25 Years After Dil Chahta Hai, Excel Entertainment Goes “Back To Our Origins” To Find The Next Generation Of Filmmakers

Twenty-five years after changing the conversation around youth cinema with Dil Chahta Hai, Excel Entertainment is looking ahead to the next 25 years with a brand-new initiative. As the production house celebrates its silver anniversary, co-founder Ritesh Sidhwani has announced Excel Origins, a platform dedicated to discovering and supporting young filmmakers with bold ideas, original stories and a different approach to storytelling. Sharing the announcement on social media, Ritesh wrote, “25 years later, we’re going back to our origins. Write to us at origins@exlent.com. See you at the movies!”

The initiative takes the company right back to where its cinematic journey began. In a heartfelt note signed by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, the founders looked back at the beginning of Excel Entertainment and the making of Dil Chahta Hai. The note reads, “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.” It is a philosophy that has remained closely connected with Excel's identity and the kind of cinema the banner has championed over the years.

Looking back, the founders also recalled how young they were when they took that first big leap. “We were twenty six 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 note says. That willingness to take a chance on a new voice became the foundation of Excel Entertainment, with Dil Chahta Hai eventually becoming one of Hindi cinema's most enduring coming-of-age films and a cultural touchstone for an entire generation.

Now, with 25 years behind them, Ritesh and Farhan are turning their attention towards the future. “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,” they wrote. Their answer is clear: they want Excel's next chapter to involve empowering young filmmakers who are willing to challenge conventions and tell stories in their own distinctive way.

That vision has led to the launch of EXCEL ORIGINS, which the company describes as “an initiative to discover and back the next generation of filmmakers.” The focus is firmly on “New voices. Original stories. Breakthrough genres.” Rather than simply celebrating the company's past, Excel wants to use its 25th anniversary as an opportunity to invest in the future of cinema and provide a platform to filmmakers who have the courage to tell stories differently.

The timing of the initiative makes the announcement even more meaningful. Excel Entertainment itself was born from the belief that a fresh voice and a different storytelling style could find an audience. Now, a quarter of a century later, the production house is extending that same opportunity to a new generation. The note beautifully sums up the philosophy behind the initiative: “Because the best way for us to celebrate where we came from is to invest in where cinema goes next.”

For aspiring filmmakers, the announcement is also a direct invitation. Those with original ideas and stories to tell can reach out to Excel through origins@exlent.com, potentially opening the door to a collaboration with one of India's most recognisable production banners. It is not just a call for scripts; it is a call for voices that can bring something new to the cinematic landscape.

As Ritesh and Farhan conclude their message, “25 years of Excel. Now, back to our Origins.” The line captures the spirit of the entire initiative perfectly. Excel Entertainment began by taking a chance on a young filmmaker and a story that felt different. Twenty-five years later, it is once again searching for that spark—the next voice, the next bold idea and perhaps the next Dil Chahta Hai waiting to be discovered.

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