Devashish Makhija is struggling financially despite getting awards for Joram

Filmmaker Devashish Makhija says he hasn’t made a penny from any of his critically acclaimed movies, including last year’s Joram, which starred Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role. In an interview with Pranav Chokhani, Devashish claimed that he was bankrupt. His latest directorial, Joram was screened at prestigious film festivals and also won a couple of awards. (Also Read – Joram review: Manoj Bajpayee carries this slow-pace survival drama on his shoulders)
“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,” said Devashish.
He added that while he has 20 scripts lying with him, no producer is willing to invest in those projects. His directorial debut feature Ajji (2017) didn’t have any stars, and was made on a budget of ₹1 crore. However, upon its theatrical run, Ajji couldn’t make more than ₹15 lakh at the box office.
While his subsequent films, Bhonsle (2018) and Joram (2023), were screened at multiple film festivals and starred Manoj Bajpayee in the lead, they couldn’t recover their budgets either. Devashish Makhija, 40, said he’s realised too late in his career to make films that strike the balance between art and commerce. He said he can’t even buy a bicycle at this point.
Joram, a slow-burn survival thriller, was backed by Zee Studios. It starred Manoj as a desperate man seeking to protect his infant daughter from a system of wrongdoings. The film, also starring Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, won the Best Film (Critics) honour at the 69th Filmfare Awards last month. It also won Devashish a Best Writing in Feature Film honour at the Critics Choice Awards this week.