The launch of ‘FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report’ was held at a five-star hotel in Mumbai and was attended by various reputed personalities of the media and entertainment industry. Blockbuster producer Dinesh Vijan attended an interesting panel discussion called ‘Box Office @ ₹20,000 Crore: Inside the Economics of Theatres in the Streaming Age’ wherein he spoke about the film industry, the current trends and a lot more. He also opened up about his highly awaited upcoming film, Mahavatar, starring Vicky Kaushal.
Dinesh Vijan said, “People want to de-risk. We don’t believe that the film would work. So, we feel very good when the film is de-risked. But if you realize, every film that crossed the Rs. 500 crore mark were all risky films. We didn’t know how to make Chhaava (2025). Vicky Kaushal had never played a historical figure. Laxman Utekar had never directed a film of this kind. But it was about survival. We had to make that kind of film and do that kind of business for our survival. It was not based on streaming revenue. At one point, none of the rights was sold. That film recovered all its money from theatres.”
He further said, “We are attempting to make a film called Mahavatar, which is about the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu, Parshuram. With this film, we are trying to go really global. At times, I wonder ‘How are we gonna do this?’. It’s six times the size of Chhaava. We cannot go to the world and say ‘We are offering you something smaller’. We are going to take our culture and present it in the best possible way. I think Ramayana this year will pave the way for that.”
Dinesh Vijan also touched upon the grand Diwali release, Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol and others, “Namit Malhotra is making Ramayana. He hasn’t sold anything for that film. I shouldn’t say much about it. I think there’s a unit coming up. What’s amazing is how clear he was about this film even four years ago. He’s one of the few people whom I can go to for guidance and vice versa. I told him, ‘If Ramayana runs, Mahavatar is all set’! His film deals with the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, while our film is about His sixth avatar.”
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