BOI: Can you introduce us to your banner and the journey of Tips?
Ramesh Taurani (RT): We were initially a music company, which we launched in 1981. Since we wanted to get into films, we started buying film music in 1988. We wanted to buy the rights to big films and work with big producers, so we bought N Chandra’s Narasimha, Feroz Khan’s Yalgaar, Subhash Ghai’s Khalnayak, Indra Kumar’s Raja and made our mark. Everyone knew that Tips paisa baant raha hain, market mein naya murga aaya hain toh isko loot lo.
We were thus able to introduce good filmmakers to good music composers. Then with the music cassettes, which used to sell for Rs 18 a piece back then, we drove the price up to ` 55 apeice. So we have always given producers more money and brought in money from the audience.
We started our film production with a joint venture with Sajid Nadiadwala (Jeet), the Morani brothers (Raja Hindustani) and N Chandra (Beqabu). After we gained sufficient experience with movie production, we went solo. Coolie No. 1 was our first solo project. Vashu Bhagnani wanted to get into production at the time, so we made him handle the production of this film. From Auzaar onwards, we started producing our own films.
Auzaar to Ramaiya Vastavaiya, we have made 33 films, and 95 per cent of them have been successful. Among the few that didn’t work was The Legend Of Bhagat Singh but that’s because there were four other movies on the same person releasing on the same date.
We even spoke to Sunny Deol and suggested that we would discuss each other’s films and decide that only the better one would get made. We met with Dharamji and Bobby Deol but Sunny did not agree to our proposal. We even told him that we would make a big film with Bobby in it as Rajkumar Santoshi had another concept but he would not agree to anything we said.
BOI: From Auzaar to Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, what is the biggest difference you see in the industry now, especially in the Tips the banner?
Kumar Taurani (KT): The industry is much more organised, and corporate studios have upped the game. Everyone has to adjust to that and Tips too is in the process of doing that.
RT: Ours is an actor-driven industry and we all know it’s relationships that matter. I have never once told an actor, ‘Arrey, chalna baithte hain ek director ke saath aur kuch work out karte hain.’ Whenever we have wanted a big star for a film, we have presented a concept, whether it was Saif (Ali Khan) for Race and Race 2, Ranbir (Kapoor) for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani or Salman (Khan) for Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai…
Sohail Khan narrated the script of Auzaar to us and we liked the story. Then we approached Salman Khan. We approach an actor only if the script demands their presence in the film.
Another difference in the industry is that everything is more professional; everyone is organised; everyone comes prepared, whether actors or directors.
Things were very different 15 years ago. Today, a new multiplex is opening almost every two months, and there are many more screens now. Had our Kya Kehna released today, it would have earned Rs 60 crore. Even The Legend Of Bhagat Singh would have crossed Ts 100 crore. Everyone compared our version of Bhagat Singh with Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, and the reviewers loved the film. It was also an entertaining film. We are currently in the best-ever phase of the industry, when good films are doing good business.
BOI: What are the factors you consider before green-lighting a film project?
KT: The script and the actors are the most important factors; then the budget.
RT: There are times when we have loved a script and tried to bring a director and good actor on board and we have dropped the project if we haven’t been able to get who we wanted. If your casting is not right, the film will not work.
BOI: Speaking of Kya Kehna… The film was about a student getting pregnant. Why did you attempt such a bold theme at the time?
KT: It was a challenge then, and the trade tried to stop us from making that film. As a result, we had to stop work on the film mid-way, and when we restarted the project, people asked us why we were insistent on making that film. They said, ‘Who will watch Chandrachur Singh and Saif Ali Khan?’ Preity Zinta’s Soldier hadn’t yet released, so everyone was against us making that film. When we completed the shoot, no distributor was willing to touch it. Some even suggested that we release the film via satellite directly. But we had confidence in the film. We knew it was a new concept film and with proper marketing and good music, it eventually did very well.
RT: Yes, that film was definitely ahead of its time. Actually, when Honey (Irani) narrated the script to us, I liked the ending a lot. Saif’s character gets Preity’s character pregnant in the film but, in the end, when he apologises to her, she refuses to go back to him and chooses Chandrachur’s character instead. She tells Saif, ‘I don’t respect you since you didn’t respect me. How can I love you?’ This particular line stuck with me and I made sure we released the film. More than the pregnancy aspect, it was the women power that appealed me.
BOI: Speaking of women power… You have made films like Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai… and Raja Hindustani. And although you had Salman Khan and Aamir Khan as heroes, respectively, it was the actresses in these films that had a bigger role to play.
RT: I believe women-oriented stories always become super hits. Look at Prem Rog and Ram Teri Ganga Maili… maybe we are inspired by the RK Studios banner! We had six films that were on the floors at the time – Kachche Dhaage, Albela, Kunwara, Soldier, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai… and Kya Kehna. Distributors were interested in five of them but not Kya Kehna. But Kya Kehna was a blessing in disguise for us because we started our own distribution with it, followed by Soldier and many more films after that.
BOI: Was it your belief in the product or your stubbornness that won the day?
RT: It was our belief in the script and later it became our zidd. At that time, we had the music rights of 20 films plus six of our own films were under production. But there came a time when we didn’t release a film for three years. We were wondering how to proceed.
KT : (Cuts in) That was when major changes were being introduced in the industry. The music industry had all but lost its charm; the physical business of music was almost over and the film business was going through a bad phase.
RT: At the time, Reliance had taken over Adlabs. So Manmohan Shetty called us for a meeting and asked us to make ten films for his company. He said he would fund all these projects. He said we could make two films for our banner and ten for them. For three days, Kumar and I discussed the proposal, till it finally struck us. Why weren’t we making ten films on our own? We were working with top actors like Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Govinda. Then we realised that we weren’t making ten good movies because we didn’t have 10 good scripts. So we said ‘no’ to Shetty saab.
When someone puts that kind of faith on you, you have to respect their money. So he approached Vipul A Shah. When I met him at a party later, I asked him whether he was making those 10 films. And he said, ‘Kahan 10 scripts milte hain, Rameshji?’ I was happy that we had taken the right decision. Then they approached Ram Gopal Verma and he agreed.
You have to understand the craft very well to make a film. A banner is not a factory. This year, we have had four releases – Race 2, Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story, Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Phata Poster Nikhla Hero. Our next film will release in May next year, which is It’s Entertainment. And, no, we are not insecure that we don’t have any releases before that. We have a great line-up for the next few years, aapko toh sab pata hai, sab chhap chuke ho aap log. Aur aap logon ke readers padh bhi chuke hain. (Laughs)