The Sanjay Dutt biopic Sanju released a while back and has left the box office in awe of the sheer collections of the venture. Starring Ranbir Kapoor in the title role the film which was directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra set the cash register jingling from the first day itself.
However, while the makers of the film are being hailed for a pristine cinematic experience, the presenters of the film, Fox Star Studio are smiling with joy as their venture has paid off multifold. Talking about the stunning success of Sanju, Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studio reveals that the film’s success is indeed not just a win at the box office but also for the production house saying, “It is an amazing achievement as Sanju has become the number one film of the year. And what gives me great pleasure is that Fox Star Studio has now become the number one studio as well- so the No 1 Film from the No 1 Studio is a great place to be in!”
But Singh’s words of praise for the film and its makers don’t end there. Continuing to talk about Sanju, its success and what Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra were like he adds, “You are aware that though Sanju has achieved these stunning numbers despite the fact that it did not release over a holiday weekend and the film had a UA certification. So considering these factors, all in all it’s a spectacular achievement.”
Going on to talk about collaborating with Hirani and Chopra Singh says, “When we partnered on Sanju, we were of course aware of the tremendous credentials that both Raju and Vidhu come. Raju is a master storyteller – director and Vidhu has some brilliant credentials as a producer & director. So going in, we knew that we would have a great film with a massive appeal. But honestly, we could not have predicted that it would go on to do Rs. 300 cr plus. And that’s why we are pleasantly surprised.” But it isn’t just content that sells a film, marketing too play a major role in making the audience aware of a release.
Detailing the same Vijay Singh says, “You have to believe in the director’s vision of the story and that’s what we were taken in by. In the case of Sanju, a film directed by Raju Hirani was the reason that excited the audiences. And since this was Sanjay Dutt’s version of his story, combined with amazing performances, made the film a must watch. The marketing of the film played an equally important role in eventising the film – whether it was the first trailer or all the other assets created from the film. We had a clear marketing strategy for the film with digital marketing at its core. The cross leveraging that we were able to do on the Star Network and Hotstar was also unparalleled” However, one thing that stands out after the stunning success of the film was Ranbir Kapoor’s performance. Singh proudly asserts that not only was the film all engaging, equally important was Ranbir’s performance.” Ranbir was brilliant – the transformation of Ranbir and the nuanced performance was the clincher. If this had been a Hollywood film, it would have been up for an Oscar nomination.”
Concluding the tete – e- tete Singh looks to the future of Fox Star Studio explaining that his vision for the production house is a simple yet daunting task. “We have been the number two studio for the last few years, but now we have become the number one studio. So the current challenge is sustain the No 1 position and stay on top! It is all about maximising home productions with a strong focus on scripts and building on our strategic relationships with the key Production houses that we are working with!”
