Director Shashank Khaitan turns producer, launches new company ‘Mentor Disciple Films’

By PTI

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Shashank Khaitan on Thursday announced he is venturing into film production with the banner named Mentor Disciple Films. Before making his directorial debut in 2014 with “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, Kolkata-born Khaitan assisted veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai on movies likes “Black and White” and “Yuvvraj”.

Later while studying at a film school in Mumbai, he directed a movie titled “Sherwani Kaha Hai?” in 2011, which remains unreleased.

In a social media post, the 39-year-old writer-director said he has always been fortunate to have outstanding mentors throughout his life and it is with this intention that he decided to help budding filmmakers.

“I am super happy to announce my foray into Production with ‘Mentor Disciple Films’. I have been blessed with outstanding ‘Mentors’ in every sphere of my life and with every story and film, under this banner, I hope to continue learning and giving back,” Khaitan wrote.

His first film as director, “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, which was backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, with whom he later collaborated on other three projects. The commercial success of “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, spawned another movie in the same universe titled “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” with the same actor duo.

In 2018, Khaitan directed Ishaan Khatter and then debutante Jahnvi Kapoor in “Dhadak”, the Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed Marathi film “Sairat”. Khaitan last helmed a short in the Netflix anthology “Ajeeb Daastaans” (2021).

He is currently filming for his next film “Mr Lele”, starring Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar.