In 2023 few movie producers stand out in the industry by creating stories that need to be heard. They broke the norms by changing the narrative that only masala movies can earn success on a big scale. In previous years experienced many story-driven movies creating records in theatres. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anand Pandit and Karan Johar were among the makers who broke the rules of typical popular entertainment.


Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Ever since this FTII graduate debuted as a filmmaker with the movie 'Sazaye Maut', he has consistently put efforts to make critics and audiences with cult classics such as 'Parinda' and ‘1942: A Love Story'.  In 2023,  Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced and directed a movie that once again redefined the meaning of a successful movie in Bollywood.  '12th Fail', which is inspired by a book written by Anurag Pathak. The book is based on the real-life academic journey of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma. The movie not only became a surprise, small-budget hit of the year but was immediately acknowledged as the modern classic movie. 12th Fail features Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee. It made over ₹66 crore at the box office and recently received 5 awards at the 69th Filmfare Awards. Founded in 1985, Vinod Chopra Films remains one of the most versatile production houses in the Indian entertainment industry.  


 Anand Pandit

Anand Pandit Motion Pictures is one of the best pan-Indian production houses which has made successful movies in many regional languages such as Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Pandit has managed to work with cinematic talents across India to tell vivid and diverse multi-lingual stories. In 2023 Anand Pandit created a remarkable mark in the entertainment industry by delivering '3 Ekka', a blockbuster that became the second-highest-grossing Gujarati movie of all time. This movie was directed by Rajesh Sharma and written by Chetan Daiya and Parth Trivedi. '3 Ekka' starred Malhar Thakar, Yash Soni, Mitra Gadhavi, Kinjal Rajpriya, Esha Kansara, and Tarjanee Bhadla in lead roles.  


Aditya Chopra

Aditya Chopra has always walked on the path created by him and set high standards rather than following in anyone's footsteps. He continued to top the blockbuster game in 2023 with the YRF production 'Pathaan' grossing ₹1,050.30 crore worldwide and becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2023. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the movie features Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana. Aditya Chopra's cinematic journey began at the age of 18 when he started working with his father as an assistant director of movies such as Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991) and Darr (1993). In 1995, at the age of 23, he directed Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995). He continues to redefine the cinema as a director, distributor, producer and chairman of Yash Raj Films.


Karan Johar

Dharma Productions became the powerhouse of Bollywood when the son of producer Yash Johar, made his directorial debut with the classic Bollywood movie ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' in 1998. Karan Johar has not only maintained his calibre of understanding cinema but also evolved as a filmmaker. His success and critical acclaim earned in 2023 by 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' which grossed over ₹355 crore worldwide and won 4 awards at the 69th Filmfare Awards. The movie features Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog.


Gauri Khan

Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan established Red Chillies Entertainment in 2002. They delivered the biggest hit of 2023 and the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of all time.  'Jawan’ starring Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra earned over ₹1,148.32 crores and at the 69th Filmfare Awards, received 2 awards. 


Dinesh Vijan

Under his production company, Maddock Films, Dinesh Vijan has become a prominent personality in Indian cinema. He has supplied the audience with outstanding content for both Hindi movies and OTT content. 'Zara Hatke Zara Bachke' (2023), one of his movies released in 2023 starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan, turned out to be a sleeper hit. Homi Adajania's horror movie 'Murder Mubarak, which stars Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Tisca Chopra, Kunal Khemu, and Sanjay Kapoor, is Vijan's upcoming movie. Maddock Films is a brand that has left an indelible mark on the entertainment sector with over 30 films, including hits like ‘Stree,’ ‘Hindi Medium,’ ‘Luka Chuppi,’ ‘Badlapur,’ ‘Love Aaj Kal,’ ‘Cocktail,’ and ‘Raabta.’