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SMJ 2, Rani Mukerji's next, Mumbai Diaries: Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani & Madhu Bhojwani on their films
The trio inform that at-least six web-series are in the works alongside half a dozen films - Their directors include Nikkhil Advani, Milap Zaveri, Gaurav Chawla, Ashima Chibber, Madhumita Sundararaman and Ananya Banerjee. Read Interview
Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani founded their company, Emmay Entertainment in 2011. It’s been a decade since then and the trio have their hands full of projects. While The Empire and Mumbai Diaries 26/11 are currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar and Amazon, a plethora of series, including Rocket Boys, Baazaar director, Gaurav Chawla’s next among others, are in the offing in the months to follow. Nikkhil believes that the credit for transitioning to OTT has to be given to his sister, Monisha.
“POW: Bandi Yuddhe Ke was among the first TV shows that started getting advertisement revenue on Hotstar. It’s success in the digital world was like a precursor for Hotstar as well as us. It’s POW that brought us recognition among the digital giants. We featured in all their initial conversations and that’s how the ball started rolling,” Nikkhil explains. Since POW, their banner has produced a lot of content for not just the theatres but also the digital world. And Madhu promises that it’s just the beginning. “There are at-least six shows in the making. Quite a lot of work is happening in the OTT space and we expect all our shows to extend further into multiple seasons. We are also developing films which will premiere as OTT originals,” she informs.
Nikkhil agrees and adds, “We have just started running, we still have to fly and I think we are now in a better position to convince people about the stories that we want to tell and also identify our voice. Milap’s voice is screaming loudly, while I am being a little more subtle about stuff – The rest of Emmay falls between the two of us. These are exciting times.” Monisha insists that their company has the luxury of working on multiple projects at the same time because of a strong production unit. “Madhu is put together an army called production. Very few companies have an inhouse production team standing,” she informs.
There are at-least six shows in the making. Quite a lot of work is happening in the OTT space and we expect all our shows to extend further into multiple seasons. We are also developing films which will premiere as OTT originals
Madhu Bhojwani
Among the most exciting projects of Emmay is Rani Mukerji’s upcoming film, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, directed by Ashima Chibber. It’s Rani’s first film outside of her home production, Yash Raj Films, after a decade. Was it difficult to get her on board? “I will have to give the credit to Ashima. The script is such a page turner and I couldn’t believe how this story didn’t come in our radar before. While sitting in a casting meeting, Ashima said that she wanted Rani for the film. I was not sure if that was possible because Rani had not worked outside YRF for a long time. So, we got Nik to make this call,” she recalls, adding further, “Rani agreed to read the script and her yes came almost instantly. We didn’t have to convince her at all. We got the film rolling and will have it ready by the end of this year and hopefully, everyone will get to see it in theatres next year.”
And then, there is the much-awaited Milap Zaveri’s actioner, Satyameva Jayate 2 fronted by John Abraham with Divya Khosla Kumar. The trio is clear that the film will be a theatrical release. “In-fact, once cinema halls open up all across, it might well be among the first films to release,” Nikkhil promises. Monisha adds, “I feel, Satyameva Jayate 2 will exceed all expectations. It’s a film that we are all emotional and proud about. With SMJ 2, we want to emotionally engage once again with the theatrical audience.” That’s not all, Monisha informs that Milap has locked the script of not one but two of his upcoming directorial. “We will be producing Milap’s next and the next after that. He has developed two projects to kick off one after the other and they would be theatrical releases. He is capable of catering to a wide section of audience. Nikkhil is also in the process of developing two films for the big screen,” Monisha shares.
Rani agreed to read the script and her yes came almost instantly. We didn’t have to convince her at all. We got the film rolling and will have it ready by the end of this year and hopefully, everyone will get to see it in theatres next year
Monisha Advani
The trio is also collaborating with many more talents from the film industry. “We have got Barnali Ray, whose film is being developed. We have got scripts in development with Madhumita Sundararaman. Ananya Banerjee is the co-director with Gaurav (Chawla) on a show and is working on another one for Amazon.” While most approach OTT as an alternate medium, Nikkhil’s funda is clear. “I keep telling all my directors that you can't do a show between two films. Directing a feature film is like a sprint, but an OTT show is more of a marathon. One needs two years of their life for a show. After Batla House, it took me two years to make Mumbai Diaries.”
Madhu signs off, “I think, it has been a great balance of ambition and hard work over the last 10 years that has resulted in us having a slate for all the mediums of entertainment. I am glad that we are at a point where people are recognizing the kind of work that we are doing. Having said that, all of us at Emmay are strong advocates of the theatrical experience. God willing, when things stabilize and theatres open up, we will bring Satyameva Jayate 2 and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway to the audience the way they should be – on the big screen.”
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