Excel Entertainment
Indian production company
Excel Entertainment is an Indian production company, founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in Mumbai in 1999. They mainly produce Hindi films.
Their debut production, Dil Chahta Hai, received critical acclaim and was a huge rage for the youth at that time. They won National Film Awards for both Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On!!. With productions such as Don, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Fukrey, Dil Dhadakne Do, and Raees, they are known for presenting unique characters and a contemporary style of cinema. Gully Boy was also India's official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards.
Excel Entertainment also ventured into distribution and distributed the Hindi dubbed versions of the 2018 Indian Kannada-language period action thriller, K.G.F: Chapter 1, and its sequel, K.G.F: Chapter 2, both starring Yash. They also distributed the 2019 Telugu epic period film, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, starring Chiranjeevi. Additionally, they ventured into streaming with India's first original series Inside Edge (2017-2021), with other such ventures including Made in Heaven (2019-2023).
Coinciding with the silver jubilee anniversary of Dil Chahta Hai in 2026, the company launched the Excel Music record label, with Universal Music India owning the publishing license as distributor, besides acquiring a stake in the company. The label has since debuted with Mirzapur: The Movie, a film adaptation of the successful web series of the same name.
01History
The company's first production was the critically acclaimed, Dil Chahta Hai (2001), which marked the directorial debut of Farhan Akhtar. The film received a National Award in the category of Best Feature Film Hindi and was also screened at IFFI The company then went on to produce the war-drama, Lakshya (2004). While it was critically acclaimed, it did not fare well at the box-office. Over the years, it has developed a huge cult following and is considered to be one of the greatest coming-of-age films in Hindi cinema. Excel also produced Don (2006).
On 16 July 2021, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's sports drama, Toofaan, released directly on Amazon Prime Video. It starred Farhan Akhtar, Paresh Rawal, and Mrunal Thakur. It opened to highly mixed reviews. Bollywood Bubble stated Toofan, literal meaning ‘storm’ lives up to its name in all honestly. It is a film about life and choices.
The second collaboration of Farhan Akhtar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra happened after their first successful film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. An action sports drama entertainer Toofaan released on 16 July 2021, on Amazon Prime Video starring Farhan Akhtar, Paresh Rawal, Mrunal Thakur. The film was directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
On 15 February 2021, Yudhra, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan and Raghav Juyal was announced. The film is being helmed by Ravi Udyawar, of Mom fame. Initially slated to be released in 2022, it was mired in reshoots and is now planned for a 2024 release.
On 11 August 2021, Jee Le Zaraa, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt was announced. The female-centric road film will be directed by Farhan Akhtar, from a story written by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, and himself.
02Filmography
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television series
| Year | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-2021 | Inside Edge | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2018, present | Mirzapur | |
| 2019, present | Made in Heaven | |
| Fukrey Boyzzz | Discovery Kids | |
| 2022 | Eternally Confused and Eager for Love | Netflix |
| 2023 | Dahaad | Amazon Prime Video |
| Bambai Meri Jaan | ||
| 2025 | Dabba Cartel | Netflix |
| Andhera | Amazon Prime Video |
03Film distribution
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Cast | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | K.G.F: Chapter 1 | Prashanth Neel | Vijay Kiragandur | Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois, Anant Nag, Vasishta N. Simha, Mouni Roy | Hindi only | |
| 2019 | Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy | Surender Reddy | Ram Charan, Konidela Production Company | Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Kiccha Sudeep, Jagapathi Babu, Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ravi Kishan | Hindi only | |
| 2022 | K.G.F: Chapter 2 | Prashanth Neel | Vijay Kiragandur | Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty | Hindi only | |
| 2025 | Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama | Koichi Sasaki, Ram Mohan, Yugo Sako | Yugo Sako, Kenji Yoshii, Atsushi Matsuo | Nikhil Kapoor, Rael Padamsee, Uday Mathan, Mishal Varma, Noel Godin | co-distributed by Geek Pictures India | |
| 2025 | Tanvi the Great | Anupam Kher | Anupam Kher | Shubhangi Dutt, Anupam Kher | ||
| 2026 | Half | Samjad | Anne, Sajeev | Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj, Abbas, Amala Paul | North Indian distribution and worldwide Hindi release only |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Excel Entertainment”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Excel Entertainment logo.png by Unknown author, Fair use
- Shah Rukh Khan at Jab Harry Met Sejal new song launch 'Beech Beech Mein'.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Hrithik at Rado launch.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Priyanka Chopra at The Sky Is Pink Promotions.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Aamir Khan at 92.7 BIG FM to promote Satyamev Jayate 02.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Katrina kaif.jpg by Arushi Dayal, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ranveer-Singh-graces-the-screening-of-YRFs-short-film-Sex-Chat-with-Pappu-Papa-6.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Farhan Akhtar at rock on 2.jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
- Kalki Koechlin unveils Nokia Lumia 820 & 920 mobile (cropped).jpg by Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0
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