‘I don’t want to restrict myself to one particular genre’

Tejal Sinha

Known for his works like The Big Bull, Chehre, Pyaar ka Punchnama 2, Great Grand Masti, Total Dhamaal, and most recently Thank God, to name a few, Anand Pandit has been one of the most renowned film producers in the industry.
This year, he also made his debut in the Gujarati film industry and co-produced the blockbuster Gujrati film Fakta Mahilao Maate. He was also the distributor for Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Doctor G and produced Sidharth Malhotra starrer Thank God.

A movie begins and ends with a producer, and from the time he started building his business, his motto has always been to create a product that surpasses the known benchmarks. What drives him, however, is a good challenge.

The Pioneer connects with the connoisseur, who spoke about the mixed responses to his recent film Thank God, his upcoming film Swatantra Veer Savarkar, Bollywood reaching precovid numbers, his generosity as a producer while making a film, and much more.

His recently released Thank God is a surreal comedy-drama where the protagonist finds himself in ‘Yamlok’ soon after a massive crash. Chitragupta, played by Ajay Devgn, who keeps the track of the vices and virtues of human beings, takes the matter into his own hands, presumably by teaching him a lesson by interrogating the main character. The film stars Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet Singh, and Ajay Devgan in prominent roles.

After its release, the film received mixed responses from the viewers and the critics, but as a producer, Anand looks at it objectively. He said, “I always look at a film’s journey in terms of what it set out to achieve and if it fulfilled its creative vision.

In my opinion, this film succeeded in conveying a message that will never grow dated. Even years from now, people will discover the film, get engrossed in it, laugh, grow thoughtful, and find something relatable in it. Everyone who worked on the film is proud of it, and so am I.”

Many had criticised the film for portraying certain characters in a particular way. Reacting to this, he said, “Thank God is a social comedy with a special message for us all and not a mythological film. It has nothing to do with any god or deities, nor does it portray anyone in a disparaging manner.”

His upcoming project, Swatantra Veer Savarkar, is quite ambitious. People have polarising views on Veer Savarkar. The trend of films being boycotted for any minor representation of a powerful figure, caste, or religion has been a major concern for producers these days. However, the successful producer doesn’t seem to be bothered by all the noise around cancellation culture. “The most important endeavour is to tell a story that is factually right. History can be viewed through several prisms. Our endeavour is to tell the story as it is and allow the viewer to come to their own conclusions. Every historical figure elicits contrarian reactions. Does that mean we stop making films about them? Cinema is a medium for telling stories.”In fact, I get excited rather than shaky before starting such projects.”

It is only fair to say that Bollywood films haven’t been doing well at the box office. Until, of course, Karan Johar’s Bhramastra managed to pull in great numbers upon its release. Pre-pandemic, Bollywood as an industry was at the zenith of doing great business. It is not that other industries were not doing well, but post-pandemic, the industry down south has been doing extremely well. Commenting on the topic, he said, “There was a time during the pandemic when we didn’t even know whether cinema, as we know it would survive, and now every film that reaches the big screen is put under the scanner and is expected to be a worldwide blockbuster. The business of cinema is mercurial, and it waxes and wanes in seasons that come and go at will and cannot be predicted. The whole world is struggling right now to reach pre-pandemic normalcy. Why do we want Hindi cinema to be an exception? When we will reach pre-Covid revenue levels is a question that only audiences will be able to answer in time.”

One could come up with great stories and write a fantastic screenplay, but it is of no use if the creators can’t pick a producer who understands the vision of the filmmaker. A producer plays a crucial role in determining the holistic quality of a film. A generous producer is all that a filmmaker could ask for, and it looks like producer Anand Pandit understands this really well. “As a creative producer, my job is to ensure that a film gets the budget that it deserves, that its cast and crew work comfortably, and that audiences do not feel cheated when they spend their hard-earned money to watch my production. Of course, budgets have to be reasonably managed, and you can’t throw away money, but at the same time, you must not compromise on your creative vision.

That is why we are in this business, is it not? Isn’t it to make dreams come true? The mighty creator was reaffirmed.”There is widespread concern among filmgoers that remakes are tarnishing the image of Bollywood films. In the last few years, a number of remakes have failed miserably in theaters.“There is a democratisation of content today, and everyone can access any content they want in any language or format at any given time. This is why it is important to not be derivative and find stories that are fresh and invigorating. I cannot comment on the success ratio of remakes because I am not working on any, but yes, streaming services have made the audience more demanding and discerning. If they can watch a regional film with subtitles or that has been dubbed, why would they see the same film in Hindi with different actors?” answered Pandit.

Ending the interview on a lighter note, Anand Pandit concludes by saying, “There is no one particular theme or genre that I want to restrict myself to. I want to explore every genre and every theme.”