This year will be fantastic for Hindi cinema, says producer Dinesh Vijan

Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) Filmmaker Dinesh Vijan, whose production banner Maddock Films had a successful run at the box office in 2024 with “Stree 2”, “Munjya” and “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya”, on Sunday said Hindi cinema is a “quick learning industry” and the new year will be a fantastic one for the filmmakers up north.

Vijan is looking forward to the release of his new film “Sky Force”, billed as the untold story of India’s first and deadliest airstrike ever.

Days ago, Maddock Films announced a slate of new and returning titles in Vijan’s ambitious horror-comedy universe, including “Stree 3”, “Munjya 2”, “Shakti Shalini”, “Chamunda” and “Pehla Mahayudh”.

At the trailer launch of “Sky Force”, the producer commented on the underwhelming performance of Bollywood in 2024, as audiences predominantly turned to Telugu films such as “Pushpa 2: The Rule” and “Kalki 2898 AD,” with a few exceptions like the Hindi movies “Stree 2,” “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” and “Singham Again.”

“Ups and downs tend to happen. But as long as you learn and evolve… I think evolution is happening in writing. Somewhere our strength is that we write for a year-and-a-half before we go (on floors). We don’t try to put projects together. This year, I have a feeling, it will be fantastic (for Hindi cinema)” Vijan told reporters here.

The producer said he is also looking forward to the upcoming line-up of banners like Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions.

“Everything that’s happening in society happens in films and vice versa. We are a very quick learning industry. Just Maddock Films doing well is not enough…

“This year, I’m excited with our line-up, with Yash Raj’s line-up, with Dharma’s line-up. I think there’ll be some fantastic films coming,” he added.

Recently, Telugu film producer Naga Vamsi in a roundtable conversation said that the Hindi film industry focuses on making films for Mumbai’s posh areas like Bandra and Juhu, directing his comments at veteran producer Boney Kapoor who was also part of the interview.

During the roundtable, Vamsi also said that “Mumbai didn’t sleep” after “Pushpa 2” earned over Rs 80 crore at the box office in a single day.

Reacting to Vamsi’s comments, Vijan said Bollywood filmmakers don’t talk enough about their achievements.

“Since the pandemic, there are five (Hindi) films which crossed Rs 500 crore (milestone), which didn’t exist (earlier). Maybe we don’t speak a lot about ourselves… There might be one-two people who say that (Bollywood makes films for Bandra and Juhu).

“But whenever I’ve gone to the South, they’ve been very encouraging. If we just start looking at it like the Indian film industry, maybe Rs 500 crore plus Rs 800 crore will be equal to Rs 1,300 crore. Why don’t we aim for that?” he added.

Directed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Kapur, “Sky Force” is produced by Maddock Films and Jio Studios.

Starring Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Nimrat Kaur and Sara Ali Khan, the film will hit the screens on January 24.