India’s Best CEOs 2025 awards: Maddock Films bets big on franchise strategy; lines up 7 horror-comedy films in 5 years to build scalable IP

Maddock Films is deepening its franchise-led growth strategy with seven new horror-comedy films planned over the next five years, founder Dinesh Vijan said at Fortune India’s Best CEOs 2025 awards in Mumbai on Monday. The move underscores the studio’s focus on interconnected, repeatable IP—a model that has given Maddock a consistent edge even as Bollywood navigates demand uncertainty and shifting audience behaviour.

In conversation with Fortune India's Editor-In-Chief Sourav Majumdar, Vijan said familiarity-driven universes work well when not oversupplied. “Three to four films over a few years is the sweet spot,” he noted, emphasising that the aim is to build sustainable, long-term franchises rather than chase short-term trends.

While several large productions have stumbled at the box office, Maddock’s culturally anchored films—from comedy to folklore-inspired fantasy—have held steady. Vijan attributed this to backing “unique, audacious stories” and drawing from the depth of India’s cultural reservoir rather than formula-driven scripts.

Vijan argued that the biggest threat to cinema is the smartphone, not rival studios. With consumers increasingly hooked to short-form video, theatrical releases must now justify the outing. This reality is pushing Maddock to adopt a screen-agnostic strategy, building IP that can move fluidly across platforms—cinema, OTT and mobile.

Calling AI a “far bigger disruptor than the industry realises”, Vijan said photoreal image generation and sharper, affordable VFX will alter filmmaking economics within the next 18–24 months. The upside: greater visual quality and deeper market penetration. The downside: a creative landscape where “every storyteller will be able to create,” intensifying competition for audience attention.

Maddock’s upcoming marquee title is Ikkis, a war drama based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, the film stars Agastya Nanda as Khetarpal, with veteran actor Dharmendra playing a pivotal role. Vijan described Ikkis as “emotionally powerful” and among the strongest films Maddock has produced, signalling the studio’s continued push into high-quality, prestige storytelling alongside commercial universes.