PRODUCER’S HAT REALLY POPULAR IN BOLLYWOOD
Actors are producing films — and sometimes starring in them — with an eye on content and economics
Actors usually start out with the dream of dominating the silver screen, but a few years down the line, they all probably ask themselves, ‘What’s next?’ That might explain the number of notable actors venturing into film production.
Current examples: Emraan Hashmi is producing his first film, Cheat India , starring himself; Chitrangda Singh is turning producer with the sports biopic, Soorma; Kangana Ranaut has plans to turn producer; Nikhil Dwivedi has tasted success with his maiden production venture, Veere Di Wedding; and Manoj Bajpayee also turned producer with his recent film, Missing, in which he also played the male lead. One of the best examples of this is John Abraham — even as his acting career was going well, he hit the jackpot with his first production, Vicky Donor (2012), and now has another success as actorproducer in Parmanu. Indeed, several top Bollywood stars, who have very busy acting careers, have been steadily producing films.
What is it that draws actors to production? Is it creative control or the prospect of commercial success? Nikhil, who is extremely pleased with the box-office performance of his debut production, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam Kapoor, says that at one point, the roles offered to him lacked substance, and in the process he decided to turn a producer. “I’d like to believe that I have a certain sense of aesthetics and I couldn’t bear to do the films that were being offered to me. So, I think it was a natural progression for me to turn producer. At least, I’d be happy seeing the content. Being a producer is just an extension of the fascination that I have for cinema. I just want to make films in whatever capacity I can,” says Nikhil.
A similar reason made actor Dino Morea turn producer with Jism 2 (2012) — that was his way of staying connected with the film industry. “I thought that if I turn producer, then maybe I can do it really well, and I can also start producing my own films and create good content. As a producer, I was completely involved with the project and understood what goes on behind the scenes,” says Dino. He adds that actors have an edge over others when it comes to film production, as they’re already a part of the industry and understand the way things function.
Talking about her new stint, Chitrangda recently said that as a producer, she realised that it was so easy to just sit in the vanity van, then shoot the scenes, and go back home, as opposed to the work involved in producing a film. “It was a great learning experience for me. It was an amazing journey,” she said.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh believes that for actors, it’s a “natural transition” to move to the producer’s chair. “Today’s generation of actors like to have control over the content and can have films made the way they want to,” he says. “They’re also aware of the economics.”