The Business of Marathi Movies, exclusive with Sanjay Chhabria, MD, Everest Entertainment.

Born to a business family, and son of renowned producer Gordhan Chhabria, one of the leading overseas financers and distributors of Hindi cinema, you know that films are in a man’s bones when the lullaby he went to sleep as a child was the soft timbre of “Roop Tera Mastana” in the background of relatively young Cinema ensilaging Mumbai. Unknown to Sanjay Chhabria at that time, Cinema was the very world he would in time turned to, as much for his reality as for his astute passion, becoming a vital contributing figure in creating a change in another world of this very industry in time. Progressing from the family business that was already into films, with a tertiary peripheral view of overseas distribution of films with Galaxy Exports’, (the repertoire of some successful films distributed overseas by Galaxy include cult classics of various genres and sub-genres including ‘Chameli Ki Shaadi’, ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’, ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, ‘Kahani’, ‘Parinda’, ‘Guru’& ‘Ram Lakhan’ to name a few). Gaining further leverage into a vital business aspect of filmmaking came from another vertical of Galaxy Exports- Film Finance & Film Trading, which in time deepened his knowledge and know how about the razorsharp world of film financing, putting in place the element which helped him recognize what it took to put a progressive dream into a reality with the practical scrunches and boulders right in place. Eventually taking off on the mantle of Independent footing, it was time to take his vision further, and he independently floated a Video Publishing Company “Everest Multimedia” to market & distribute Home Videos of Hindi Feature Films, building a strong library of over 125 films in a short span of three years, including the unforgettable classics such as ‘Khuda Gawaah’, ‘Aankhen’, ‘Arjun’ , ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ , ‘ Nagin’ ,‘Jaani Dushman’ , ‘Kati Patang’ , ‘Amanush’ & ‘Naram Garam’, stirring his direction to an even larger pool of execution in the entertainment section. With a building momentum and exposure into the various facets of Cinema, production was only a natural progression waiting to happen, which eventually shaped up as a transition from the business side to the creative side of storytelling. And it all began when he identified the patterns of distribution in the Regional segment, specifically the Marathi Industry, which he discovered was a space not tapped well until then. Another venture, another effort at fleshing out the nuances for this segment specifically from distribution and the business perspective, eventually lead him to going with his ‘gut’ as he ventured in for the first time into production with Mahesh Manjrekar’s ambitiously written, Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy. Years of understanding cinema, the pulse of a good script and the need for meaningful cinema, and a rational decision was made to produce it. A decision which paid off brilliantly, as not only did the movie go onto becoming the highest grossing Marathi film of all time, it inspired multitudes. One hit followed after another, and there were memorable classics such as Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho’, Moraya' & 'Tukaram' which followed, and met with equal applause, both critically and commercially. There was no looking back after that, and with Managing Director Sanjay Chhabria’s vision, Everest Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, became a household name which today not only produces and commissions Marathi films but also distributes and showcases films globally across all formats: Cinema, Home Entertainment, Television and New Media. Today, Everest can boast of having build an impressive film library with over 200 titles, categorically establishing itself as one of the prime content owners in the business so far. A man who can spend countless hours discussing good cinema, whose eyes light up when he can recall a classic quote from a movie he loves, it is all about touring the road less travelled with progressive thinking Cinema he truly looks forward to being on the path of. #marathimovie