truly believe this.

What is next on your plate?
I have a story that Homi (Adajania) is co-directing with me because we have a blast working together. It's a long-haul shoot, so we decided to have an extended holiday. On a serious note, experiences are what make us grow. I feel it'll make me a stronger producer once I've gone through this experience.