VERY FISHY BLACK COFFEE RUNS AWAY

In star-driven Bollywood,what’s attractive about a production house’s name? For starters,a significance,a deeper meaning,the future,and something that connects these production houses to the work and the names behind it. While Aamir Khan Productions sticks to the family name,other directors,both in the world of television and films,are coming up with amusing and entertaining names for their production houses.

Check out TV producer and filmmaker Sailesh Dave’s production house which is called Runaway Films. Or take actor-turned-director Parvin Dabas,whose directorial debut,Sahi Dhandhe,Galat Bande,is being produced under his own production banner,and there is something “very very fishy” about it. Stepping out of the box,Dabas took inspiration from the deep waters and went hook,line and sinker for the title Very Very Fishy Films. “It stands for

my love for water and scuba diving,and the fact that I didn’t want to get into the ego space of naming the production house after myself,” says Dabas,adding that,now with this name,he is “testing the waters and making films his way”.

This is just what Ekta Kapoor is doing with her alter ego,Alt

Entertainment Ltd. A division of Balaji Films,Kapoor wanted to break away from the fare that she was dishing out under Balaji. “Alt Entertainment is a platform for new directors,writers,actors,ideas and everything new and different,” says Kapoor.

Then there is Abhay Deol’s Forbidden Films,which mirrors the experimental actor’s contemporary,dark and edgy approach. As for Saif Ali Khan’s Illuminati Films,it leaped out of a Dan Brown novel. In an ode to Sholay and the heroine in the wet white sari,Lara Dutta has christened her production house Bheegi Basanti,while hubby Mahesh Bhupathi goes by Big Daddy Productions.

When RK Films made a dramatic appearance on the silver screen,people knew it was another masterpiece from the Kapoors. Nasir Hussain Films was known for its big bang entry with a famous Urdu couplet. While Guru Dutt Movies Pvt Ltd needs no introduction,Navketan Films was Vijay Anand’s legacy. If Manmohan Desai’s MKD Films spelled entertainment,Yash Raj Films was all about love and Vishesh Films is Bhatts’ intellectual property. But clearly,that was before the business of naming production houses was a grossing and engrossing matter.

Ask Mukul Deora,who is scanning the Bollywood horizon with Watchtower Entertainment Pvt Ltd,inspired by a line from a Bob Dylan song,All Along the Watchtower. “It is not about the name as much as it is about the meaning behind it and the imagery it conjures in your subconscious mind — and that’s the impact I wanted through the name,” says Deora,who recently produced Bheja Fry 2 under his banner.

Dia Mirza and Zayed Khan,on the other hand,have chosen to call their production house Born Free Entertainment.

“We wanted to break free from the usual rigmarole of taking established stars and directors. Our aim was to do something new,creative and with newcomers. Hence,this name has potential,” explains Mirza

A year into his productions,actor Shabbir Alhuwalia has mythological reasons for calling his production house Flying Turtle. “The turtle is considered Lord Vishnu’s avatar,and also,the slow,steady and wise turtle wins the race,” says Alhuwalia,who is getting into a whole metaphorical space of creativity.

Gurpreet Singh of Chandigarh-based Kisaan Productions,on his part,owes the title to Sohail Khan. “He gave our team a break when we managed production for their film Kisaan. Ever since,my production house has been called Kisaan Productions,” says Singh.

Now we know what’s in a name.