Early in his career, director Devashish Makhija worked as an assistant to Anurag Kashyap on Black Friday and Shaad Ali on Bunty Aur Babli. He initially pursued a mainstream path, directing an animated film for Yash Raj Films, but after three years in production, the project was abruptly shelved. Makhija recently opened up about this setback in an interview.

Speaking with Screen, he reflected on his journey into filmmaking: “It’s been a very confusing journey. That’s why, at 45, I’m only making my fifth film. Had I chosen a clearer path, I’d be on my 11th or 12th by now. After Bunty Aur Babli, I was working on an animated film for YRF and Disney. But when their first animated venture, Roadside Romeo, failed, they pulled the plug on mine—even though it was three years into production. I was supposed to complete it at Pixar. That experience cost me three years.”

Makhija also spoke about how this experience shaped his career: “Somehow, I ended up going down the Yash Raj path. But when my film got shelved, I walked away from a three-film deal with them. No one had told me that a project so deep into production could just be scrapped. They erased three years of my life.”

Devashish Makhija’s Career

Makhija eventually made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Oriya film Oonga in 2013. He later directed Bhonsle and Joram, both starring Manoj Bajpayee, earning critical praise and awards, though they weren’t commercial hits. His upcoming film, Gandhari, stars Taapsee Pannu.