New Delhi: They have success, they have a fan following, they have stardom and yet Bollywood actors are craving for more. The quest for more led some top-notch actors to film production in 2014 - for a variety of reasons.
If in the past, the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan turned to production business, 2014 saw more A-listers like Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha jumping on to the bandwagon.
Priyanka said that she took up the producer's role to "make small movies and introduce new talent", while for "Dabangg" fame actress Sonakshi Sinha, it's all about family.
For her maiden production venture "Madamji", Priyanka has teamed up with National Award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar.
Sonakshi said that acting is what she knows best and so, she would like to concentrate on "what I know well". But she knew that she would be directly or indirectly involved in film production because of the production house at her home called Shotgun Movies, but she had no immediate plans.
In October, her brother Kussh shared on Twitter: "Sonakshi, Luv and I are happy to announce the formation of our production company - Kratos Entertainment."
Anushka Sharma, on the other hand, started shooting for her maiden production venture "NH10" early this year. The action thriller, directed by Navdeep Singh, revolves round a road trip that goes awry.
While there is still time for their movies to see the light of day, "Dhadkan" star Shilpa Shetty's first production venture "Dishkiyaaoon", an action-mystery, released in March 2014. It wasn't received well.
The actress said at the time that she always "thought that if ever I make a film it would be a comedy or a love story. But I loved the script of ‘Dishkiyaaoon' so much that I wanted people to know the story".
Same was the case with Abhay Deol's debut production "One By Two". It hit the screens early this year, but couldn't impress moviegoers. But he doesn't want to quit.
"Better equipped now", the actor wants to produce more films.
"Iqbal" fame actor Shreyas Talpade turned to production in 2008 with Marathi film "Sanai Chougade". He co-produced it with Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts. This year he went solo and produced Marathi film "Poshter Boyz", which struck gold at the box office.
Seeing the trend of actors taking interest in the business of filmmaking, Shreyas told IANS: "It's about the need to tell a story in your own way. It's one of the reasons why anyone would want to produce a film and it can be in any language."
Asked if he would like to team up with another actor-producer, he said: "I would be completely game. No harm in doing it".
And if one goes by the rise of actors trying their hand at film production, there will be many out there who want to join hands with the "Golmaal" star.
Former beauty queen Dia Mirza too turned producer in 2011 with "Love Breakups Zindagi", simply because she fell in love with the industry.
"Acting came my way at a very early age in my life. I grabbed the opportunity because it looked lucrative and exciting. But somewhere along the way, I realised how much I loved the craft of cinema and with every passing year my fascination for the craft and my desire to do more kept increasing," the 33-year-old told IANS.
"In early 2011, I decided that it was time for me to make cinema that I believed in, to convey stories that I felt I needed to tell, which is then I set out to make our first film ‘Love Breakups Zindagi', which is a romantic-comedy," added Dia, who co-owns Born Free Entertainment with her husband Sahil Sangha.
When Saif Ali Khan joined hands with friend Dinesh Vijan to float Illuminati Films and produced "Love Aaj Kal" in 2009, he said that he decided to turn producer because he wanted to "own the work that is done" and that he wanted to be more "creatively involved in a project apart from just acting in it and take the responsibility".
Old players are welcoming the actors with open arms.
Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, which has produced films like "Shootout at Lokhandwala" and "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai", said that there's no need to feel insecure.
"The trend shows that there is growth in the industry. There is space for everyone. In fact, we would even like to partner with actor-turned producers. If there is any actor with a good script, we can work with him," Garg told IANS.
In a nutshell, the reasons why actors turn to production:
* Love for the craft of cinema.
* Urge to tell stories in their own way irrespective of language.
* Promote new talent.
* Take ownership of their own work.
