• Farah Khan, whose last film was a hit, is looking for a new project.
• The biggest of the directors need the right team to deliver.
• Lack of faith will also shatter the confidence of all directors and in turn, impact their craft,” an insider said.”

Hindi films had a rough year. Sooryavanshi, Gangubai, The Kashmir Files, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and Brahmastra have been hit. Jug Jugg Jeeyo is a moderate success, and Uunchai should also do well. Everything else released for big-screen entertainment underperformed.
Most of the above-mentioned hits rode on directors’ convictions, from Rohit Shetty to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, Anees Bazmee, and Sooraj Barjatya. Ayan Mukerji, known for Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, is another. What’s wrong? It seems that most actors, producers, and agencies don’t believe in directors’ convictions.
Before 2018, most in the industry wrote off Anees Bazmee and Sooraj Barajtya. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was rumored to be an outdated film, but the results are clear. Kartik Aaryan’s faith in the director led to his box office success. To succeed, a director needs the right team and energy. While Rohit Shetty and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have become brands, others are lost in Bollywood’s jungle.

Anees has redeemed himself as a director in demand after Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and has Kartik’s support. Today, he’s the most sought-after director and emphasizes the importance of confidence in commercial filmmaking. Sooraj Barjatya has Salman Khan’s support, and they’ll start their family drama next year. Ranbir Kapoor has always supported Ayan Mukerji’s conviction. But what about big directors who are now redundant and outdated?

Abbas Mustan, who made a hit film with Kapil Sharma in 2015, has struggled to find a new project. Everyone deserves a second chance, even Machine. Most actors and teams have written them off, not realizing they still had much to offer. A comeback? Destiny. When a director isn’t working with a good team, they lose touch. “It happens in sports too. You don’t play for a long time, and the comeback becomes difficult. Abbas Mustan went out of work even after delivering a hit film. The audience understood their hit film, but the industry felt, it was a fluke from their end,”

Another top 90s director narrated a film. The studio head gave a long list of what was wrong with the film after the narration. The filmmaker listened to them and agreed he was stuck in time, but he left with a line that irked the studio head. “If I go by what you say, then I have to admit that Harsha Bhogle could have been a better player than Sachin Tendulkar.” While Anees stayed relevant by working, some directors didn’t get the right technicians for their films, which hurt their standing.

Farah Khan, whose last film was a hit, is looking for a new project. Why? The industry and agencies felt “Happy New Year was tacky, over the top, and worked merely on stardom and festival” Eight films were released during the same holiday season, but only one beat Happy New Year’s box office. Farah’s Juhu and Andheri neighbors may not understand her films, but a wider audience prefers unabashed entertainment. She may fail, but she’s one of the few in modern times who can make a big commercial hit.

“Her script might not have excited the actors, but even without reading it, we can assure you that the theatrical prospects of her film will be much higher than all the subjects that are green-lit in today’s time. The biggest of the directors need the right team to deliver. The biggest of the directors need someone to back their convictions. Lack of faith will also shatter the confidence of all directors and in turn, impact their craft,” an insider said.” the insider told us. The industry seems to be having a simple way of functioning – ‘We don’t understand commercial cinema, it’s dated and tacky. But the minute someone shows faith in a director and he succeeds, he becomes the man in demand”

Due to modernization and corporatization, many more were laid off in the last decade. Rajkumar Santoshi tried to reunite with several top names last decade, but none were interested. Phata Poster Nikla Hero was a script gone wrong, but Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani was a hit. Modern treatment. “Raj Ji didn’t get any actors and now, after being home for so long and not working with the right technicians, producers and actors, how can one expect him to make a comeback? A bigger and right film post-Phata Poster would have kept him relevant. But the ideology of deserting top directors is bound to make them rusty and dated. It happens in all professions. It’s not the director’s fault, if he gets the right work, he will keep himself updated. But what’s the point when most in the industry are preferring gloss and guarded words in English over simplicity and Hindi conversations?”  The insider vented before leaving.

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