From 'Sanju' to 'Neerja', Fox Star Studios' focus on alliances pays off

After a disastrous 2015, the studio went back to the drawing board to realign its strategy and has been able to turn things around.

Three years back, two major multi-national film studios -- Disney India and Fox Star Studios (FSS) -- found themselves in a super slump at the Bollywood box office. Both had a bad run at the movies with films like Bombay Velvet and Tamasha failing to make an impact, despite a commendable cast and director. As a result, Disney India decided to take a step back from Bollywood.

For the second studio, FSS, 2015 was an exceptionally bad year with just one of the seven releases making an impact at the box office. However, instead of calling it quits, FSS decided to take a step back, re-evaluate its strategy, and start anew. Three years on, the new strategy seems to be paying off.

There continue to be some hits and misses, but FSS has managed to churn out commercially and critically successful films over the past couple of years, including titles like Neerja, Kapoor and Sons, and, most recently, Sanju.

Going back to the drawing board, the studio realised that the focus needs to shift from actors to characters, or in other words, from scale to script. Thus came a renewed emphasis on story and working with partners -- actors, directors or co-creators, who brought as much to the table as FSS did. While the studio continues to have a long-standing working relationship with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, it has also entered partnerships with Sajid Nadiadwala and Rajkumar Hirani.

"We had decided on two focus areas. The first was to do more home productions where our creative teams are driving the entire process, starting with the script. The other equally important agenda was to scale up through strategic alliances with key creative production houses who share our vision. These alliances include our longstanding partnership with Dharma, which we are very proud of, our successful association with Sajid Nadiadwala and, more recently, with Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It's important to work with partners over several films to develop a shared agenda that maximises the synergies for both parties," says Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios.

The strategy of alliances seems to be working since some of the biggest hits from FSS in recent years have come from the co-production slate like Kapoor and Sons (Dharma), Baaghi 2 (Sajid Nadiadwala) and, most recently, Sanju (Hirani and Chopra). FSS' home productions like Neerja and MS Dhoni have also managed to hit the bullseye.

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'Dhadak': Performances make the heart beat

Film: "Dhadak"; Director: Shashank Khaitan; Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi, Ashutosh Rana; Rating: *** (3 stars)

Director Shashank Khaitan's "Dhadak" suffers from a lack of intrigue, right at the outset, as owing to being based on the popular Marathi hit "Sairat", naturally, the story and outcome are all prefixed and something the audience is acquainted with. So it is only the performances that you are looking forward to, albeit with high expectations. And indeed those keep you hooked.

Set in Udaipur, Rajasthan, "Dhadak" is the love story of Madhu (Ishaan Khatter) and Parthavi (Janhvi) who are classmates in college. While he hails from an ordinary family and helps his father run a restaurant, she is the daughter of Ratan Singh (Ashutosh Rana), a local politician belonging to a higher caste. Smitten by her, Madhu follows her around like a lost lamb and it is his perseverance and sincerity that makes her come round too, and fall madly in love with him.

A small home where rotis will be made for just the two of them as opposed to the big bungalow he always promises her, is all she wants in her love story.

Her brother Roop and father are against this alliance and try to separate the two, but of course they succeed in running away and settling down in Kolkata with the help of his maternal uncle who loves him dearly.

Ishaan Khatter as the lovelorn Madhu, is endearing and charm personified. His passion, sincerity and energy are palpable and he becomes Madhu with ease.

Jhanvi as Parthavi, is more restrained, but a firebrand too. She has a strong screen presence and emotes with confidence.

Their on-screen chemistry is good and they make a cutely innocent pair. It is their sincere performances that involve you and make you feel their pain, joys and anxieties.

The character actors, especially his two friends, lend able support.

It is the script which appears to be a staid, cut copy, paste unimaginative job on the "Sairat" template. Thus, "Dhadak" lacks a soul of its own. It is the dramatic end however, which leaves a greater impact than even the original.

The characters are not well-etched and although the pace of the film is deliberately slow, to help you become a part of Madhu and Parthavi's life, the director seemed to be in a hurry to race along, by merely changing the milieu and setting, but otherwise, following the original to the core, without adding depth to the characters and establishing a raison detre.

The music is a highlight of the film and "Pehli Baar", is beautifully picturised. The title song "Dhadak" is soulful and sets the mood of their life. The sheer beat and pace of "Zingaat" makes it a treat to watch as well.

The cinematography by Vishnu Rao does justice to Udaipur and Kolkata and the ethos and physical beauty of both these places are well-captured.

Overall, the performances outdo the mediocrity of the script and keep the film afloat.

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