The screening did not go well and all the potential distributors quit the project in 48 hours on the grounds that the film wouldn’t work at the box office.
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“We had no idea you’re not supposed to show movies to distributors, and they were themselves were shocked that they were going to actually see a movie before buying it,” says Sidhwani. Then they organized a distributor screening. The cinema landscape was dominated by single screen theaters and Sidhwani and Akhtar had agreed pre-sales via an agent to 15 (Indian distribution) territories based on the stellar cast, which included Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Akshaye Khanna. “Dil Chahta Hai” was one of the first multiplex-friendly films in a country which had only a handful of them in 2001. And before that the characters didn’t speak like that in film - you could hear the script - this was the first time I think that the you could hear the dialog.” I think that’s a big thing that it did – people, the characters, spoke like you and me speak. “If I have to now look back 20 years and see what it contributed, I think it changed language. It wasn’t the over the top thing that we were used to constantly seeing on screen, and I think that that struck a chord,” says Akhtar. “They spoke our language, the friendship was kind of rooted in some kind of reality. “I think what instantly happened with that script is the relatability, and you identify with something which is so close, because each of these characters, I think I knew them very closely on a certain level,” Sidhwani told Variety. “Dil Chahta Hai” was fresh in that it told a tale of urban Indian friendship with accessible dialog and situations, with almost no Bollywood contrivances. They met, Sidhwani read the script and it quickly became clear that they should own their work, and thus their partnership, Excel, was born. Akhtar was looking for a producer for his script and a mutual friend informed him that Sidhwani was keen to join the film business. His schoolmate Sidhwani, with whom Akhtar had lost touch, was involved in his family home appliances business.
Akhtar had put in a stint as an assistant director and was working in advertising. The film is about three friends reuniting and the formation of Excel mirrored that somewhat. Hussain Zaidi’s Mumbai mafia book of the same name, directed by Shujaat Saudagar (“Rock on 2”) is 50% shot.Įxcel’s first film was Akhtar’s directorial debut “Dil Chahta Hai,” which released Aug.
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“Dongri to Dubai,” the series adaptation of S. The third season of hinterland crime drama “Mirzapur” is also in the making. The second season of International Emmy-nominated drama “Made in Heaven” is in the works, as is the third season of cricket-themed “Inside Edge,” which is also Emmy nominated. “Eternally Confused And Eager For Love” is in the teen romance space, while “Queen of the Hill” is led by two women protagonists.įor Amazon, Kagti’s “Fallen,” starring Sonakshi Sinha (“Mission Mangal”) as a police officer, is in post. In the streaming space, Excel, which already has a successful relationship with Amazon, has two additional shows lined up with Netflix. 5 adventure drama “Pukar,” by Ashutosh Gowariker (“Lagaan”), which kicks off in November while Mrigdeep Singh Lamba will commence the third part of the “Fukrey” comedy franchise in Jan. The film is written by Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti and co-produced by Tiger Baby Productions.Īkhtar and his business partner Ritesh Sidhwani run Excel Entertainment, one of India’s most successful production houses, which turns 20 on Tuesday.Įxcel is currently celebrating the success of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s boxing drama “Toofaan,” starring Akhtar, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and has a robust slate lined up.īesides “Jee Le Zaraa,” the feature film slate includes action crime thriller “Yudhra,” directed by Ravi Udyawar (“Mom”), starring Siddhant Chaturvedi (“Gully Boy”) and Malavika Mohanan (“Master”), which starts shooting in Portugal on Sept. “It’s a road film, a slice-of-life film, with three women on the road,” Akhtar told Variety.
The film is due to start shooting in Sept. Indian filmmaker, singer and actor Farhan Akhtar is returning to direction after a decade with feature film “Jee Le Zaraa,” starring Bollywood A-listers Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.
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