Over 100 directors have made their debut in the past two years in B-Town!

If 2007 belonged to the new kids making a debut on the acting block, then this year, like the year before, definitely belongs to debutant directors. And it's easy to see why. More than 100 directors have already made their debut in the past two years, with more than 60 newcomers last year and approximately 40 already so far, and there are more to go by the year end. What's more, several of them have had a rather impressive debut too, be it Kiran Rao with Dhobi Ghat, Bejoy Nambiar with Shaitan, Pankaj Kapur with Mausam, Parvin Dabbas with Sahi Dhande Galat Bande, Amole Gupte with Stanley Ka Dabba, or Raghav Dhar's recent Prateik starrer, amongst others. Even some surprise winners including Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Luv Ka The End, Chillar Party, Love Breakups Zindagi, FALTU, Chalo Dilli, Shabri have all been directed by first-timers.
Trade watchers insist that the overwhelming success rate of these rank new filmmakers last year has certainly been an inspiration this year too. "Last year saw some of the best films being directed by debutant directors like Abhishek Chaubey (Ishqiya), Maneesh Sharma (Band Baaja Baaraat), Abhinav Kashyap (Dabangg), Vikram Adtiya Motwane (Udaan) Punit Malhotra (I Hate Luv Storys), Abhishek Sharma (Tere Bin Laden). This high success rate has kind of instilled a confidence and faith of production houses in new talent, who are ready to put the moolah on their skills," reasons trade analyst Taran Adarsh. "Besides, the most important factor is that with most production houses churning out several mid-budget to small-budget films in a year, it opens a window and lends a platform to explore new talent. These small budget films call for directors who are not too expensive, and newcomers are naturally a good option when it comes to taking smaller risks," he adds.
Director Ali Zafar, who made his debut with Mere Brother Ki Dulhan this year, feels that 'it's a golden phase for new talent'. "It's not very easy for a rank newcomer to break it in Bollywood. Today, most production houses, small or big, show consideration to new talent which is an encouraging sign for newcomers like us."
Director Amole Gupte agrees. "If you have a good story to tell, it's easier to find takers today, because most production houses are ready to think out of the box. They are looking at churning out one film after another and the scenario itself is conducive to consider newbies. Even if it's an independent production, a good film will always get noticed," he says.
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai who's always believed in giving a break to newcomers, adds, "Today there are more channels for new talent to showcase their work. Much has to do with an impressive past few years, where the success of several films has shown that you don't need a big name to make your films work. This is certainly a boom time for new directors and actors, and if they hit bull's eye with their first film itself, there's no stopping them."