Dinesh Vijan, the head of Maddock Films, revealed the challenges he faced in securing funding for his hit film Stree. Speaking at the Times Network India Economic Conclave (IEC) 2024, Vijan shared that many people were skeptical about a film with the title Stree (meaning "woman" in Hindi) working in India.
Vijan stated that securing funds for Stree was difficult, so they had to finance it independently. He considers Stree, along with Hindi Medium, as two of the most important films for his production house, highlighting their Indian roots. He emphasized that Stree is an original concept that paved the way for the horror-comedy genre.
The film's success, grossing approximately ₹180.76 crore worldwide, was a turning point for Vijan and Maddock Films. The film's unexpected triumph gave Vijan the "flexibility to be daring" in his future projects. He was emboldened to increase the budget for Stree 2, aiming to make it "bigger, better, madder and crazier".
Stree 2 released in 2024 and became the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, earning over ₹800 crore in India alone. The film's success, along with other Maddock Films productions like Munjya and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, contributed to the production house earning a staggering ₹1,300 crores at the box office in 2024.
Vijan's success with Stree has allowed him to take on more ambitious projects. One such project is Chhaava, a ₹200 crore budget historical action drama on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, which was released in February 2025 and became Hindi cinema's biggest grosser for the year. Another ambitious project is Mahavatar, an epic tale about Chiranjeevi Parashurama starring Vicky Kaushal, which Vijan aims to make a "world-class film" using advanced technology.
Vijan believes in creating content rooted in Indian culture and catering to the evolving tastes of the audience. He also emphasizes the importance of distribution in taking local stories to a global audience. He noted that Indian films still have not reached a point where they can compete in the international market.
Maddock Films has announced eight more titles in its interconnected universe, with films planned until 2028. This cinematic universe, similar to the Marvel model, aims to maintain audience engagement.
Notably, shortly after the release of Stree in 2018, reports surfaced about a dispute between Dinesh Vijan and co-producers Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK (Raj & DK) regarding the sharing of profits. However, in November 2020, an official statement confirmed that the parties had amicably resolved their differences, with Maddock Films solely owning all rights to the film.
