"Co-production is the name of the game"

The monicker of his production company probably best describes him, but Anuj Saxena - actor, doctor, industrialist, producer - prefers to call himself a dreamer. A BIG dreamer. Till two years ago, Maverick Productions was just a gleam in the eye for the scion of Elder Pharma, who flirted with acting after completing his medical studies, even as he seriously worked towards building his father's comapny. Today, the 30 strong production company is already targeting a turnover of around Rs 12 crore this fiscal. It reaped Rs three crore in its first year of operation and Anuj proudly says that his latest project has already clocked in revenues of Rs five crore so far this financial year. It's obvious that the actor, who's recently started shooting for the Adhikaris' forthcoming afternoon show Risshton Ki Dorr for Sony, is going to focus on building Maverick Productions this year. No wonder then that Anuj and his core team made it a point to attend MipTV in Cannes, France last week. Attending the biggest TV content marketplace in the world has fired his dreams even more, he avers. Excerpts from a chat just before the jet setting Anuj left for another business trip to Singapore. Why did you decide to participate in MipTV this year? Maverick is over a year old, and we definitely looking at fresh ideas and collaborations that can take fruit in the coming years. Of course, this being my first time at Cannes, I didn't know what to expect. The opportunities of course, are tremendous. We made contact with a lot of companies from all over, now it needs to be seen how much of that contact can be translated into business. What kind of business are looking to build through participation at events like MipTV? I am keeping my mind open. We are looking at buying content, or getting into co-production deals with small independent production houses overseas, even feature films! I am looking at making television software, feature films, documentaries....In fact, there are several companies abroad which are looking at setting up shop in India, and we would like to act as their subsidiaries as well. What would you say were your achievements at Cannes? Basically, we established that there is a company called Maverick Productions that's keen to do shows, licensing....basically, willing to do business with overseas companies. And we were able to contact several companies and do just that. Are you looking at any specific genres like reality shows? Not really. In India, so far, both seem to have worked, but both stand the chance of losing steam. Which is why, my team and I explored different concepts - both fiction and non-fiction. And after returning to India, we have shortlisted 50 fiction formats and 49 non fiction formats that we could explore! Are you planning to set up base in other countries as well? We will definitely go international, probably from next year on. There are a lot of production companies which are looking at collaborations in south east Asia, and I would definitely like to cash in on that. So, where is Maverick headed this year? We have been doing TVCs, TV shows....now we may even get into event management if the right opportunity presents itself. We are looking at feature films, we may get into the studio business as well. According to me, co-production is the name of the game! Feature films too? Why not? I already have two film scripts ready. I even have a director in mind for one. It's just a matter of time! Personally too, you were a big hit in Cannes this year! Yes, the international photo call was a big success....probably speaks for the growing popularity of Indians abroad! Of course, this year I represented the Indian producer community....I would love it if I posed for them as an international film star! (laughs)