In 2023,
Shailendra Singh Celebrates
25 Years in Cinema

72 Films in 25 Years,
and So Much More…

Shailendra’s twenty-five year journey in Bollywood began with the mounting of his very first film, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999). Even after creating over two thousand ad films in Percept Ltd, no one would give him a shot as a Film Producer. So Shailendra made his own film, earning a Limca Book of Records Award for ensuring that all 206 people in the film were also debuts : Salim Sulaiman, Vishal Shekhar, Shaan, Dino Morea, Sanjeev Mulchandani, Rajiv Jain, Longinus Fernandes and so many more.

Shailendra followed with the film, Makdee (2002), India’s first children’s horror cinema, which launched the now illustrious career of Vishal Bhardwaj. In Phir Milenge (2004), India’s first social cause cinema, he asked India’s biggest actor, Salman Khan, to die of AIDS. Realizing that Hollywood was outsourcing all their animation to Hyderabad, Shailendra jump-started an entire, now thriving, generation of Indian animation cinema, with the release of Hanuman (2005) -India’s first full-length, 2D animation entertainer! Page 3 (2005), changed the landscape of society culture in India and Malamaal Weekly (2006) broke all the rules of what could work at a multiplex. For Spiderman 3 (2007), he paid India’s first-ever minimum guarantee (11 crores) for a Hollywood film, yet again setting an industry benchmark.

Over three decades, Shailendra Singh produced and released seventy-two feature films and won multiple National Awards. He launched India’s first and largest talent management company, debuting India’s largest stars and icons in front of the cameras and at one time, represented nine of the eleven national cricket team. Percept Pictures was consistently ranked in the Top 5 Studios and Shailendra was the ‘12th Most Powerful Man in Bollywood’ (Filmfare, 2009) and ‘The Starmaker’ (Stardust, 2018). He created and executed 480+ live Bollywood events.

His personal favorite film, however, was Kanchivaram (2008). Famed Director, Priyadarshan was at his commercial peak, but Shailendra sensed a restlessness in his friend. Convincing him to return to the art of cinema, Priyadarshan, Shailendra, Prakash Raj, Shreya Reddy and members of the crew put their egos aside, and guerilla-style, told this tale of the poor silk weaver and his daughter – a story of determination against all odds. Their passion and pain won them standing ovations in Toronto, Dubai and every other festival they attended, as well as three National Awards - in the popular category! Non-Hindi films that have followed, like Baahubali (2015), Pushpa (2021) and Kantara (2022) are testament to Kanchivaram’s legacy proving that cinema has no boundaries - not even language.

When launched, his Shailendra Singh Films YouTube channel was ranked the ‘3rd most watched film platform in India’ and his revolutionary brand of ‘unplugged cinema by Shailendra Singh’ has starred Sergei Polunin (the ‘world’s best ballet dancer’), Deepak Dobriyal, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, and more. His most recent film, which he wrote and directed, Dog (2022), will premiere on Jio Cinema this year.

David Dhawan

With his distinctive directorial style, and ability to create comedies that every member in the family can enjoy, David Dhawan is a powerhouse in Bollywood. Since his directorial debut in 1989, he has directed 42 films, including Aankhen (1993), Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), Coolie No.1 (1995), Hero No. 1 (1997), Partner (2007) and Main Tera Hero (2014). He was nominated twice for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Madhur Bhandarkar

A Padma Shri and four time National Award winner, Madhur Bhandarkar made his directorial debut with Trishakti (1999) and his second film, Chandni Bar (2001), starred critically acclaimed actress Tabu and won him his first National Award. In 2005, he began a five-film partnership with Shailendra Singh, directing the National Award winning films Page 3 (2005) and Traffic Signal (2008), multiplex blockbuster Corporate (2006), multiple award winner Fashion (2009) and Jail (2009).

Priyadarshan

(via video)

A Padma Shri and multiple National Award-winning film director and screenwriter, Priyadarshan has been working in the Hindi and Malayalam for over 40 years. His directorial debut was in 1984, with Roochakkoru Mookuthi, which he followed up with a series of Malayalam slapstick comedies before directing and releasing Chithram (1988), which broke all records of previous collections and spent 366 days in cinemas. He broke his own record with Kilukkam (1991), before his Bollywood career really took off with Hera Phira (2000). Shailendra and Priyadarshan collaborated together on the films, Malamaal Weekly (2006), Dhol (2007), Bumm Bumm Bole (2010), Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal (2012). But it was Kanchivaram which won three National Awards in the popular category, despite being in the Tamil language. 

Iain Banner

(Moderator)

For 35 years, Iain Banner has been a global powerhouse of start-ups, co-founding a number of successful companies with some of the great business leaders in the world. Whether in sport, events, luxury goods or charity, with Iain Banner at the helm, companies are going to thrive. Just some his ventures : Co-Founder, Sports International; Co-founder and Managing Director, Gary Player Design Company; Director of Sponsorship, Richemont International; Founding CEO, Laureus World Sport Awards and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation; Co-founder, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

From the India Pavilion at Cannes 2023, Michael Douglas and Shailendra Singh announced that they were reviving their film project – Racing the Monsoon, the threequel to Romancing the Stone (1984) and Jewel of the Nile (1985). Hollywood’s Leading Man and Bollywood’s Prolific Creative Producer met in Mumbai in the mid-2000’s to scout the Indian railway system, and while the film was eventually postponed due to logistical complexities, the two gentlemen remained good friends. In 2019, Michael Douglas returned to Mumbai and introduced his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones to his “fabulous, crazy, Indian friend” – a journey documented in the short film by Shailendra Singh, Unplugged in Mumbai (2022).

This year, Shailendra commemorates his 25 years in Indian cinema. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are the first industry icons to confirm their attendance at the celebrations, to be held at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, November 20-28th. Michael and Catherine have been invited as guests of honor to IFFI 2023, where Michael Douglas is to be awarded the festival’s most venerable award - the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Cinema - at the Closing Ceremony.