Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are launching Excel Origins.
The endeavour aims to find the next generation of Indian filmmakers under the age of 30.
Excel Entertainment is turning 25 this year.
Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani have created Excel Origins, an initiative seeking to discover, hone and promote the next cohort of Indian filmmakers under the age of 30, as their production house Excel Entertainment celebrates 25 years.
A joint statement was shared on their social media handle, “25 years ago, we started Excel Entertainment and began work on a film called Dil Chahta Hai. We had a simple thought - New voices and a different way of telling stories , will find an audience. We were twenty-six years old. We didn't have all the answers, but we had the courage to take risks and the tenacity to make it happen". .
“As we look back at everything this journey has given us, we also find ourselves thinking about what the next 25 years has in store for us. We believe it will include Excel empowering young, aspiring filmmakers with bold ideas and the courage to tell stories differently,” they said. “So, as Excel celebrates its silver anniversary, we’re launching Excel Origins – an initiative to discover and back the next generation of filmmakers. New voices. Original stories. Breakthrough genres. Because the best way for us to celebrate where we came from is to invest in where cinema goes next. 25 years of Excel. Now, back to our Origins.”
Dil Chahta Hai starred Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Aamir Khan as three college friends. It went on to earn over Rs 40 crore at the box office and rewrote the grammar of Hindi cinema in foundational ways.
Excel Entertainment's Journey
Under the new endeavour, Excel will look for storytellers across India, sharpen fresh outings across an assortment of genres. Younger filmmakers will get a push to pursue original material, breaking out of pre-existing templates.
Since the landmark film, Dil Chahta Hai, Excel Entertainment has built a filmography spanning Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the Don and Fukrey franchises, Raees, Dil Dhadakne Do and Gully Boy. The company also produced Inside Edge, India’s first original series for Prime Video, and went on to make Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Dahaad and Bambai Meri Jaan for the platform.
