There was a time when Saif Ali Khan was not just experimenting with unusual scripts as an actor, but also quietly building one of Bollywood’s most interesting production banners. From urban romances to zombie
comedies, his company helped back films that later became cult favourites. But just when things seemed to be going well, Saif decided to walk away from production altogether.
In an interview with SCREEN, the actor opened up about why he eventually shut down Illuminati Films, the banner he launched in 2009. “I think it can be an extremely thankless job,” Saif admitted while reflecting on his producing journey.
The actor started the company with Love Aaj Kal, directed by Imtiaz Ali. The film became a major hit and was followed by projects like Agent Vinod, Cocktail, Go Goa Gone and Happy Ending.
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Even though he enjoyed the creative side of production, Saif said the process eventually became exhausting. “But it’s very creative. I like the idea of having an idea and discussing some creatives like the sound and look of things. I did enjoy producing, but it can also be a massive pain,” he said.
Saif also credited much of Illuminati Films’ success to his collaboration with Eros International and producer Dinesh Vijan, who was his producing partner at the time.
“Things move, people move. You see it all over the place. Dinesh has gone on to become a wonderful producer, and that’s great. We had our time, and I did extremely well out of it, and it had a lot to do with what Eros was doing at the time. It was a wonderful opportunity. But some things are meant to last however long they do,” he shared.
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After parting ways professionally in 2014, Dinesh Vijan went on to build Maddock Films into one of the most successful production houses in Hindi cinema. The banner later backed films like Badlapur, Hindi Medium, Mimi, Chhaava and the popular horror-comedy universe including Stree, Bhediya and Munjya.
Interestingly, Vijan also revisited two projects originally linked to Saif’s production journey. Love Aaj Kal starred Saif’s daughter Sara Ali Khan, while Cocktail 2 is currently in the works with Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna.
Saif also spoke about collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan’s production banner Red Chillies Entertainment for his latest Netflix film Kartavya.
Praising Shah Rukh as a producer, Saif said, “Actually, as a producer, he hasn’t made his presence felt in the film. One of the nice things some producers do is give the space and scope to the production. This film has actually been backed by Pulkit. It’s very generous of Red Chillies to do that. We just went to some place in Punjab for a few months, did this film, and came back.”
Founded by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan in 2002, Red Chillies has steadily built a strong streaming slate with projects like Class of ’83, Bob Biswas, Darlings and Bhakshak.
Saif added, “The subjects they pick and the people they put together has been really interesting, and continues to be because I believe SRK has great love for cinema. You can feel that in his production.”
The actor will next be seen in Haiwaan, directed by Priyadarshan, and Hum Hindustani by Rahul Dholakia.
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