Filmmaker Devashish Makhija recently opened up about his financial struggles, revealing that he hasn’t earned any money from his critically acclaimed movies, including last year’s Joram, starring Manoj Bajpayee. In an interview with Pranav Chokhani, Devashish shared that he is currently bankrupt due to the lack of financial returns from his films.
“I have not made money off any of my films.I struggle to pay rent. Because Joram didn’t make any of its money back, I am bankrupt. I haven’t paid rent in the last five months. Main abhi landlord ke aage haath-pair jod raha hoon ke yaar mujhe ghar se mat nikalo (I’m begging my landlord to not evict me from my house). That is the price you have to pay if you want to prioritise your art,” he expressed.
“I have not made money off any of my films.I struggle to pay rent. Because Joram didn’t make any of its money back, I am bankrupt. I haven’t paid rent in the last five months. Main abhi landlord ke aage haath-pair jod raha hoon ke yaar mujhe ghar se mat nikalo (I’m begging my landlord to not evict me from my house). That is the price you have to pay if you want to prioritise your art,” he expressed.
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Despite having 20 scripts ready, Devashish mentioned that no producer is willing to invest in his projects. His directorial debut feature Ajji (2017), made on a budget of Rs 1 crore, couldn’t recover its costs, earning only Rs 15 lakh at the box office.
His subsequent films, Bhonsle (2018) and Joram (2023), both screened at prestigious film festivals and featuring Manoj Bajpayee, also faced financial setbacks. Devashish, aged 40, lamented that he realized too late in his career the importance of balancing art and commerce in filmmaking. He expressed his current financial limitations, mentioning that he can’t even afford to buy a bicycle at this point.