incorporated (2006) completed 20 years on July 7 and is a film that Madhur Bhandarkar considers his favorite film. The film starring Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Raj Babbar and Rajat Kapoor was loved for its theme, shocking climax, performances, music etc. Despite dealing with the complex world of corporate business and the stock market, the story was easy to understand, an aspect that was widely appreciated by audiences and critics. on COrporateOn the 20th anniversary of , Madhur Bhandarkar goes down memory lane and shares charming trivia.
20th Anniversary Exclusive: Madhur Bhandarkar says corporate bookings, in a healthy way, started with the corporate: “Half days were announced in some offices; employees were encouraged to watch films”; Revealing, “Many people stopped drinking soft drinks after watching this!”
you had made page 3 (2005) and it was a sleeper-hit. What inspired you to make a film on the corporate world during that period?
incorporated It was a film that was ahead of its time. It was a very different world for me. I didn’t have any story. The title attracted me and I decided to create a corporate one, obviously based on the corporate world. I collaborated with writer Manoj Tyagi, who wrote Speculative (2003) and page 3 with me. He was an MBA guy and had a lot of knowledge, unlike me, about the corporate world.
after page 3I got a lot of feedback from corporate people and socialists. Many people believed that we had exposed the weakness of the upper class rich people. So, many people were reluctant to give us access to their boardrooms (laughs)! They were afraid that I would expose them too.
Still, I managed to do my research and met many people in Mumbai and Delhi. We focused on the rivalry between the two soft drink giants as the crux of the story. We also focused on the nuances of these people and their superstitions. For example, we showed Raj Babbar’s character wearing a ring depending on the day of the week. This film was 70% inspired by real life. We took the actual events that happened at that time.
I met people not only from the corporate world but also from the financial side. Many finance journalists also shared interesting information. I believe it was a well scripted and well made film.
Was Bipasha Basu the first choice?
When I was thinking about who to cast for this role, she immediately came to my mind. At that time her image was very glamorous. Body (2003) was released two years earlier. At corporate, I was going to dress her from head to toe, that too in suits! So, many people were apprehensive, but I was adamant on casting him. To tell the truth, I had not seen the body; I still haven’t seen it. The only film of his that I had seen till then Stranger (2001). I liked her in that movie.
A lot of people commented that my films are performance-heavy and wondered if she could do it. I was confident that I would get a better performance than him. To date, Corporate is a landmark film in Bipasha Basu’s career. Now, this is the era of OTT. At that time she told me that she used to hand over corporate DVDs to filmmakers who wanted to watch her acting. It was like a showreel for him. So, I feel very happy for him.
How was the response to the film after its release?
Corporate was a big multiplex hit and was highly appreciated. There were organizations that alleged that I looked at everyone in the corporate world the same way. He believed that every character in the film was immoral. Therefore, he feared that people would get discouraged from pursuing MBA after watching the film!
However, people from the corporate sector appreciated the film a lot. Some big businessmen of the country sent me bouquets and shared their positive feedback. I don’t want to take his name. He took great pains to find my number and told me, ‘You got the details and the jargon right.’ One business personality commented, ‘I felt as if you had set up a camera in my office and shot a movie. It’s so real’! Stock market people were amazed by the research and detail. Those were the biggest compliments I ever got.
Half day off was announced in some offices and employees were encouraged to observe incorporated. Groups of 30, 40 and even 50 people used to come to watch the film. We can say that corporate booking, in a good way, started in 2006 with the film incorporated (laughing)!
So, yes, the response was great. I was constantly receiving SMS on my Nokia phone. Bipasha Basu received lots of wishes and positive responses. Sahara and Percept throw a success party at Taj Lands End. He also gifted me a Pajero car. I was very overwhelmed.
Do you ever plan to make one? corporate 2?
A lot of people have been asking me this since the release of Corporate and even today I keep getting that response. The corporate world has completely changed since then, and I also believe that there is immense potential for sequels in corporate. So, never say never. However, if I make it, it will be set in a different context, offer a different perspective and explore a completely different corporate world.
incorporated IIM Ahmedabad is a case study…
(smiles) Really. I had the privilege of addressing the MBA students there. It was great to interact with him and he saw something I never saw in my own film! I asked students about their takeaways. They unanimously told me, ‘The corporate world i people One should work with the mind, not with the heart.! I was astonished. I asked him the reason. His argument was that Bipasha’s character made a huge sacrifice because she was in love. Ultimately, his emotional decision lands him in jail. Therefore, he concluded that one needs to be very practical in this field.
It reminded me of what girls had said to me many times after watching Chandni Bar (2001). He said, ‘Your film teaches us how important it is to be financially strong in life. life i never do anything It can also happen and bad days do not come silently..
The film appears to be inspired by the Coca-Cola and Pepsi rivalry. The pesticide angle also seems to be taken from real life…
Yes, a lot of people made parallels. Many people told me that they stopped drinking soft drinks after watching Corporate! I was filled with such interesting responses. Many people who opposed the film before its release invited me to their programs after watching the film. I never held any grudge and accepted such invitations.
In short, it has been a great journey for me and even after 20 years, people are still connected with the film.
