‘Vidhu Vinod Chopra will do something rebellious, but industry will say paagal hai’: Nikkhil Advani rues lack of unity in Bollywood

Nikkhil Advani says he has seen greats like Yash Chopra and Yash Johar work for the betterment of the industry, which isn't the case anymore with many people.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | Updated: April 2, 2024 03:54 PM IST

3 min read

Nikkhil Advani rues about the lack of unity in the Hindi film industry. (Photo: IMDb, PR handout)

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani didn’t mince his words as he spoke about the lack of unity in the Hindi film industry. He said that people in Bollywood are always “busy competing” with each other instead of working together to build a healthy fraternity, like their counterparts in the South. Advani, who has been a part of the industry for over 25 years, said that he has seen greats like Yash Chopra and Yash Johar work harmoniously with each other for the betterment of the industry, which isn’t the case anymore with many people.

“The Hindi film industry has no unity. Being a kid and seeing what people like Yash Chopra and Yash Johar used to do… You hear stories of these people and how they used to work, we don’t have that. We are busy competing with each other. We don’t celebrate each other. The first thing we have to do is come together and say we are one. We don’t agree on anything,” Advani said in an interview with Film Companion.

Also Read | Yash Johar said ‘I have no money’ as he approached close friend for more funds, was turned down; Nikkhil Advani reveals K3G was over-budget by Rs 30 cr

The filmmaker said the industry had agreed over a few things, such as no media net (paid articles) and a cap on marketing, among other things, but someone always goes ahead and “breaks” these rules. “There is no agreement on windows (from theatrical to OTT) or distribution model. Each one is for themselves. Vidhu Vinod Chopra will try and do something, be some kind of a rebel, everyone will say ‘wow’ and then say, ‘paagal hai,'” he added. Advani praised how the South Indian industries operate, and said that in addition to making films that connect with the audience, they’ve also cracked how those films should be released.

Also Read | Nikkhil Advani says he is ‘dying to make a Kal Ho Naa Ho’ post fall out with Karan Johar, recalls Irrfan’s advice that changed his outlook towards cinema

Last year, Vidhu Vinod Chopra surprised the industry and trade when he released his feature 12th Fail starring Vikrant Maasey, At a time when event films dominated the box office, Chopra dropped his mid-sized film with virtually no promotions, riding entirely on word of mouth. 12th Fail eventually ended up becoming a huge success at the box office, grossing more than Rs 70 crore worldwide and went on to win several awards.

From the homepage