Phantom Films was an Indian film

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

and

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

company established by

Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...

, director

Vikramaditya Motwane Vikramaditya Motwane (born 6 December 1976) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for films like '' Udaan'' (2010), ''Lootera'' (2013) and '' AK vs AK'' (2020). His directorial debut '' ...

, producer

Madhu Mantena Madhu Varma Mantena is an Indian film producer and entrepreneur involved in the production and distribution of films across Hindi, Telugu, and Bengali cinema. Film career In 2008, Madhu Mantena co-produced '' Ghajini'' (2008) which was the ...

and the former head of UTV Spotboy,

Vikas Bahl Vikas Bahl is an Indian filmmaker, best known for directing and scripting the comedy drama film ''Queen'' (2013). Early life and education Bahl was born and brought up in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, and his father worked with the Indian Oil Corpor ...

. It was founded in 2011 by all four of them, and is cited as the "directors' company". In March 2015,

Reliance Entertainment Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd is an Indian media and entertainment company. It is a division of Reliance Group, handling its media and entertainment business, across content and distribution platforms. The company was founded on 15 February 20 ...

picked up 50% stake in the company. The company’s first production was the period romance ''

Lootera ''Lootera'' (; ) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and partially based on author O. Henry's 1907 short story '' The Last Leaf''. It is the second film directed by Motwane after the critic ...

'' (2013), directed by Motwane and starring

Ranveer Singh Ranveer Singh Bhavnani (; born 6 July 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. The recipient of several awards, including five Filmfare Awards, he is among the highest-paid Indian actors and has been featured in '' Forbes India''s ...

and

Sonakshi Sinha Sonakshi Sinha (; born 2 June 1987) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. After working as a costume designer in independent films, she made her acting with the action film ''Dabangg'' in 2010, which won her the Filmfare Award for Be ...

. the film was co-produced by

Balaji Motion Pictures Balaji Motion Pictures is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. Based in Mumbai, it produces and d ...

. Next year, the company co-produced the romantic-comedies ''

Hasee Toh Phasee ''Hasee Toh Phasee'' (If she smiles, she is trapped) is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Vinil Mathew and produced by Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap. The film features Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra in ...

'' and ''

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

'', starring

Kangana Ranaut Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1987) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. Known for her work in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfar ...

. Both the films were critical and commercial successes, with the latter also winning the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several a ...

. It was followed by the thrillers '' Ugly'' and '' NH10'' (2015). The latter marked the production debut of Anushka Sharma. ''

Hunterrr ''Hunterrr'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language adult comedy film written and directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The film stars Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte and Sai Tamhankar. The film revolves around an unassuming sex addict and his lustful j ...

'' (2015), '' Bombay Velvet'' (2015) and ''

Masaan ''Masaan'' (; also known as ''Fly Away Solo'' in English) is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language independent drama film and starring Richa Chadda and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. It is Kaushal's debut Hindi film, and is also the directorial debut of ...

'' (2015) were the company's next releases. 83 was their last production.

Establishment

Phantom Films was founded in 2011 by

and

, and is cited as the "directors' company". The idea to start their own production house came in mind of because of "their failure in convincing every time to someone to believe in the kind of cinema they make". In March 2015,

picked up 50% stake in the company.

Films

The company's first film was the period romance ''

'' (2013), starring

and

. Based O. Henry's short story, ''

The Last Leaf The Last Leaf is a short story by O. Henry published in his 1907 collection ''The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories''. The story first appeared on October 15, 1905, in the ''New York World''. The story is set in Greenwich Village during a pneumon ...

'', the film was critically acclaimed. Phantom film's then went on to collaborate with Karan Johar's

Dharma Productions Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd., commonly known and doing business as Dharma Productions, is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Joh ...

to produce the romantic comedy ''

'' (2014). The film starring

Parineeti Chopra Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 10 ...

and

Sidharth Malhotra Sidharth Malhotra (; born 16 January 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model, but left it to pursue an acting career. He made his acting debut with a minor role in the television serial ''Dhart ...

was directed by the debutant

Vinil Mathew Vinil Mathew (born 1977) is an Indian filmmaker and writer, who predominantly directs and produces television commercials. He has also directed two feature films. After studying filmmaking at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he ...

. It was followed by Vikas Bahl-directed comedy drama ''

'', starring

. The film was a critical and commercial success, it also won the

. '' Ugly'' (2014), a drama thriller was the next production venture of Phantom. In 2015, the company produced Anushka Sharma's production debut film '' NH10'', and the coming of age comedy ''

''. Both films proved to be a success. '' Bombay Velvet'', a

period film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

set in Bombay in the 1960s, based on

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

Historian

Gyan Prakash Gyan Prakash is a historian of modern India and the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University. Prakash is a member of the Subaltern Studies collective. Prakash received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the Univers ...

's book ''Mumbai Fables'', was its next release. It stars

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...

, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar. The film was a major box-office failure. ''

'', was phantom's fourth release of the year. The film won the

FIPRESCI Award The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

and the Promising Future award at the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate ...

. The string of box-office failures for Phantom Films continued with ''

Shaandaar ''Shaandaar'' or ''Shandaar'' may refer to: * Shaandaar (1974 film) * Shandaar (1990 film) * Shaandaar (2015 film) ''Shaandaar'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Anurag Kashyap an ...

'' (2015), starring

Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Alia Bhatt, several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. One of I ...

and

Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, in ...

. In February 2016, Phantom Films announced that they will co-produce three Gujarati films with CineMan Productions, a Gujarat-based film production company co-founded by Abhishek Jain. Phantom's first release of the year was ''

Udta Punjab ''Udta Punjab'' () is a 2016 Indian black comedy crime drama film written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, co-written by Sudip Sharma, and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair and Aman Gill under Balaji Motion Pictures in assoc ...

'' (2016), a crime drama from the director

Abhishek Chaubey Abhishek Chaubey (born 30 March 1977) is an Indian director, screenwriter and film producer known for his works in Hindi cinema. Early life Abhishek Chaubey was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh to Anand Mohan Chaubey and Sheela Chaubey. He spent ...

that documents the

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

endemic in the Indian state of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. The film generated controversy when the

Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...

demanded extensive

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

before its theatrical release, citing that the portrayal of Punjab in it was negative. After the producers of the film filed lawsuit against the board, the Bombay High Court cleared the film for exhibition with a single scene cut. It was followed by '' Raman Raghav 2.0'', a thriller directed by Anurag Kashyap based on the notorious serial killer

Raman Raghav Raman Raghav, also known as Sindhi Talwai, Anna, Thambi, and Veluswami, was a serial killer active during the mid-1960s, labelled by many as ''Jack the Ripper of India''. Raghav went on a killing spree for over three years, with the first rou ...

, starring

Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui's feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in ''Patang'' (2012). He ga ...

in the title character. The film premiered at the 2016

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

and the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, in the Director's Fortnight section to positive response. The company's final release of the year was the

Gujarati film Gujarati cinema, also known as Gollywood or Dhollywood, is the Gujarati language film industry. It is one of the major regional and vernacular film industries of the cinema of India, having produced more than one thousand films since its inc ...

'' Wrong Side Raju''. Their last film was 83 in 2021.

Dissolution

The company announced its dissolution on 5 October 2018, largely in response to the sexual assault allegation on Bahl by a former Phantom employee, which was reported in 2015. The other three founders, Kashyap, Motwane, and Mantena, all issued statements on Twitter confirming the company's disbanding and moving on to independent projects.

Filmography

Films produced

Films distributed

Series

Awards

62nd National Film Awards The 62nd National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2014 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 24 March 2015 and the ...

: Best Feature Film in Hindi: ''

'' *

63rd National Film Awards The 63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 ...

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director The Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of seve ...

: ''

'' *

64th National Film Awards The 64th National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2016 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 7 April 2017, and th ...

: Best Feature Film in Gujarati: '' Wrong Side Raju''

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Hindi cinema Film production companies based in Mumbai Defunct film and television production companies Producers who won the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director National Film Award Anurag Kashyap