Keeping up with Sajid Nadiadwala, the man who's done it all

Bollywood producer-director  Sajid Nadiadwala talks about the evolution in Indian cinema and how this is the best time to be in the industry.
Sajid Nadiadwala (Photo | Instagram)
Sajid Nadiadwala (Photo | Instagram)

He’s been there and done it all. A successful producer and director, 53-year-old Sajid Nadiadwala has survived in Bollywood for more than three decades and his calendar is full right till 2021.

“I have never been so busy. I am working 16-18 hours a day, listening to scripts and meeting new directors and making decisions,” Sajid says, even as his production Chhichhore, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, rakes in the moolah at the box office. Up next are Housefull 4 directed by Farhad Samji and 83 directed by Kabir Khan.  

Talking about the current favourite of the masses, he says, “Chhichhore follows a group of college kids into their 40s.

It’s an emotional film and one of the finest films of my career. It reminded me of my young days.

I could connect with the film because of my sons, Subhaan and Sufiyaan. They are 16 and 18, respectively, and I told them to  make this film their Bible.”

He goes on to add that no one but Nitesh could have directed the film. While many compare the story to Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots, he clarifies, “Yes, there are similarities as they are both set in an IIT campus. But I don’t mind the comparisons at all.”

As a producer, Sajid says that he makes two kinds of films: One, where he can learn from and the other where he can teach.

“You cannot survive if you are not learning. You never know what you will face next. The new generation is very professional, sharp and clear. Films are being made in three to four months. When I started, we made one film in five years.

I remember when I made Ghulami in 1982, we took two months just to find Dharmendra’s costumes. By the time we finished our film the size of the clothes of some actors had changed.

Now we complete a film within three months. If actors come at 9.30 am for a 9 am shoot, they are called unprofessional. During our times if there was a  20-day schedule, actors would come for 12 days and we would still be happy.”

The producer-director believes that cinema in India is going through its best phase now. “Content is the king. Everyone is taking chances.

"When Imtiaz came to me with Highway, he was not sure I would do it but I decided to go ahead with it. The film did well and it gave me the courage to do more such films. I decided to do a remake of a south film with Baaghi. The script was so good that it hit the bull’s eye. Later we did Super 30 and presented a completely different Hrithik Roshan. Had I done this 15 years ago, no one would have bought it.”

He has a very good track record in an industry that sees success and failure every Friday. What is his take on failures? 

“Our weakest film is because of balance sheet. For example, my film Tamasha is the most-talked-about in the world. People come and tell me they loved the film. There were expectations because it starred Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. I believe that it released before its time. Had it been released now, the film would have done well. Also, our cost was more and recovery less.”

Sajid has been balancing both off-beat subjects and commercial ventures with equal panache. How does he manage to do both? The filmmaker says that he keeps the reins firmly in his hands.

“There is only one person who green-lights every project, and that is me. When I started out, I made a few films just to make money, but they did not do well. Then I listened to my heart. I made Judwaa with Salman Khan and it paid off. I have realised that things I didn’t do for money, have done well.”  

Quite a few star kids have been introduced under his banner—from Tiger Shroff to Ahaan Shetty.

“I feel responsible for them. Tiger is doing Yash Raj Films’ War with Hrithik and they both are looking so good. I hope this works for him. He’s too capable just to survive on our company. Ahaan is busy with his debut RX100, under our banner and looks prepared.”  Sajid has just announced the third outing of Baaghi, besides scripting Kick 2.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com