Acclaimed filmmaker Devashish Makhija, who recently directed the Netflix action thriller Gandhari, opened up about a major turning point in his career involving Yash Raj Films. Early in his journey, he arrived in Mumbai with very little money, spent nights at a railway station, and slowly built his way up through hard work, writing, and assisting on notable projects like Black Friday and Bunty Aur Babli.
His dedication eventually earned him a three-film deal with Yash Raj Films at the age of twenty-seven, which felt like a massive breakthrough at the time. Under this agreement, he spent three full years developing an ambitious animated feature in collaboration with Disney. However, the project’s future depended heavily on the success of another release, Roadside Romeo, and when that movie failed at the box office, the production studio decided to shelf his project entirely.
Losing three years of hard work on a project that never saw the light of day was a deeply frustrating experience for the young filmmaker. Realizing that staying under the contract would restrict his artistic freedom, Devashish Makhija made the difficult decision to walk away from the remaining deal with Yash Raj Films to tell original, meaningful stories.
Following his departure, he traveled across various regions of India to research ground realities, which later inspired his critically acclaimed independent projects like Ajji, Bhonsle, and Joram. Today, as he works on diverse mainstream and indie ventures like Gandhari, Makhija continues to choose creative authenticity over predictable studio pathways, proving that taking bold steps can shape a truly unique artistic legacy.
The journey following his departure from the studio system was far from easy, as Makhija spent nearly a decade questioning whether he had made the right choice while struggling financially to make his directorial debut.
Despite facing severe financial strain and industry hurdles before his feature film Ajji finally came to life in 2017, he remains steadfast in his commitment to grounded, thought-provoking storytelling. Refusing to compromise his artistic integrity for commercial convenience, his journey serves as an inspiring reminder to emerging writers and directors that true creative fulfillment often requires standing by one’s vision.
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