How Raj And DK Learned To Stop Worrying And Start Loving The Studio Set-Up

바카라�Happy Ending was the first of our films that had the 바카라�packaging바카라�: song & dance, romance etc. It was a huge learning experience,바카라� says Nidimoru. The duo wrote their disoriented headspace into the film, where the protagonist (Khan) has an alter-ego called Yogi (also played by Khan, in a fat-suit and sporting a long, true-artist beard) talking into the protagonist바카라�s ear whenever he바카라�s being disingenuous. Despite its quirks, Happy Ending was Raj & DK바카라�s first publicised failure. They바카라�d been making films for more than a decade by then, but this was their first film that mattered to the trade. Happy Ending바카라�s failure kickstarted a learning curve that culminated into the critical and commercial success of Stree (2018). In the last six years, the director-duo have been beacons of filmmakers preserving their indie spirit, arrogance, authorial voice among suits, with a streak of four 바카라�hits바카라� (including Farzi, India바카라�s most-watched show on an OTT service).

In a world where indie filmmakers are cast aside after one failed studio project (recently there was concern around Vasan Bala바카라�s future at Dharma following Jigra바카라�s tepid box office response), Raj-DK are in an enviable position. With complete creative control over their projects, where they바카라�re allowed to be as eccentric as they want, the duo could arguably negotiate any budget they desire. Two of their upcoming shows 바카라� Gulkanda Takes and Rakht Brahmand are billed to be fantasy, VFX-heavy and marquee projects for the respective platforms.

Over three phone calls바카라�while navigating the production chaos on the sets of an upcoming show바카라�Nidimoru reflects on how the duo has charted their way through a volatile business and come out on top. Edited excerpts:

Was Go Goa Gone (2013) considered a hit? What was the mood like on the Monday when you woke up to the weekend numbers?

The budget of that film was anywhere around Rs 7 Cr. I think we did around 6-7 Cr in the first week. So, anything after that is a success for a film that size. Shor in the City (2011) was made for Rs 2.5 Cr. We could make the film we wanted.

I think one of the reasons we made an impression is because we didn바카라�t come with the hype around us. We were a part of the audience바카라�s discovery.

I바카라�m assuming the aftermath of Happy Ending (2014) must바카라�ve hit harder.

Happy Ending was our first studio film. It was such an indie film idea. A former star hires this writer because he thinks he바카라�s a good hack, and hands him two DVDs to copy. The writer says forget these two films, I바카라�ll plagiarise from 50-odd films, so people will also won바카라�t be able to say kidhar se uthaya hai(where it바카라�s lifted from). It was an ode to the Bombay we바카라�d lived in. But then, the location of the film changed to a foreign country, and we put songs in it. So, we chose to put this transformation into the film with the character of Yogi바카라�an alter-ego who knows all the tropes of a rom-com. Happy Ending was probably too self-aware as a film.

We knew the compromises all along, and we were still trying to crack it. This is why we infused it with meta commentary. Most industry folk do tend to dumb it down while working on bigger budgets, but I think we didn바카라�t do that. We gave in a bit, and put in our first lip-sync song, but I think it바카라�s still a smart film. It바카라�s somehow caught on now, because whenever we put out an anniversary post for Happy Ending, it gets as much engagement as Go Goa Gone.

I remember this tweet you wrote about how you started writing Stree (2018) on the weekend after A Gentleman (2016) tanked. Can you tell me about your state of mind when your careers were on the line?

A Gentleman was our take on a 바카라�popcorn film바카라�. We were trying to make a crime comedy with a twist that comes at the interval point. I think more people would바카라�ve enjoyed it if we had made it at the budget of a 99 (2009). But that was one lesson here바카라�the packaging will always get more focus than the film. We knew before Friday that A Gentleman wasn바카라�t going to do well, because it wasn바카라�t tracking well. It was strange because people hadn바카라�t even seen the film yet. It was probably coming in a bit heavy, and it opened at the same numbers as Go Goa Gone. I completely gave up on the film by Friday night and started work on Stree by Saturday.

After A Gentleman, were you conscious about working with tighter budgets so you could have creative control?

Budgets are a follow-up conversation. Our first priority was to write things that couldn바카라�t be altered or diluted. We wanted to make our own films, like we바카라�d done during the early part of our careers. We kept reminding ourselves about how we started on our own, and that we should get back in that mindset. At first, we were producing Stree ourselves바카라�we began crewing up, casting Rajkummar (Rao), Pankaj (Tripathi), looking for a director. There was no studio initially바카라�it was DK and me out of a coffee shop.

At what point did Maddock Films (Dinesh Vijan) enter the picture?

Maddock films entered much later. We were in talks with another studio, and they were delaying it. There was a very specific window we wanted to make Stree in, because I wanted to be on set before we started work on Family Man. When the delay happened, we serendipitously bumped into Dinesh Vijan at a screening and that's how Maddock entered the picture.

What바카라�s a way to preserve one바카라�s authorial voice and instincts in this line of work? Can you only do it after being successful? Is it a bit of a chicken and egg situation?

It바카라�s a hard sell, even now. You might want a particular actor for a part, but they might not get it. I remember after Shor In the City, many people called us. And we told them we want our next film to be about slackers and zombies. Most of them thought we were either a flash in the pan, or we바카라�d lost it.

There바카라�s a fear among producers for the 바카라�new바카라�. They want familiar stories, which will run like a well-oiled machine. I have to give kudos to the actors, who chose to work with us after reading the script; not judging us by our track record.

There바카라�s always the self-belief that we can make it on our own. That바카라�s how we started off. If a Go Goa Gone costs Rs 5 Cr to make, we바카라�ll find a way to make it in Rs 2 Cr. But we바카라�ll do it ourselves. When you바카라�re assured about this, you can walk into the studio offices with less to lose.

After two commercial failures, was there a point where you second-guessed your instincts?

Hearing that we were 바카라�ahead of our times바카라� for our early films felt like a backhanded compliment. We바카라�ve always been confident that we can바카라�t make a 바카라�bad바카라� film: one that is lazily written, one that has only tropes, where we바카라�re repeating ourselves. And that바카라�s because these things are in our hands.

Even after A Gentleman, we had many offers to do a part 2 or a part 3 in anything. But we saw no glory in it. Especially, if it바카라�s worked earlier and if my only credit is to not muck it up.

What바카라�s a piece of advice you would give to filmmakers negotiating with studios?

I tell many young filmmakers, when they meet me: make what you can make. Find a way to shoot it, and do it with whatever you can spare, raise. Do it with an iPhone, your friends. Our mantra has always been that바카라�for any new project I바카라�ll talk to a couple of studios; if it feels like it바카라�s not working out, then we start planning about doing it ourselves.

Do you think being on OTT has played a part in your phenomenal success 바카라� is a pitch meeting for a theatrical a different beast?

Of course, OTT has a major role to play in our success in the last few years. But we don't think that a pitch meeting for a theatrical feature will be any different. Especially, with Stree in our canon, I think we'll only have more ammunition at our disposal for when we get back to directing feature films from next year onwards.