Ritesh Sidhwani says Excel Entertainment will ‘never follow trends’

Ritesh Sidhwani says Excel Entertainment avoids following trends, arguing that fresh storytelling and constant evolution matter more than copying successful formulas.
Vaishnavi Gavankar
October 06, 2026 / 12:13 IST
Ritesh Sidhwani

Excel Entertainment co-founder Ritesh Sidhwani has opened up about the production house’s approach to choosing films, saying that following trends has never been part of its core philosophy. From reinventing Hindi cinema with films such as Dil Chahta Hai and Don to backing the Hindi release of Prashanth Neel’s KGF, Sidhwani believes the focus should remain on stories that genuinely excite filmmakers.

Addressing conversations around South Indian films finding massive audiences across the country, the veteran producer also explained why he believes films such as KGF connected so strongly with Hindi-speaking audiences.

Speaking about the success of KGF and storytelling in South Indian cinema, Sidhwani pointed to the influence of classic Hindi films and writers such as Salim-Javed.

“The South filmmakers, whether it’s Prashanth Neel or anyone else, openly share that they grew up watching classic Salim-Javed stories.They obviously use that in their stories. KGF works here because we are not telling the stories in a certain way. I think those stories are exciting for our audience too. I saw KGF and thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said.

For Sidhwani, the success of such films does not necessarily mean Hindi filmmakers should start replicating what is currently working in other industries. Instead, he believes audiences respond to stories and styles they are not regularly getting elsewhere.

Sidhwani said Excel Entertainment has followed the same philosophy while making its own films, including Don.

“Our approach is to never follow trends, and that’s what we kept in mind while making Don too. You have to constantly change yourself. You have to do whatever excites you, is relatable to you, and connects with you,” he said.

His comments underline the creative approach behind Excel Entertainment, where individual excitement and connection with a story take precedence over attempting to recreate an existing box-office formula.

Sidhwani also spoke about the willingness of Indian audiences to watch different kinds of cinema, arguing that the success of films from the South should not automatically lead Hindi filmmakers to imitate them.

“The audiences here are accepting of every kind of cinema. So I don’t know if we should be of the opinion that whatever is working in the South should be done here,” he said.

His remarks come at a time when the success of films across languages has increasingly sparked conversations about pan-India cinema and whether Hindi filmmakers need to rethink their approach.

For Sidhwani, however, the answer remains rooted in constantly evolving rather than chasing whatever happens to be successful at a particular moment.

Vaishnavi Gavankar is a senior entertainment journalist with over 8 years of experience covering Bollywood, Television, OTT platforms, and regional cinema.
first published: Oct 6, 2026 12:13 pm

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