Manoj Bajpayee’s passion project Joram might have managed to impress critics across all quarters, it failed to create ripples at the box office. Now the director of the film Devashish Makhija has revealed that he has gone bankrupt because of the commercial failure of the film. He opened up about facing financial difficulties in a recent interview.
Speaking with Pranav Chokhani, Devashish shared that he is struggling to pay rent, since all his films and especially Joram couldn’t amass money at the box office. He said, “I am over 40 years old, and I cannot even afford to buy a bicycle. I have not made money off any of my films. I struggle to pay rent. Because Joram didn’t make any of its money back, I am bankrupt. I haven’t paid rent in the last five months. Main abhi landlord ke aage haath-pair jod raha hoon ke yaar mujhe ghar se mat nikalo (I’m begging my landlord to not evict me from my house). That is the price you have to pay if you want to prioritise your art.”
Joram travelled across film festivals in different parts of the world including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sydney Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, 28th Busan International Film Festival and 59th Chicago International Film Festival. And now, in a rare feat, it has made it to the Oscar library. The Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has acquired the screenplay of Joram for its esteemed Permanent Core Collection recently.
Written and directed by Devashish Makhija, and produced by Zee Studios in collaboration with Anupama Bose and Makhijafilm, Joram features stellar performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Smita Tambe and Tannishtha Chatterjee. The cast and crew have received immense love and appreciation from audiences worldwide and the film continues to receive the highest critical acclaim. Themed on pertinent issues like man vs nature, home and displacement, it released theatrically on December 8, 2023.
