Mar 11, 2026 5:29pm IST
Mozez Singh Reflects on 10 Years of ‘Zubaan,’ Vicky Kaushal’s Rise and Bollywood’s “Ridiculous” Entourage Culture (EXCLUSIVE)
A decade after the release of the musical drama “Zubaan,” director Mozez Singh, who made his feature debut with the film, is reflecting on its unexpected and deeply personal afterlife. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, the filmmaker spoke about working with Vicky Kaushal long before he became one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, and about a changing Hindi film industry that he believes has become increasingly difficult for quieter and more sensitive stories.
Released in March 2016, “Zubaan” did not initially find an audience and struggled at the box office. But like a handful of films that slowly find their place over time, the Vicky Kaushal starrer eventually built a devoted following. For Singh, that delayed recognition has become one of the most meaningful parts of the film’s journey.
“I think the journey of the film is what feels the most personal to me,” Singh says. “It was the first film for so many people. It was my first film as a filmmaker, and it was actually Vicky’s first film that he shot as a lead. He did ‘Masaan’ after that, but ‘Masaan’ was released first. So for many of us it was the beginning of something. There were also many people in the crew for whom this was their first big project. That made the experience incredibly emotional and memorable.”
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Over the years, “Zubaan” has slowly discovered a passionate audience, something Singh admits took time to happen. “It was a slow discovery,” he explains. “It’s something that got discovered much after it came out. When the film released it didn’t work at the box office and that’s always very deflating. As filmmakers we put our heart and soul into making something, and of course we want that instant gratification when the film releases. But with ‘Zubaan’ it actually started working a long time after it came out. I’m just grateful for the film and everything that it taught me.”
“Zubaan” could have also been Vicky Kaushal’s debut as a leading man if circumstances had played out differently, but “Masaan” released earlier. Singh remembers his early collaboration with the actor and the time they spent together during the making of the film.
“The most amazing thing about Vicky, even when I first tested him for the film, is that he is actually a very pure person,” Singh says. “He is good, he is decent and he believes in doing the right thing by people. That purity and sincerity as an actor has remained consistent in everything he has done since.”
He adds that despite Kaushal’s meteoric rise in the years that followed, the core of the person he met more than a decade ago remains unchanged. “His life has changed so drastically. He is a huge star now, he has a beautiful family and the paychecks are bigger, but the most beautiful thing is that the core of him hasn’t changed at all,” Singh says. “I have known him for more than a decade now and when we meet we can still sit and talk for four hours about everything and nothing. It feels like I am talking to the same guy.”
While Singh looks back at “Zubaan” fondly and holds its journey close to his heart, he also believes the film may have arrived slightly ahead of its time. “It feels a bit grandiose to say your film came before its time,” he says with a laugh. “But I do think people didn’t quite get it when it came out. As an independent filmmaker you become so obsessed with making the film that sometimes you forget the journey doesn’t end there. Distribution and getting people to actually see the film are just as important.”
At the same time, Singh believes it has become increasingly difficult to make films that fall outside the larger than life commercial prototype currently dominating the industry. He also points to the rising costs associated with the elaborate entourages that often accompany major stars.
“I think the whole entourage thing is absolutely ridiculous,” he says bluntly. “You don’t need more than a handful of people to manage you when you are making a film. All this extra paraphernalia, the vanity vans and the huge teams, it just becomes cumbersome to the production and the creative process.”
For Singh, the growing culture around stardom has reached a point where it actively affects filmmaking itself. “Why does anybody need so many vanity vans? Why do you need so many people following you around?” he says. “It’s just crazy. Let’s put that money into the film instead. This is the same industry that has made films through crowdfunding, and here we are talking about entourages and massive vanity setups. It really needs a reality check.”
Singh also feels the current environment has become more intimidating for filmmakers who want to tell emotionally driven stories. “People are scared to pick up material that is soulful and sensitive,” he says. “Everything right now feels very testosterone driven. That is just the climate we are in.”
Still, the filmmaker says the challenge of navigating that environment is also what continues to excite him creatively. “For me the most exciting thing about being a filmmaker is to take chances,” he says. “I don’t want to repeat myself. I want every film to feel like a new challenge. It is harder that way, but that is how my brain works.”
And while he cannot reveal many details yet, Singh says his next film will take him in a completely new direction.
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