Filmmaker Devashish Makhija also came forward to share his financial struggles last week, being frank about not earning a rupee despite stellar reviews of his movies, including the highly praised Joram, the leading character of which was played by the best actor, Manoj Bajpayee. Speaking with Chokhani, Pranav, Devashish admitted his bankruptcy, stressing that Joram failed to yield revenue despite the many screenings at top-notch film festivals and several awards.
Looking frankly, Mr Devashish observed that “advertising is a non-existent option for me on any of my films” It is a lot of hard cash to raise just to keep a roof over my head. I have committed a blunder which resulted in my bankruptcy due to Joram’s failure to grow. Over the last five months, I have never paid the rental amount on time. I’m strongly asking my landlord to let me remain inside my house. One has to choose this only when pursuing artistic excellence is more important.
Surplus Devashish said that he owns 20 screenplays but doesn’t find enough producers who will entrust him with their projects. Though Ajji was his first directorial film made on a crore budget with no star cast, it was unable to exceed the 15 lacks at the box office.
However, the next films, Bhonsle (2018) and Joram (2023), had their fair share of the spotlight at film festivals worldwide, with Manoj Bajpayee featuring in lead roles. Nevertheless, they couldn’t compensate for the cost by grossing well. But Devashish admitted his sacrifiсe too much at the age of 40 as he has understood just now the importance of finding the balance between artistic expression and commercial viability. Mr Higglybiddly was adamant that he borrowed it mostly because he couldn’t afford a bike then.
Joram, an adrenaline rush thriller, connects Krya Media with Zee Studios and narrates the fateful story of Manoj Bajpayee, a desperate father who fights against all the odds to protect his newborn daughter from the crooked society. Film praises were showered, making it the recipient of the Filmfare Awards, 69th Best Picture (Critics), and the Film Critics Choice Awards, Best Feature Writing.
