Day 2 of the Waves 2025 Summit began with a session titled Studios of the Future: Putting India on the World Studio Map, featuring Aamir Khan, Namit Malhotra, Dinesh Vijan, Ajay Bijli, Charles Roven, and Ritesh Sidhwani. The discussion, moderated by film journalist Mayank Shekhar, focused on box office trends before and after the pandemic.
Producer Dinesh Vijan was asked about his film Stree, which grossed approximately Rs 180.76 crore at the worldwide box office, while its sequel, Stree 2, crossed the Rs 800 crore mark. The moderator noted that although both films belong to the same franchise, the sequel earned over four times more, highlighting the stark difference in post-pandemic collections. Vijan’s film Chhaava, which also surpassed Rs 800 crore globally, was mentioned as well. The moderator then asked whether such success gave the producer the leverage to increase his budgets and pursue more ambitious projects.
While Aamir Khan looked surprised to know that Stree 2 and Chhaava crossed the Rs 800 crore mark, Vijan shared that Indian films still have not reached a point where they can compete in the international market. He also highlighted the difference between Hollywood and Bollywood filmmaking.
“There are international films that have spent time and effort to build an international market which requires money so we have to work on it. Everyone says content is king but a very wise man told me that distribution is God,” shared the producer.
He added, “Second part is content. We have reached a very interesting space. I believe that any content that breaks out globally first explodes in its own region. I think post-pandemic we understand that the stories need to be made for the common man. You gave the example of Stree and Chhaava. I know city people do not come to the theatre on Friday and Saturday. I am talking about the main cities. I think they wait to know for sure it’s good because it’s expensive, and requires time. For the last 10 years, we want stories about ourselves. And India is the only country with such a rich culture.”
The producer then shed light on the film Mahavatar, which is being bankrolled by his banner Maddock Films. It is an epic tale about Chiranjeevi Parashurama, starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead role.
“We are attempting to make Mahavatar which is the biggest film that we have ever made. And we are making use of the technology available to make a world-class film,” shared the producer.
Dinesh Vijan added that collaboration is another key factor in gaining international recognition. He emphasized the importance of taking Indian content global through distribution.
