Aamra

Bangla Talkies

The filmi journey: After a rough start with the horror film Raat Barota Panch which flopped at the BO, Bangla Talkies produced the serious Padakkhep, which too failed to draw footfalls. Next up was the super-fun sex comedy Aamra, which generated a lot of buzz among GenX. Bangla Talkies founder Nitesh Sharma worked his way up from a production assistant to the executive producer in Rituparno Ghosh’s Dahan and assistant line producer in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black. In 2005, he floated Bangla Talkies.

Money matters: “I spent Rs 15 lakh on Raat Barota Panch and I was happy with the returns. I just wanted to break even. We made Aamra with Rs 15 lakh too. We targeted the multiplex crowd and we were successful. The only film I am not happy with is Padakkhep,” says Nitesh.

Target audience: The “thinking” multiplex crowd. “Run-of-the-mill masala films generate a lot of money but I can’t watch them so I won’t make them,” says Nitesh.

In the pipeline: A few more hatke films like Rangan Chakravarty’s Bor Ashbe Ekhuni and 3X by debutant director Q. Bor Ashbe... has a budget of Rs 75 lakh, 3X is riding on Rs 27 lakh.

Neel Rajar Deshe

Miracle Films

The filmi journey: Began with the small screen before moving towards the big. Miracle Films churned out three TV hits on the trot — Mirakkel, Dance Bangla Dance and Erao Shotru — before foraying into the film world with Neel Rajar Deshe, directed by Riingo, in January. The film revolving around the adventure of two siblings didn’t do well at the box office but fetched good reviews.

“I was preparing to produce a film when the script of Neel Rajar Deshe came my way. Maybe we chose the wrong time to release Neel Rajar Deshe. It’s a children’s film and January was a month of exams. We will re-release it in a few months,” says Rajiv Mehra of Miracle Films.

Money matters: The target is to make films within Rs 1 crore. “And since a crore is quite a lot of money, I want to break even in three weeks,” says the TV producer.

Target audience: Both the urban and the suburban crowds.

In the pipeline: An out-and-out commercial film. “I want to make hardcore commercial films with lots of masala. But I won’t mind making off-beat films once a year,” says Rajiv.

The Bong Connection

Moxie Entertainments & Chivach Media

The filmi journey: Moxie and Chivach are sister concerns of brothers Joy and Soumya Ganguly. They hit the bull’s-eye with their debut film The Bong Connection under the Moxie banner floated by Joy. Chivach, based in Mumbai, was formed by Soumya later but it’s the same team running the show at both places.

It all started with Joy dabbling in documentary and short film production while still working in a management firm in the US. “I had a concept in mind and the obvious progression was towards film production. So, Moxie was formed in 2006,” says Joy.

Money matters: The plan is to make medium-budget movies. “The average budget is Rs 4-6 crore. We target at least 22 per cent returns on an annual basis,” says Soumya. “As a company we aren’t very big yet and so we don’t expect big returns. We are happy as long as we get our money back,” adds Joy.

Target audience: The plex-going audience. “We want to make Bengali films with an urban appeal. We are making two Hindi films because the returns will be more. But we will soon make a Bengali film,” says Joy. “We will only invest in films that have a good script and a potential market,” adds Soumya.

In the pipeline: Anjan Dutt’s BBD and Arindam Nandy’s Via Darjeeling, both Hindi films at the post-production stage. Goutam Halder’s Mukti hits the floors in mid-May, while Kaushik Ganguly has finished the Brake Fail shoot. Next up, Shukno Lanka with Mithun Chakraborty, Roopa Ganguly and Sabyasachi Chakraborty. Talks are on for two more Hindi and Bengali films.

Swarger Niche Manush

Optima Films

The filmi journey: Optima Films is yet to face the box-office acid test. Its first project Chalo Let’s Go, a road movie directed by Anjan Dutt, is gearing up for a summer release. Then comes Anjan Das’s Swarger Niche Manush, at the post-production stage. “A new genre of cinema is emerging in Tollywood and there’s lot more scope for producers now. We want to make medium-budget films with new directors. We won’t make more than four movies a year,” says Renu Roy, the director of Optima Films.

Money matters: The budget swings between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 70 lakh.

Target audience: The young and the old trooping into the multiplexes. “Our target is not just Bengalis but the cosmopolitan crowd. We want to make meaningful, entertaining films,” adds Renu, who had earlier produced Rituparno Ghosh’s Unishe April under the Spandan banner.

In the pipeline: The team is toying with “a couple of scripts”.