Rakesh Dang Opens Up About The Diplomat, Welcome To The Jungle, His Accidental Journey Into Writing and His Vision as a Producer

Rakesh Dang has steadily built his presence in the Hindi film industry, moving from a background in finance and entrepreneurship to becoming a producer with an interest in both commercial entertainers and stories rooted in real life. His filmography includes projects such as The Diplomat, Welcome To The Jungle, Mrs. Falani, Rabba Main Kya Karoon, Kokh and Mere Naina Tere Naina. While producing films has been a significant part of his journey, Dang has also found himself increasingly involved in the creative side of filmmaking. In a candid conversation, he opened up about the real-life inspiration behind The Diplomat, his unexpected transition into writing and why he now wants to build a stronger foundation for producing his own films.

Talking about The Diplomat, Dang was keen to clarify the origins of the film's story and his role in bringing it to the screen. “Well yes, but Ritesh Shah actually wrote the screenplay later on, but the original idea... it was based on a true story,” he said. The distinction, according to Dang, is important because while the screenplay was subsequently developed by Ritesh Shah, the idea itself came from a real-life experience. The story was connected to Uzma’s personal journey, a difficult period in her life during which Dang says he supported her. Addressing whether the woman whose story inspired the film actually worked for him, Dang clarified, “No, it was Uzma's own story—her personal journey. She was going through a very difficult time. So, I supported her.”

Dang went on to explain how his professional association with Uzma came about. “We have a business in Delhi with a large workforce, and she was educated, so I said, ‘Let's do this.’ She works there now,” he said. His account gives another dimension to the origins of The Diplomat, showing how a personal real-life experience eventually found its way into a larger cinematic narrative. For Dang, the journey from supporting someone through a difficult phase to seeing elements of that experience become the foundation of a film has been an unusual one, particularly because his own creative journey in cinema was not something he had originally planned.

In fact, Dang describes his transition into writing as almost accidental. “Well, I became a writer purely by accident; the writer I had hired didn't show up one day, so I thought, ‘Let me give it a try myself.’ And when I wrote it, I felt it turned out quite well,” he recalled. Having already been involved in developing ideas, he realised that writing the script himself could be a natural extension of that process. “Since I was usually the one providing the ideas anyway, I figured if I could come up with the concept, I might as well try writing the script too—even though I'm not a professional writer,” Dang added. What began as an unexpected situation therefore gave him an opportunity to explore another aspect of filmmaking.

For Dang, the kind of writing that comes naturally to a person is often shaped by what they have experienced and observed. Explaining his approach, he said, “What does anyone write? Whatever is inside them—whatever reflects their own nature—is what comes out.” He believes that when a writer is not working under a specific external direction, personal experiences inevitably become a source of storytelling. “If a writer isn't working under specific external direction—if they are writing from their own mind—then what will they write? They’ll write about whatever they have observed in their own life,” he explained. That philosophy appears particularly relevant to his own connection with The Diplomat, whose original idea emerged from a real-life story.

Dang has also been expanding his role as a producer, with Welcome To The Jungle representing a considerably larger undertaking. Explaining why he decided to take on a project of that scale, he said the franchise offered a degree of commercial security. “The safety factor here was that, being a franchise, it was guaranteed to sell and get a release. Right? So, the money invested would likely be recouped. That was the core reason for investing in this project,” he said. But beyond the immediate economics of one film, Dang sees his producing journey as an effort to establish something more sustainable. “And as I mentioned, our goal was to build a foundation. I mean, I've been investing money for quite some time—in small amounts or however else—but I hadn't achieved any success because small films often go unnoticed. They come and go without anyone even realizing it,” he explained. He also pointed out that filmmaking is often a collaborative process involving several producers, each with a defined role.

Looking ahead, Dang believes his experiences across different projects have helped him reach a stage where he can build on that foundation. “Generally, films involve multiple producers; two or three people usually come together to make them. Each person has a specific role. That is the distinction,” he said. “But now, we definitely feel we've established a bit of a foundation, so we'll go ahead and make our own films.” His journey, from finance and business to film production and an unexpected step into writing, reflects an evolving relationship with cinema. With The Diplomat rooted in a real-life story, an accidental writing experience opening another creative avenue, and larger production ambitions taking shape, Dang appears keen to make the next phase of his film journey more closely connected to stories and projects he wants to build himself.

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