Dibakar Banerjee signs up with Yash Raj Films

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…In what could be regarded as a major breakthrough in the alliance between commercial and off-mainstream cinema, avant-garde filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee who has earlier made out-of-the-box films for prominent production houses like PVR (Shanghai) and Balaji Films (Love Sex Aur Dhokha) has now moved into the super-league.

Last week at a hush-hush meeting, Dibakar finally shook hands with Yash Raj's team after weeks of negotiation. He would be directing his next film, a whodunit set in Kolkata, for Yash Raj Films.

Dibakar is part of Aditya Chopra's out-of-the-box talent-hunt for his production company. One learns from a reliable source at Yash Raj that negotiations are on with several other prominent young established filmmakers.

Getting Dibakar Banerjee into Yash Raj was not easy. According to sources, the director, known to make austerely budgeted films, drove a really hard bargain with Yash Raj.

Says the source, "Yash Raj was keener to have Dibakar on board than he was to join Yash Raj. Intense negotiations went on before the deal was finally closed last week. Apparently, Dibakar has agreed to direct a film for Yash Raj at a fee of Rs.5 crores.

Says a source, "Dibakar wouldn't settle for any less. Yashraj requested him to scale down his remuneration. But Dibakar who has openly spoken of how budget constraints cramped his style of functioning to the extent that he couldn't take his entire Shanghai team to the last IIFA awards, was very clear that if he agreed to work with a well-placed production company, he would be paid well."

YRF confirmed that while specifics of the slate are still being decided, the arrangement entails that two of the films will be directed by Dibakar and the third by his long-time associate and the writer of the path-breaking Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Kanu Behl.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more