‘Yash Raj Films wiped out years of my life’: Devashish Makhija on his shelved project

Devashish Makhija began his career by assisting prominent directors like Anurag Kashyap on ‘Black Friday’ and Shaad Ali on ‘Bunty Aur Babli’. He later joined forces with Yash Raj Films to direct an animated project, but it was unexpectedly shelved after three years of production. Makhija recently shared his experiences regarding this setback in an interview.
Talking to Screen, Devashish reflected on his early years in filmmaking and the challenges he faced. He described his journey as “confusing,” noting that at 45, he is only making his fifth film. Makhija shared that after assisting on ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, he was directing an animated film for Yash Raj Films and Disney. However, when YRF’s first animated venture, ‘Roadside Romeo’, failed, his film was shelved three years into production. He was set to complete final production at Pixar but lost three years of work due to the abrupt cancellation. This experience led him to walk away from a three-film deal with YRF, complaining how the decision wiped out crucial years of his career.
Makhija discussed how his decision to pursue mainstream films impacted his career. He noted, “I somehow ended up on the Yash Raj path, but when the film was shelved, I walked away from a three-film deal. I had no idea a project three years into production could be canceled. It essentially erased three years of my life.”
Devashish began his directorial journey with the highly praised Oriya film ‘Oonga’ in 2013. He went on to helm ‘Bhonsle’ and ‘Joram’, both featuring Manoj Bajpayee, which garnered critical acclaim and awards, though they didn’t achieve significant commercial success. His upcoming project, ‘Gandhari’, stars Taapsee Pannu.