Yearender: Indian producers who understood the audience's mood in 2022

Amid all discontent surrounding the kind of content Hindi film producers came up with this year, there were a few rays of sunshine in the form of Bhool Bhulaiya 2, Darlings, and etc. While a lot of content didn't click with the audiences, there were some makers who offered stories that we had never seen or heard before. Here is our pick of the clutter-breaking producers of 2022.

Karan Johar's Ayan Mukerji directorial 'Brahmāstra: Part One' might not have delivered as great on the box office when it premiered but it did end up becoming one of the most successful films of 2022 when it released on OTT. Weaving mythology with VFX, new age spirituality and star power to entertain the audience, the first part of this Rs 410 crore trilogy had its flaws like weak writing, convoluted plot twists, an underdeveloped part for the heroine but the message of love and light finally triumphed over naysayers.The film went on to do great business at the box-office and was widely watched on an OTT platform despite all the controversies that had plagued its release. It starred Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Shah Rukh Khan and Nagarjuna and went on to make Rs 425 crore globally.
 

You can blame him for excessively ornamenting a film that was basically about the exploitation of  women in a patriarchal society but full marks to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for also giving us a female protagonist in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' who towered above her tragedy and carried the story on her shoulders. In a male dominated industry, this was also a triumph for Alia Bhatt whose performance was one for the ages. Beautifully shot, tuned and powerfully narrated, the film won over critics as well as the audience and grossed Rs153.69 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 209.77 crore globally. Bhansali produced the film along with Jayantilal Gada.

How can one become a pan Indian producer? Anand Pandit can helm a master class to show how. This year, Anand made successful forays in multiple film industries. His Gujarati family entertainer 'Fakt Mahilao Mate'  brought families back to theatres while his Marathi horror comedy 'Victoria' is all set to release early next year. He is also producing Kannada action thriller 'Kabzaa' starring Upendra and Kichcha Sudip and also distributed the refreshing social comedy, 'Doctor G' starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rakul Preet Singh. Anand seems to be demonstrating that the time has come for Indian producers to create borderless entertainment in the truest sense of the word.

2022 was truly a monumental year for Alia Bhatt who starred not only in two of the biggest Hindi blockbusters but also worked in her first Hollywood film (Heart of Stone) opposite Gal Gadot and also produced her first film through her banner Eternal Sunshine Productions. Her debut production 'Darlings' was made  in collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and was a dark comedy that explored the troubling subject of domestic abuse with great candour. The film starring Alia opposite Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma was released on Netflix and clocked more than 10 million watching hours in its opening weekend, which was the highest for any non-English language original feature globally.

Bhushan Kumar turned super successful this year with two mega hit films to his kitty, Drishyam 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Both grossed massive numbers at the box office and were highly appreciated by the audiences. Bhushan Kumar was common in both these films along with other producers on board. Both Drishyam 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 capitalised on the bar set by their predecessors. The story was good in both and so was acting by actors involved in the features.

In a year full of entertainment, Applause Entertainment, a content studio led by Sameer Nair hit home with 14 shows produced in 2022, across OTT platforms. Known to tailor international adaptations for Indian audiences, they brought us 'Rudra: The Edge of Darkness', 'Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach', 'Tanaav', 'Mithya', 'Bloody Brothers' -- some of the most binge-watched shows of the year. Sameer's Applause Entertainment has some exciting slate of projects for 2023 including 'Scam 2003', 'Gandhi', 'City of Dreams Season 3' and more.