Game Changers: Top Producers

The world has changed. Friends don't have a voice; they have a string of 140 characters called tweets. These tweets are nineteen to the dozen every second. It's a dynamic social network all in cyberspace. Point is, the rules of every game on this planet have changed. And film producers have begun to reinvent their games as well. Their jobs are no longer restricted to signing cheques and hiring heroes. They've had to shed their inhibitions, swallow their prejudices and jump head first into a creative storm. Today producers decide the kind of content they want to sell. They take important calls on the story-telling process. They share their profits with the actors. Some of them even sit down to write for their films. In the age of adapt to survive, there have been casualties too; ones who couldn't change. But those who did, reinvented the game. This band of new-age producers have set the benchmark for India's modern movie business. They ideate, they formulate and they execute films as if they were assembly line products. There's no room for conjecture here. What's made must sell. If it doesn't you might as well sound your own knell. But some people are born to succeed. They know how to play hard ball, which is why they are on top of the charts. Filmfare profiles these visionary producers who've changed the game.

Taking chances- Karan Johar
Evolution and progress have become Dharma Productions' new mantras of late. And the man behind Dharma's success is Karan Johar, an edgier producer than he has been a director. He's still catering to the same young urban audience from Indian and international metros but that's not all he's doing. Karan Johar really surprised everyone when he dished out the dark and violent Agneepath. Earlier, in the year, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, with an unusual premise, managed a good theatrical run of its own. But moving to new avenues doesn't mean Karan's let go of that old habit that made him popular. Student Of The Year was quintessential Karan Johar material. By making various kinds of movies, Karan's expanded his reach into newer markets. Like most of his contemporaries, he's backing new filmmakers producing films like Wake Up Sid and Kurbaan. He's taking his chances as a producer, not shying away from different genres. Proving it's a brave new world out there.

Kings of romance- Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra
Yash Raj Films, under the guidance of the late Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra, needs no advice. In fact its growing success is a testament to an age old fact - adapt to survive. YRF has mastered the art of investing smart with its mid-budget productions like Band Baaja Baaraat, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Ishaqzaade that invariably bring in profits. And their big-budget extravaganzas are returning mammoth numbers too. Ek Tha Tiger is their beast of a film earning more than '198 crores at the box-office. Jab Tak Hai Jaan was Yashji's swan song and it cruised into the 100 crore club. Setting up Y Films, YRF's parallel company that produces the smaller budget movies was a masterstroke. History knows the reason empires crumble is because their heads refuse to accept change. But YRF is one movie empire that embraces new horizons and continues to maintain a grip at the top of the food chain.

Lady boss-Ekta Kapoor
If you thought Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures was small fish amidst big sharks, you have no idea about reality bites. Ekta's consolidated a top producer position in 2011 with Ragini MMS and Shor In The City and she hit a century with the unprecedented success of The Dirty Picture. For a '20 crore film to earn close to '118 crores is a feat that deserves much applause. Not bad for a producer who's biz acumen until a few years ago was considered only as good as an Indian housewife's. You know you have a game changer in the ranks when a producer banks her money on a film like Kya Super Kool Hain Hum. Adult comedies are a rarity, successful ones are rarer still. Ekta knows risks (and risqu) like the back of her hand.

Boardroom heroes-Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur
UTV changed the face of business of Indian cinema for good. They brought legal contracts to a business managed by book keepers. The reason the Hindi film industry churns out quality and numbers at par with Hollywood today is in part thanks to corporates like UTV who've made the business far more efficient. With recent hits like Kai Po Che, ABCD, Rowdy Rathore and Barfi!, UTV has proved that they've bloomed into a full-fledged production company adding to their original business model of film acquisitions and distribution. Siddharth Roy Kapur strengthened the company's film catalogue by authoring UTV's Spot Boy, the production company that made films like Udaan and Dev.D. Of course, the audience took notice of the storytelling abilities of Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane. It takes courage to back these small gems in a market dominated by superstars. Ronnie Screwvala, the founder of UTV, keeps a keen eye on the big league too. Barfi!'s acclaim and Rowdy Rathore's mammoth figures are a testament to their success.

Creative junkie-Vidhu Vinod Chopra

From being an assistant director to being a critically acclaimed filmmaker. Then changing gears to be a commercial director and finally ending up as one of India's most successful producers, Vidhu Vinod Chopra has been reinventing his game for over 30 years now. No wonder he took the brave decision of financing Munnabhai MBBS against all odds. In the process Hindi cinema got Rajkumar Hirani and Sanjay Dutt got a second chance. Vidhu then tasted more success with Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots. The secret to his success? Unlike most producers, VVC sinks his teeth into the creative process of his films. While he is the moneybags, that's not the role he limits himself to. He writes lyrics, dialogue and even screenplay inputs on his productions. VVC is that rare breed of producers who know what kind of film they want to put out there. You've heard of a director's actor, meet a director's producer.

Hit parade-Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt
If you thought underdog stories were limited to movie heroes, you need to wake up to the Vishesh Films success story. In the age of spend more to earn more, the Bhatt bros. have cracked their own theory of relativity. They spend less to earn more. You won't learn this in any B-school.In an industry at the mercy of Friday fate, the Bhatts – Mahesh and Mukesh – have rubbed shoulders with mega producers by making lucrative films like Murder, Raaz and Jannat. Theirs is a simple business model. You control what you spend and you automatically control what you earn. Their risqu and cheap-thrills cinema has a multiplex audience. And serendipity has given us a star worth reckoning – Emraan Hashmi. Not just that the Bhatts model of cinema has given fresh new faces like Esha Gupta, Sunny Leone and Sonal Chauhan a place under the spotlight.

Brand power-Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan is no longer an actor. He moved into production 12 years ago with Lagaan and since then, he's managed to become an entertainment brand. It was Aamir Khan's billing as producer that gave films like Peepli Live, Dhobi Ghat and Delhi Belly an audience and great numbers. Aamir's effort at making films extends to his family too. He launched Imran Khan's career with Jaane Tu.. Ya Jaane Na, he facilitated wife Kiran Rao's debut with Dhobi Ghat. Producer Aamir Khan isn't just taking chances with small films with niche subjects, he's changing the way producers look at films. The world knows he's a marketing genius but the real glory lies in the fact that he showed the same conviction in producing a TV show like Satyamev Jayate as he did while making a film like Talaash. It just shows you can monetise common-man stories if you package them smart.

Dark knight rises-Anurag Kashyap
This is the same guy who made Paanch, his first feature film that never really released. Today he's producing films for relative newbies like Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan), Bejoy Nambiar (Shaitan) and Sachin Kundalkar (Aiyya). He's come a long way from being at the mercy of prejudiced distributors and co-producers. While he's not really a moneybags kind of producer, Anurag believes in his conviction. He's carved a niche in the market, a place where the expletive laden Gangs Of Wasseypur and the shocking That Girl In Yellow Boots are as commonplace as clichs. That's not all. The audacious Anurag has also managed to add an edgy twist to the holy grail of Indian romances, Devdas. Dev.D won over the affections of not just the critics but the audiences too. If that's not all Anurag is the kind of filmmaker who goes all out to promote a fellow filmmaker's effort. Case in point, Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar.