The future of entertainment lies in the hands of audiences, who will decide how and where they want to consume content. Imagine a scenario where a QR code allows viewers to choose whether to watch a film in a theatre, on the phone, or on TV. This flexibility will define new-age entertainment.

However, content must reach a wider audience, especially in a country with India's massive population. For example, while Stree 2 was a blockbuster, it was watched by only 45 million people. This highlights the huge scope for broader content distribution.

In the coming years, technology-particularly AI and innovative distribution models-will empower filmmakers and create platforms for new content. The key, however, is to craft stories that resonate with a large, diverse audience. We need to focus on creating content that is about India, for India, and of India.

I don't believe there's a "takeover" by southern cinema. Since the pandemic, the Hindi film industry has seen remarkable successes, with films such as Animal, Gadar 2, Pathaan, Jawan, and Stree 2 achieving box office collections of Rs. 500-600 crore in India. This clearly shows that the Hindi film industry is performing as well as its southern counterpart. What truly matters is giving audiences something fresh and unique-exactly what these films have delivered. Instead of viewing southern and Hindi films as separate entities, we should embrace them as part of one Indian film industry. My hope is that films from across the country resonate with audiences nationwide.

Both southern and Hindi industries produce hits, but there are also films from both that fail to connect with audiences. As someone who stays in touch with creators from both industries, I am optimistic that next two years will bring unique stories from across India.

Streaming platforms are not a threat to cinema-they will coexist with theatres. While streaming services are still expanding their reach, they complement rather than compete with the theatrical experience.

We have seen filmmakers create a whole universe with action, cops, comedy, even superheroes. But in our cinema and in today’s times, creating a horror comedy universe is rare, and let’s say, not a job for the weak-hearted. There in comes Dinesh Vijan, who leads Maddock Films, a place which he says, ‘Is a home for anyone who wants to tell a story, no matter where you come from’. After Stree and Roohi, he’s all set to release Bhediya in theatres on November 25 — a creature comedy starring Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, directed by Amar Kaushik that is also backed by Jio Studios. Dinesh passionately talks to us about what drives him, how we need to unearth great stories from within us, and what made him pave new roads, and sometimes take the forests less travelled. Read on...

Honestly, I have never looked at any film that I have made as a risk. When I made Hindi Medium, some people told me it was a risk, and before that, it was Badlapur. When you hear a concept from a director or writer, your first thought has to be, ‘I can’t not make this film’, and that’s what drives me to make it. Instinct is everything for me. If there is a voice from inside that tells me that I should make a film, I do it. After being in the business for 18 years, our strength is that we don’t take ourselves seriously. We don’t think we know it all. We believe that we have to constantly learn and evolve.

Agent Vinod taught me how to make Badlapur. I learnt what went wrong and how to correct it with director Sriram Raghvan (who directed both). Agent Vinod and Raabta (directed by me) have taught me more than all my films. If you are willing to learn, failure teaches you much more. In fact, Raabta taught me that trends had changed. Through the making of Love Aaj Kal, I was learning how to be a producer. I think that Saif (Ali Khan) and I made a pretty good debut production. Sometimes, it takes about ten years to find your voice and understand what satisfies you. Hindi Medium was a game changer for us. Badlapur and Hindi Medium made me realise that if you have a pure story, strong writing, the right man to direct the film (it’s not necessary that he has to be the best in the business) and good actors — you will hit home.

A while back, we were aspiring to make films that were more like the West and I feel that around 2015 that changed. With Badlapur and Hindi Medium, even I realised that the power has moved as much to small towns, as the people there are actually going to the theatres a lot more. I looked inwardly and found a treasure. There are so many stories buried in these towns and cities. My dad always made me travel a lot and would tell me that, ‘You must know your country’. I owe a lot to him. Most people in the cities don’t know what the rest of India is. Your instinct as a filmmaker also comes with the life that you have lived. Amar Kaushik happens to be a Forest Ranger’s son, so like I said, it is about getting the right man to direct your film.

I think that’s when they are at their best. I have been telling Varun that this is his 2.0 version. He has given his blood and sweat to this film. Now when I see the film, I can’t imagine any one other than him in this part.

It’s the best film I have produced. With Bhediya, our instinct said yes, but we also knew that if we didn’t create a wolf that is of international standard, this film won’t work. And I can tell you that if you look at the animals in The Jungle Book and ours, you will say that ours is as good. When you see the film, you will feel like we have not used VFX, it looks real. We went to one of the best VFX companies in the world and made the film in a record time of about 18-20 months. And also, it’s about what the film leaves you with at the end. There are few films that talk about conservation. This is a film that you would want your kids and young adults to watch. I think what Indians now want are films emerging from their culture, but made at par with international standards. And they want it to be affordable in the theatres. If we can achieve that, we are home.

The world is gravitating towards the first statement you made. Do I completely believe in it? Maybe we will have more clarity in the next twelve months, but as we are talking about it, we have made one (spectacle film). However, we also have a variety of other kinds of films coming up. We have to accept that the digital medium is a reality because most people are in relationships with their phones. We need to understand the screen size, as your film will get consumed on all mediums, so we have to make films keeping that in mind. My first love is theatricals, and we make films for the big screen, but we can’t ignore other mediums. The West is largely in the spectacle kind of cinema space. I feel we need to pull up our socks and deliver high quality films. The film has to completely engage you, which most our films haven’t been doing lately. You need to have an experience — whatever that might be. Today, if you ask me whether a Hindi Medium would still do well, I would say, yes, it would. If I give you a really good comedy with a high concept, will you watch it in the theatre? I think you will. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 wasn’t a spectacle film, but it’s done such good numbers.

Even pre-COVID, I was telling my friends that there is going to be a huge change in our cinema. I am happy that we instinctively made Bhediya, which will hopefully keep us relevant. Today, we have to fight to be relevant and win back the audience’s confidence. We have to achieve these two things. We are competing with the West, but we have to look at what we have. If we look deep inside, look at our culture and find those stories, we are going to be able to create that experience for them. And that is their own experience; it’s not America saving the world. It’s none of that. And it begins with writing. We have to reward our writers. My writers are empowered, they have a say and I believe in them. And we (Maddock Films) are a home for anyone who wants to tell a story, no matter where you come from. I was like that, as I don’t come from a film family. I am the first-generation coming into this industry, and all my directors are too. I want my directors to feel that they have got the best wingman in me and that I completely have their back.

He has made various kinds of cinema - dark comedy, spy thriller, cute romances and complex relationships. His cinematic sensibility is cut from a different cloth, often not tailored for the usual Bollywood design. Yet, he makes the cut with subjects that are spiked with a heady mix of characters. Producer Dinesh Vijan, who has backed films like Being Cyrus, Finding Fanny, Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail and Badlapur, turns director with the upcoming Raabta, starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon. In a chat with BT, he tells us about his school of cinema, pushing boundaries and how his mistakes made him a better filmmaker. Read on...

For years you have donned the producer's hat with success, but it took you long the take on the director's baton...
In the time that I directed Raabta, I could have produced two-three films, but for some reason, this story wasn't leaving me. I don't know if I was creative 15 years ago or if I am creative now. All I know is that you need something to drive you and this story did that. It chose me. I never believed that I know it all and all these years have been a learning process. The day I think I know it all, I will stop learning. If I look back at myself 10 years ago and feel that I was a big idiot, that's fine. But if I think of myself the same way even today, it means that I haven't grown up.

Earlier, Homi Adajania was supposed to direct Raabta with you. You seem to prefer working with a few chosen directors like Homi and Sriram Raghavan. Do similar creative sensibilities keep you all together?
When we were developing the content and writing it, there was no director on board. Halfway through it, I had this feeling that I didn't want to let it go. Homi was the first person to tell me, 'You should tell this story'. I think that while making films, you should have only one perspective, you can't have a shared perspective. I believe that there are two kinds of filmmakers; one, who studies cinema, like Quentin Tarantino and Sriram Raghavan. Their knowledge is so deep that they can give you a reference of a film that released 30 years ago. Then, there are filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali and Homi who study life, take experiences from it and capture it on screen. I am more from the second school of cinema. I don't come with any pre-set notion that films are supposed to be a certain type; otherwise, I wouldn't have backed films like Finding Fanny, Cocktail and Badlapur. I like to have four-five strong equations in my life; I don't think that we have the capacity for more than that. With Homi and Sriram, I have that and there is a common keenness to be productive together. I don't hobnob much with people from the industry, and in the last two years, I haven't watched too many movies. I feel that if I see something too beautiful, I will get too inspired; I want my stories to be more or less original. Like we say, there are only eight stories but a million moments. The moments in every film should be original.

When you are producing films like Go Goa Gone, Finding Fanny and Being Cyrus, which are in a very different zone and un-Bollywood like, right at the onset you are aware that the risks are high. How do you still take the plunge in an industry that usually tends to play it painfully safe?
As a filmmaker, you have to understand how many people the story will appeal to. If Badlapur was made at a colossal budget, it wouldn't have made money. Today, the actors have also become sensible. Finding Fanny had such a stellar cast, and it fetched us decent numbers, quite surprising for an English film made here. If I had made it at the price of Cocktail, we would have been screwed. I believe that the story should choose the budget and not the actors. Ultimately, your partners (co-producers) need to be commercially safe; otherwise there will be no studios. Agar aap roz bank lootenge toh kuch bachega nahin. Sometimes, the films that look the safest on the table are the riskiest. I have seen a lot of people in this business getting ahead of themselves. As a producer, I have always given my directors a lot of confidence, as they are like children who need to be nurtured. So, while directing Raabta, I missed myself. If I had me, I would have been more confident (laughs!). We take producers lightly; in fact, they are the ones who keep the ship intact. If the film goes down, it is the producer's fault; after all, it is their decision to invest so much money into a story.

Well, it is interesting you said this, because generally, people don't remember who produced the film, but they damn well remember who directed it. In that way, the onus of the film largely rests on the director's shoulders, doesn't it?
As a producer, the onus of the failure is mine, because the decision to greenlight a film is also mine. A director gets totally consumed while making a film and is not capable of disconnecting from it. So maybe, for a director, the heartache is more. My dad taught me one thing: When you put your head on the pillow, you should get good sleep. Lot of us give that up, but for what? We are constantly looking at other people to tell us how good we are. But how good is that at the end of the day? I take responsibility for all my films, but I don't want my life to be just about films. If I am constantly looking for validation, then what's the point of it all? If I am telling you that I am making films about experiences, then I have to go get the experiences, right? If I stop doing that, I won't have anything to say. I like to go home by 9 pm, and I need to take time off and disconnect. After Cocktail, everyone said that I should quickly make two-three films, but I tuned off and went traveling, and that's when the story of Raabta came to me.

What happens when a dream project like Agent Vinod fails to hit the bull's eye? Does it make you rethink your choices or regret them?
You can never predict if a film will work or not, we can only focus on trying to achieve what we have set out to. I have never worked harder on a logistical level than I worked on Agent Vinod. It was Saif's (Ali Khan) dream and I haven't met a more honest filmmaker than Sriram Raghavan. I guess sometimes, you can't analyze a film while it happens, you will know only once the dust has settled. So, you can never blame anyone for it. What do you gain by blaming anyone, anyway?

My point of view on that film was that as producers, we wanted to make something like James Bond, and as a director, Sriram's strength was Jason Bourne (the Bourne franchise). And we felt that the most unique thing was that we got both worlds into one. I think if we had made it tighter, without songs in the Bourne-zone, it would have been ahead of its times. As a producer, by making Agent Vinod, I learnt how to make Badlapur. Even for the latter, I told Sriram, 'I'll make it, but you can't hold back your punches, you have to go all out'. He did that and it worked. Well, I'm not that lucky, because if I make a so-so film, it's never done well. There are times when dishonest films work, but in my case, they don't work. At the same time, I think that if I had made no mistakes in the last 10 years, I would have learnt nothing.

As a filmmaker, while you are pushing boundaries, our actors need to follow suit, too, right? They often get caught in the loop - like how much screen time they have, what age they are playing, et al...
I think the attitude among the younger lot is changing. Deepika (Padukone) drove Finding Fanny; in fact, she called up and told me that she wanted to do the film. In Badlapur, Varun (Dhawan) who was two films old, played a father. In Go Goa Gone, Saif did a small part. The youngsters are picking films that are edgy and different. Cinema has been changing for the last 10 years, and since a few years, even our audience has changed, but we were not willing to accept it. Now, we are accepting it. The audience is ahead of us. We need to make cinema that will resonate with them years from now. A really good film might not work today, but in five years, it will not lose value. Films like Johnny Gaddaar and Ek Hasina Thi might not have been blockbusters, but they are films that we talk about way more than other films. Of course, there are those Rs  200-300 crore spectacles which you also need, but I want to make films that survive time, and films that build value.

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.