Super divas Kareena Kapoor and Kajol would never get their manicures ruined by dabbling in the grit of production or direction. And they don’t need to — their careers are going great guns. While Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan produce and manage acting careers simultaneously, they seem to be the exceptions to the perception that if your career before the camera fails, you have no choice but to try and make money with the backroom boys.
Some actors will admit that they dread the moment the gravy train slows down and forces them into production. Actor Emraan Hashmi who manages a steady stream of work says, “Seeing the kind of tension my uncle Mukesh Bhatt goes through as a producer, I don’t think I could even think of turning producer at this stage of my career. An actor anyway goes through a lot of tension. To become a producer-actor would be a little too much to handle.” He doesn’t rule out the possibility of producing in the future, but not anytime soon.
Without a slew of roles on the anvil, Soha Ali Khan admits that she’s considered turning producer but would wait before she jumped into direction. “I want to give it some more time. One has to be really mature to handle production. I watched my brother (Saif Ali Khan) during the making of Love Aaj Kal and now Agent Vinod. I saw how difficult it is to wear the cap of both producer and actor.”
It’s a tough choice but the only choice when other producers aren’t knocking on your door, scripts in hand. Soha says, “There are enough producers making films that we like seeing. ‘Arty’ is not the right word for the genre that I want to make but then yes, I would want to pick up subjects that make for interesting independent cinema.”
Her brother Saif Ali Khan still has a vibrant acting career but he too turned producer to make the films no one else would make. “I made Love Aaj Kal and now Agent Vinod — films of the romantic and action genres respectively. But I won’t restrict myself to cinema made with only the masses in mind. I’d like to make all kinds of movies on the same lines as the kind of career choices I’ve made as an actor. For every Love Aaj Kal there has been an Omkara. For every Hum Tum there has been a Being Cyrus.”
Not many are as fortunate as Saif. Jimmy Sheirgill’s Bollywood dreams never came true, but he found himself a footing in the Punjabi film industry when he turned producer with the Punjabi film Dharti.
He explains his decision, “Regional films have a huge market in India as well as overseas if made, promoted and marketed well. I will be making my own films now and will ensure that the production values and running length are controlled. I have already locked two stories. Now I have decided that unless something major comes my way in Hindi or Punjabi cinema, I would mainly be making my own films.” When opportunity doesn’t knock, you go out and build your own door; Jimmy says, “I am giving my heart and soul to these movies.”
Regional cinema is helping Neetu Chandra find her niche. Producer for the Bhojpuri film Deswa, she says, “We are losing touch with our own soil. We make films with strong Hollywood influences, but what about our own rich culture and tradition? Though my first film is set in Bihar, it will have a mix of Hindi, English and even Telugu. It is important to grow as a professional. Once you produce your own film, you learn what goes on behind the scenes. It has been an enriching experience.”
The poster boy for the flop actor who got his stars to shine as producer is Arbaaz Khan. Dabangg was 2010’s biggest hit and Arbaaz is understandably chuffed, “Dabangg was my first step towards production and I am sure that I will be making more films. My family comes from a strong film making background and Sohail (Khan) has anyways been making movies for a while. Initially I didn’t have a clue about production, but Sohail got the entire machinery in place. He was a great help in handling finance, marketing and the business aspects of the film. Now is the time for Dabangg. But soon I may just start and complete another film as well.”
Arbaaz’s success has inspired many, perhaps even zero-offer actors Zayed Khan and Dia Mirza who have decided to become partners and produce films jointly.
Acting was not for Rakesh Roshan who found his true calling when he decided to direct and produce films. Even Subhash Ghai, the original showman, decided to produce and direct movies after his acting career just refused to take off. Bitten by the showbiz bug, flop stars might just realise that they were a hit director or producer waiting to happen. For the rest it becomes an expensive learning experience as Bollywood shuts the door on them on their way out into obscurity.

(Inputs by Joginder Tuteja)