"My dream is to go international with B.R. Films" - Sanjay Bhutiani 
By Devansh Patel, May 21, 2008 - 17:16 IST
'Dreams can come true, Look at me babe I'm with you, You know you gotta have hope, You know you gotta be strong'
These lyrics by Gabrielle definitely stand true for B.R Films CEO Sanjay Bhutiani who has dared to dream with his eyes open. Where others saw disaster, Bhutiani saw opportunity. This unflappable inventor and promoter of marketing has given a new dimension to B.R. Films in just two years of joining the banner, and instead of wringing his hands like other CEO's, he sees a new fortune in every film coming out whether it's Baghban, Baabul or the recently released Bhoothnath. In this exclusive, interview from London's St James Court Hotel, Sanjay Bhutiani gets up, close and personal about B.R Films with Bollywood Hungama's Devansh Patel.
The alphabet B is a boon to the B.R Films, and last but definitely not the least comes the word 'Bhutiani'. How many more 'B's' are in the queue?
B is a mix of everything. B.R. Chopra is a very big name and we can't deny that. He is an institution in itself. Mr. Bachchan is an icon. The rest of it is coincidence like Bhutiani, Baghban, Baabul and Bhoothnath are together. Ravi Chopra loves working with Mr. Bachchan right from his Zameer days to Baabul and now Bhoothnath. But you'll be glad to know that we are finally coming out of this 'B' thing because the next film which Mr. Ravi Chopra is making is titled Pocket Maar which stars Mr. Bachchan of course, a new comer and a few well known character actors. But you're right. Somehow or the other, the word B is not ready to leave us. The forthcoming B.R. Film, which was earlier titled Pappu Pass Ho Gaya, is now titled Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai. Now that's coincidence. But Mr. Bachchan can never be a coincidence because you will always see him in Ravi Chopra's 99% films.
U.K market is going to double in the next three years
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Your earlier film Baabul which was heavily marketed and publicized in the same hotel with Press conferences and interviews almost grossed a million pounds in the U.K. Is this a deliberate move on your part to do the same with Bhoothnath and by doing so, do you think the fate will be the same too?
Many producers focus on India as a big market and forget the overseas market like the U.K, which I think, has the maximum Bollywood followers outside India. Very soon we are planning to open our U.K office. We believe that we should do justice to every film coming out of B.R banner. In India also we have done a lot of road shows, channel tie-up's, etc. So why leave a market like the U.K open? U.K market is going to double in the next three years and since our strategy worked last time by doing a Press conference, promotion, and interviews in the U.K, we thought that for Bhoothnath too we should come back again and do it. And hopefully you will see the team of Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai too in the U.K soon.
Do you think Bhoothnath isn't a film which B.R banner would normally associate themselves with? And if not, then were you, Mr. Sanjay Bhutiani, responsible for the green signal given to this Vivek Sharma film?
I don't think so and I can't take credit at all for this. Bhoothnath's storywriter and director Mr. Vivek Sharma approached Ravi Chopra with this unusual film. Ravi disagreed with a few things but eventually things fell into place. The film which was meant to be a Rs 5 crore project, ultimately mounted to about Rs 18 to 19 crores. We put in Mr. Bachchan who was not in the original cast. It was Ravi Chopra's suggestion. What the media talks about is that B.R. Films only makes family dramas like Baghban and Baabul. But has the media seen Tawaif, Dhund, Ittefaq, Naya Daur? At that time, these films challenged many issues like widow re-marriage, man versus the machine, prostitution, etc. But what happened was that 'Mahabharat', the most watched program on the TV changed everything. We got associated with many TV series and then after a gap of almost ten years we produced and directed Baghban. Thus, the media and the audience couldn't think beyond the word 'family drama'. That's where and when I came in the picture to take the B.R banner to another level. Can you believe, the banner, which was making one film every year has now got four releases this year. We have just acquired an animation company called B.R Pix and Tricks where we have a majority stake in the company. So yes, there are certain things I can take credit for and my agenda is to take it to the next level with more films, more content, and more television.
From being, the business head of B.R Films to the CEO of the company. Do you ever sit with Mr. Ravi Chopra and consult him on important decisions or do you handle it all by yourself?
There are three people who are very involved in this. Abhay Chopra, Ravi Chopra's youngest son, who is soon going to be a director and his first film will be launched soon called Kohinoor, which will be entirely shot in London. It's a heist film. Then it's Ravi and me who sit together which makes a team of three. Abhay and I are a part of the creative side of things but it is Ravi Chopra who takes the final approval. On the business side of things, I'm supposed to drive the car and Ravi has to be kept informed about my driving.
So after Naya Daur, which was re-released in colour, what colors are we going to see next in the black and white era?
You've hit the nail on the head. Yes, you've guessed it right. We are in the process of adding colour to all the B.R's black and white films. We are outsourcing this work though. Nothing will be done in-house. Some Eastman colour movies need colour correction and so on. So you'll soon see the old turn into gold.
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We are in the process of adding colour to all the B.R's black and white films.
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Do you think the brand 'Bachchan' is having an upper hand in pushing every B.R Film forward now?
Not only films, but the brand 'Bachchan' pushes everything forward (laughs). Whether it's IIFA awards, B.R. Films, every movie he signs or any idea on television, he pushes it to the limit by his performance alone. The way he came back on KBC, we all know. I think every producer and distributor has benefited from his equity he has created over the years.
Tell us a bit about your four films releasing this year.
We've already got Bhoothnath which is in cinemas now. In September, we have a Deepa Mehta's film, which is co-produced by B.R. Films, called Heaven on Earth, which is a Punjabi film, completely shot in Toronto. Come November, we have Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai with Govinda, Lara Dutta, Tabu, Boman Irani and Rajpal Yadav doing mad comedy. Then we have a tentatively titled comedy film called What's Cooking Stella? That's again a Deepa Mehta film, which is co-directed by her brother Dilip Mehta and shot in Delhi. The film has just finished and it's in the post production stage right now. By the end of this year, we are also planning to acquire a couple of feature films for releases as well. Next year starts with Ravi Chopra directed Pocket Maar.
Another change, which the B.R. banner is coming up with, is the faith shown in the new directors. Why is this happening now and why not before?
People keep coming up with ideas and stories and it's quite nice to see that new directors are willing to experiment. A few years ago, this wasn't the case. You keep bowling the same ball and get hammered. No one was trying to bowl a new delivery. So when youngsters like Vivek Sharma and many more are coming up with different ideas, why not try them? Slowly but surely, you'll see more of this trend happening. If we have to grow the business and Ravi only directs then we'll have one film a year. But here what we are planning to do is make 5 to 6 films a year and that is only possible when we give new directors a chance.
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If we have to grow the business and Ravi only directs then we'll have one film a year. But here what we are planning to do is make 5 to 6 films a year.
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Since you have taken over the proceedings, has B.R. Films seen an upward graph?
Oh yes! Our last film Baabul almost grossed a million pounds alone in the U.K. In 2008-2009, we are expecting a profit of over 300%. The turn over of Bhoothnath alone will be around Rs.30 crores. The turn over of Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai could well be around Rs.25 crores and the two Deepa Mehta films could be around Rs.10 to 15 crores each. We've got three television serials touching Rs.40 crores in all. That's around Rs.150 crores from 40 crores. Now you can figure out where the graph is heading.
Now let's take your graph behind. I mean, you started off with B.R Films with Baghban and not many know that. Tell us how did your journey start?
For Baghban, I did the marketing and product placements. During that time, I used to head a company called Leo Entertainment, which is a part of the Leo Burnett group. I approached B.R Films and Ravi Chopra saying that I wanted to market their film Baghban. But before I started marketing for Baghban, I had already been associated with films like Kaante, Jism, Kuch Na Kaho, Darna Mana Hai, Ab Tak Chappan, Plan and Gayab. Now, I don't take care of marketing directly. Beena Ahuja is the Marketing Head right now because if I have to look at the overall growth of the organization, I need team leaders. When I started, I had no idea how our film industry works, how television works, had no clue about postproduction, animation, etc. I am now in a position to put any business in place and that we have started by listing our company in April in the U.K. My dream is to go international with B.R. Films and I know we will reach there.
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Plans for Bhootnath 2
