Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani Launch Excel Origins Initiative

Excel Entertainment is marking its 25th anniversary with the launch of “Excel Origins,” an initiative from co-founders Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar dedicated to discovering, developing and backing the next generation of Indian filmmakers under 30.

Sidhwani and Akhtar were 26 years old when they founded Excel Entertainment and began work on their first film, “Dil Chahta Hai.” The film became a defining title for its generation and set the template for the company’s focus on fresh voices, original ideas and creative risk-taking.

In a joint statement, Sidhwani and Akhtar said, “25 years ago, we started Excel Entertainment and began work on a film called ‘Dil Chahta Hai.’ We had a simple belief – New voices and a different way of telling stories, will find an audience. We were 26 years old. We didn’t have all the answers but we had an idea we believed in, the courage to take risks and the tenacity to make it happen.”

The founders framed the new initiative as an extension of that founding philosophy, applied to a new generation of talent.

“As we look back at everything this journey has given us, we also find ourselves thinking about what the next 25 years has in store for us. We believe it will include Excel empowering young, aspiring filmmakers with bold ideas and the courage to tell stories differently,” they said. “So, as Excel celebrates its silver anniversary, we’re launching Excel Origins – an initiative to discover and back the next generation of filmmakers. New voices. Original stories. Breakthrough genres. Because the best way for us to celebrate where we came from is to invest in where cinema goes next. 25 years of Excel. Now, back to our Origins.”

Under the new banner, Excel plans to scout emerging directors and writers, offering them backing and creative latitude to pursue original material rather than proven formats. The company said its search will span multiple genres and storytelling forms, and will extend to casting opportunities for actors and other talent who are similarly early in their careers.

Sidhwani and Akhtar described the effort as bigger than any single slate of titles. The goal, they said, is to build an ongoing supply line of new directing, writing and acting talent, alongside original intellectual property, that will shape Excel’s output over the coming years, with the company framing the push as a bet on unproven talent at a moment when much of the industry leans on established names and familiar formulas.

Since “Dil Chahta Hai,” Excel Entertainment has built a filmography spanning “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,” the “Don” and “Fukrey” franchises, “Raees,” “Dil Dhadakne Do” and “Gully Boy.” The company also produced “Inside Edge,” India’s first original series for Prime Video, and went on to make “Mirzapur,” “Made in Heaven,” “Dahaad” and “Bambai Meri Jaan” for the platform.