Breaking into Bollywood with Shashank Khaitan (Director, Badrinath ki Dulhania)

Episode notes

How does a Bollywood director think about making blockbusters? From script to screen to box office success, discover the hidden economics of India's most glamorous industry. Ever wondered how a Bollywood film actually gets made and who makes money from it? In this revealing episode, acclaimed director Shashank Khaitan pulls back the curtain on the complex business machinery of Hindi cinema. From his journey as a small-town dreamer in Nashik who played tennis at the junior international level to becoming the creative force behind romantic comedies like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Shashank breaks down the entire filmmaking value chain. He shares candid insights on how producers, directors, actors, and studios split revenues, the evolving role of OTT platforms in film financing, and why building a rom-com requires balancing romance with comedy down to precise percentages. Beyond Bollywood, Shashank reveals his ambitious second act as co-founder of Global Sports Pickleball, where he's applying his storytelling expertise to build India's next major sporting ecosystem.

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