The Shocking Truth About Assistant Directors in Bollywood
How do star kids enter Bollywood? We reveal how assistant director roles open secret doors into the Indian film industry. #Bollywood #StarKids #Fusion
Welcome to Fusion, your hub for the most intriguing stories from Bollywood and beyond.
In today’s exclusive, we explore how Assistant Directors (ADs) play a crucial role in shaping Bollywood’s future—and how many “star kids” use this path to enter the industry.
We cover:
The massive scale of the Indian film industry
Why Bollywood struggles despite producing 2,000+ films yearly
The unique role of Assistant Directors behind the scenes
How Salman Khan mentors newcomers like Palak Tiwari
The ongoing debate around nepotism and meritocracy in Bollywood
The Indian film industry remains one of the largest in the world, yet faces constant pressure to evolve. Government initiatives, international collaborations, and rising VFX demand are shaping its future. Meanwhile, insiders like Salman Khan continue to guide fresh talent, often encouraging them to first work behind the camera as ADs before stepping into the spotlight.
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The Shocking Truth About Assistant Directors in Bollywood
welcome to the deep dive today we’re digging into Bollywood it’s uh more than just the movies right we’re looking at how careers get made the mentorships the um surprising paths people take that’s absolutely right we’re going behind the scenes really looking at the Indian film industry from a bit of a different angle we’ll start with you know the personal touch specifically Salman Khan’s role as a mentor some of his advice is well quite something okay yeah I’m curious about that and then we’re linking that to a key role the assistant director exactly it ties directly into how new talent learns the ropes gets that foundational understanding palakiari story is a great example there got it and then the bigger picture the whole industry yep we’ll pull back yeah look at where the Indian film industry stands globally the uh the big challenges it’s facing and also the cool stuff new tech new strategies pushing it forward okay great so our mission today is really to unpack this whole Bollywood ecosystem for you from how one star helps launch careers to the nuts and bolts of filmm right up to the industry’s global ambitions should give you a really solid perspective let’s jump in right so Salman Khan everyone knows him as a huge star but this role as a godfather or by as they say it’s really significant he’s known for launching careers even bringing people back into the limelight and it’s very hands-on from what the sources say not just like general advice oh absolutely take Suraj Poncholi and A The Shetty debuting in Hero at the launch event Salman apparently told Suraj uh something like “Don’t act much learn dance and wear good jeans and boots.” Huh that sounds like him very direct what about Athea even more interesting maybe he told her uh never accept an offer of starring opposite Solman basically focus on projects for her own generation wow so find your own space don’t just write his coattails that’s That’s actually pretty smart advice isn’t it it really is it shows he’s thinking about their long-term careers their individual identity and this isn’t just for newcomers he apparently gave Goinda his co-star and partner tips on you know staying fit and working on his looks so it’s advice across the board fitness seems to be a big theme too a huge theme look at Cintas Shukla from Big Boss he tells this story about losing 15 kilos because Salman well Salman and his trainer put him through this intense workout at Salman’s farmhouse we’re talking 10k runs hundreds of push-ups crunches whoa that’s more than just advice that’s direct intervention it really is personal investment same with Zarin Khan his co-star in Vear she talked about how he guided her fitness journey especially when she was getting negative comments about her weight after her debut she mentioned you know that Indian men often like voluuptuous women but the media focus was harsh sman helped her navigate that and it goes beyond fitness too right like with Jaclyn Fernandez yes exactly for kick he apparently helped her a lot with her Hindi diction even erdo lessons gave her amazing inputs between the shots often using funny lines to help her learn so it’s about the craft as well it really sounds like he becomes this um foundational figure for them setting them up for success in multiple ways he does and this idea of understanding the foundations really comes through with Pak Tawari you know Tiwari’s daughter right what was the story there at a big boss reunion someone asked her kind of directly kuch car lifemate like do you want to do something with your life okay and when she said she wanted to be an actor his advice was specific he told her before becoming an actor I needed to understand what happens behind the camera ah so learn the process first precisely which led her to work as an assistant assistant director and AD on the film Anton the Final Truth that makes so much sense get the groundwork what did she say about the experience she really valued it said um working behind the camera taught me discipline patience and respect for every crew member even though she still gets starruck around Salman she said it gave her this deep understanding okay so following on from Pak’s experience let’s really break down this assistant director role what does a first AD actually do because it sounds crucial especially if it’s training for actors it absolutely is crucial the first AD is basically the engine room of the set during production they handle the logistics the day-to-day running they’re the main link really between the director and everyone else the crew the departments so like the operational manager on set keeping the trains running on time exactly scheduling is a huge part of it creating the shooting schedule managing it making sure they have the right shot list coordinating with you know wardrobe art department camera everyone and this starts way before filming right in pre-production oh yeah they do detailed script breakdowns figure out exactly what’s needed for every single scene actors props locations extras everything that feeds into the schedule and the shot list they also usually put together the call sheet you know the daily schedule telling everyone when and where to be often they do that with the production coordinator right the sheet everyone lives by on set during the shoot they’re constantly tracking progress are we on schedule behind can we make up time later they need to know the whole picture so they can flag problems or opportunities the main goal really is to make the director’s life easier free them up to focus on the creative side precisely handle the practicalities so the director can focus on the performance the look the story so seeing this ad role it underlines how much groundwork goes into film making it’s not just about showing up and acting it’s this whole complex machine and that kind of training understanding the machine is invaluable it makes for better collaborators more professional actors in the long run okay so we’ve seen the micro level the mentorship the specific roles let’s zoom out now to the big picture the Indian film industry itself the scale is just mind-boggling isn’t it it really is it’s the largest in the world by sheer volume of films we’re talking like 1,500 to 2,000 films a year maybe even more and in over 20 languages that’s incredible output and audiences are huge too massive back in 2015 India had the second highest number of cinema tickets sold globally over 2.1 billion just behind China so people are definitely watching but here’s the paradox right huge audience huge output but the actual revenue yeah that’s where it gets tricky compared to the output the gross revenue is relatively small around $2.1 billion back then compare that to the US and Canada fewer films maybe 700 or so but 11 billion in revenue wow that’s a massive gap why such a difference is it just ticket prices that’s a big part of it yeah lower average ticket prices also lower occupancy levels in many cinemas and then there’s the elephant in the room piracy that eats heavily into potential earnings but uh despite all that the industry was projected to grow pretty fast something like 11.5% CAGGR aiming for around $3.7 billion by 2020 okay so there’s growth potential where’s the money coming from mostly still mostly domestic box office about 3/4 of it mhm but the interesting shift as you mentioned is towards uh cable and satellite rights and digital platforms those are growing much faster around 15% caggr are expected makes sense people watching differently and home video is dying out pretty much yeah piracy hit that hard plus the rise of streaming video on demand or VOD which leads us straight into the major challenges the industry faces right let’s talk about those challenges piracy seems like the biggest one maybe it’s definitely up there it’s rampant think about Bahubali huge film right pirated literally on the day it released we’re talking 1.6 million downloads a million illegal views tracked to like 1500 different links that’s insane just instantly available yeah and the estimated loss just for the Tugu film industry in 2015 due to online piracy was something like 3.6 billion that’s that’s crippling potential investment beyond piracy what else infrastructure big issue not enough screens especially modern screens single screen cinemas have been closing down rapidly went from maybe 10,000 2009 to around 6,000 more recently and multiplexes aren’t filling the gap fast enough not nearly especially in the smaller cities tier two and tier three the rate they’re being added is only about a third of the race single screens are closing india probably needs like 20,000 screens or more to really meet the demand so that’s a major bottleneck okay piracy lack of screens what about just the process of making films bureaucracy oh yeah red tape is a killer filmmakers talk about these long convoluted procedures needing maybe 70 different approvals or licenses from like 30 different authorities just to get permits to shoot 70 that’s unbelievable it really hinders things apparently India lost out on hosting at least 18 big international films over four years because of these bureaucratic hurdles and then there’s censorship by the CBFC the Central Board of Film Certification that can be strict impacting the kind of stories told and how they make money and finally skills you mentioned people learn on the job mostly yeah about 90% of the workforce which means skills aren’t always standardized and there’s a real lack of technicians trained in the latest high-tech areas like advanced VFX or you know VR so a whole raft of challenges but things are being done to tackle them right the government’s involved yes definitely the government’s make in India push specifically includes media and entertainment they see the potential they’re trying to simplify things attract investment like that film facilitation office the FFO exactly set up under the NFDC the National Film Development Corporation its whole job is to make shooting in India easier both for domestic and foreign productions promoting India as a filming location they launched this single window clearance idea too if that works it could cut through a lot of that red tape we talked about hopefully and then there’s the skills gap the Media and Entertainment Skills Council MESC backed by FICCI and NSDC is a big initiative there what’s the goal with MESC pretty ambitious they aim to train something like 1.2 million skilled workers by 2022 across nearly 75 different job roles in the industry wow how are they doing that getting industry veterans involved actors filmmakers giving lectures workshops trying to formalize that on the job training bring in best practices and it’s not just the central government states are stepping up too right you mentioned state incentives like Maharashtra helping Marathi films yeah no entertainment tax for Marathi films plus subsidies and tax breaks for single screens gujarat gives 100% tax exemption for Gujarati films and subsidies based on production costs up offers subsidies for regional and Hindi films shot there jammu and Kashmir Goa Punjab Shirand they all have schemes too tax waivers single window clearances subsidies it’s quite widespread each state trying to attract production in its own way shows a real push from multiple levels and internationally co-production treaties yep india’s signed agreements with countries like China South Korea looking to do the same with the US Australia that helps bring in investment share expertise transfer skills it all helps build capacity so government support is one piece what about the industry itself how is it innovating and finding growth well diversification is key expanding those multiplexes into smaller cities is one driver and foreign studios are investing more not just in Hindi films but in regional cinema too recognizing the diversity of the Indian market makes sense catering to local tastes and new revenue streams since the cinema window is shrinking absolutely ancillary revenues are becoming vital things like in cinema advertising that saw a pretty big growth expected to keep growing strongly and digital platforms vod huge growth area driven by more smartphones projected 520 million users by 2020 and better internet like 4G rolling out netflix entering the market in 2016 was a big sign of that potential so people can watch movies on their phones tablets exactly and that opens up monetization through mobile games based on films apps web streaming it’s a totally different way to engage the audience and make money beyond the theater release and what about merchandise like the Star Wars example massive potential there you mentioned Raw what had like 25 brands associated with it but compare that to Star Wars where merchandise and toys bring in way more than the actual movies there’s a huge largely untapped opportunity for Indian film franchises to build that kind of ecosystem okay so the business models are evolving let’s talk tech now how are new technologies changing how films are made and experienced vr seems like a big one it really does virtual reality is being looked at not just for watching films in an immersive way but actually for making them like directors can use VR to walk around a virtual set plan shots make changes before anything physical is even built that could save a lot of time and money and it’s showing up at festivals yeah Con had VR short films back in 2016 companies like IMAX are partnering with Google on VR cameras it’s moving beyond just a gimmick what about drones we see drone shots everywhere now they’ve revolutionized aerial filming so much cheaper and more flexible than helicopters like maybe $5,000 a day for a drone versus $25,000 plus for a chopper safer too often used in huge films like Skyfall Mission Impossible and used in India too you mentioned Kick yep kick used drones back in 2014 a Canada film called Adagara too there are even drone film festivals now it’s become a standard tool and 3D printing how does that fit in that’s more behind the scenes for props and effects artists can create really complex detailed models props costumes set pieces using 3D printers faster and sometimes cheaper than traditional methods think custommade gadgets futuristic armor intricate set decorations like the examples from Zero Dark 30 or Guardians of the Galaxy exactly prop used it for things like night vision goggles parts of a tank even a spaceship canopy it allows for incredible detail and customization and just the shift to digital filming overall that’s become pretty standard now cheaper than film stock you can shoot way more takes without worrying about cost and the whole post-prouction process is smoother more integrated so how is India adopting all this new tech you said it lagged behind historically it did but it’s catching up fast using this idea of polyentric innovation basically leveraging global advancements to co-develop things locally rather than starting from scratch so collaborating internationally right films like Enthine or RAW one one brought in international crews and effects teams use global tech like 3D conversion from companies like Prime Focus its way to Leaprog and the local VFX industry is growing significantly film budgets are allocating more to VFX maybe aiming for 30 35% eventually up from 10 15% and Indian VFX studios like prime focus especially after merging with double negative are becoming major global players themselves but there are still gaps right like needing more 3D screens Definitely converting a screen to 3D costs about a million rupees a new one maybe 3 to 3.5 million so India needs more incentives to get more 3D screens installed especially outside the big cities to show off that VFX work and challenges with drones remain permissions trained pilots yeah regulations and needing skilled operators are still hurdles and the skill gap in areas like VR development is still there too technology adoption isn’t just about having the tech it’s about the ecosystem around it okay one last big area film tourism how can movies boost tourism it’s a huge potential driver when a film showcases beautiful locations it can inspire people to visit it creates jobs locally during filming brings in direct spending and leaves a lasting tourism legacy like the UK example that tax relief scheme seems incredibly effective hugely foreign films brought in most of the UK’s film spending in 2015 $1.8 billion total that 25% tax rebate attracted massive productions like Avengers Age of Ultron and the return on investment was huge like £1250 back for every one pound of tax relief exactly plus the cultural impact think about Harry Potter the films created this massive tourism boom studio tours location visits it sustained tourism income and New Zealand with The Hobbit similar story they offered big incentives about $120 million that generated thousands of jobs and led to a 40% jump in annual visitors it literally put locations on the global map so India has this potential too but the bureaucratic hurdles we discussed earlier have held it back precisely despite having incentives losing films because of complicated permissions means losing out on that potential tourism boost too if initiatives like the FFO really succeed in making it easier to film in India the tourism impact could be enormous wow okay so we’ve covered a lot of ground today starting with that very personal hands-on mentorship from someone like Salman Khan shaping individual careers yeah and then diving into the specifics of a crucial role like the assistant director seeing how that foundational knowledge is built and then pulling way back to look at the entire Indian film industry it’s massive scale the serious challenges like piracy and infrastructure but also the exciting growth the government push the industry innovation and how technology is reshaping everything so thinking about all this the big question is as the global film world keeps changing so rapidly with new tech shifting tastes what does an industry like Bollywood with its unique scale and culture really need to do not just to succeed at home but to become a true global powerhouse attracting huge international projects while still nurturing its own amazing talent and maybe for you listening how does seeing this mix the very personal mentorship alongside these huge technological and strategic shifts change how you think about success whether it’s in entertainment or you know really any field how are careers in industries actually built and transformed