<p class="title rtejustify">Bollywood box office king Rajkumar Hirani believes that a new golden age is dawning for the Indian movie industry as filmmakers look outside the box to tell more varied stories.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Before there was a belief that you had to have songs," said Hirani, the man behind a string of Bollywood hits including the global sensation "3 Idiots".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Now people are completely experimenting with the subject matter."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Even those directors who continue to include songs are also exploring "much darker themes" and still enjoy massive box office success, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A case in point is 55-year-old Hirani's latest offering, "Sanju", which the director has brought to this year's 23rd Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, the largest of its kind in Asia.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Sanju" is based on the real-life story of the rise and fall of Indian star Sanjay Dutt, who was born into Bollywood royalty but was jailed after being accused of involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks of 1993.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The director admits that the project was a risk given to often grim the nature of the story, which includes gritty scenes of drug taking and its lead character's descent into depression.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But the strong box office returns have convinced him that audiences want a wider range of options from Hindi language films.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Sanju" has so far grossed $80 million, placing it third to Bollywood's all-time global earners' list, according to The Times of India newspaper.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"It's very much a human interest story about battling your demons," said Hirani. "It's a very different kind of film that I have done before.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"While I was making it everybody thought it was a mistake."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But Hirani said he was more confident about the success of the film after seeing the reaction of Dutt, who was released from jail in 2016, at a preview screening.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"He saw it three days before its release and I was watching him," said Hirani. "He was crying and sat at home and drank for three days, so I knew it had worked."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify"> As a director and producer Hirani has reaped box office gold with a diverse range of films, starting from comedies including "3 Idiots" (2009) and alien-on-earth hit "PK" (2014), to the sports drama "Final Round" (2016) and now on to "Sanju".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Experts say that the Indian film industry is on track for record earnings in 2018, after surpassing last year's $2.1 billion marks by the end of the first quarter.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Across all languages, India now produces more than 1,000 movies a year - a several hundred more than coming out of Hollywood.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Increasingly these films are finding a global audience.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Hirani's "3 Idiots" -- the tale of three friends struggling with the pressures of getting an education -- was a ground-breaker in terms of international box office success, with around $30 million in international takings.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Hirani said Bollywood filmmakers are expanding their own horizons as their audience grows, both domestically and globally.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But the filmmaker stressed that he had found no magic wand for making great cinema.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"I don't think there's ever a formula for success in film," said Hirani. "If there was, everyone would share it. I've been fortunate".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"I guess one of the principles I work with the film for yourself, not as an audience. At least then one person will like it."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"You can't judge what the world will like," he added. "If you laugh at the jokes you are writing if you can cry at the emotional scenes, then hopefully the audience will too."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But for all the guidelines, Hirani says, early on it's hard to predict what the final product will look like.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Every time you start a new film it's like digging a new well. You are not sure what you might find."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The Busan International Film Festival runs until Saturday.</p>
<p class="title rtejustify">Bollywood box office king Rajkumar Hirani believes that a new golden age is dawning for the Indian movie industry as filmmakers look outside the box to tell more varied stories.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Before there was a belief that you had to have songs," said Hirani, the man behind a string of Bollywood hits including the global sensation "3 Idiots".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Now people are completely experimenting with the subject matter."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Even those directors who continue to include songs are also exploring "much darker themes" and still enjoy massive box office success, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A case in point is 55-year-old Hirani's latest offering, "Sanju", which the director has brought to this year's 23rd Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, the largest of its kind in Asia.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Sanju" is based on the real-life story of the rise and fall of Indian star Sanjay Dutt, who was born into Bollywood royalty but was jailed after being accused of involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks of 1993.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The director admits that the project was a risk given to often grim the nature of the story, which includes gritty scenes of drug taking and its lead character's descent into depression.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But the strong box office returns have convinced him that audiences want a wider range of options from Hindi language films.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Sanju" has so far grossed $80 million, placing it third to Bollywood's all-time global earners' list, according to The Times of India newspaper.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"It's very much a human interest story about battling your demons," said Hirani. "It's a very different kind of film that I have done before.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"While I was making it everybody thought it was a mistake."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But Hirani said he was more confident about the success of the film after seeing the reaction of Dutt, who was released from jail in 2016, at a preview screening.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"He saw it three days before its release and I was watching him," said Hirani. "He was crying and sat at home and drank for three days, so I knew it had worked."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify"> As a director and producer Hirani has reaped box office gold with a diverse range of films, starting from comedies including "3 Idiots" (2009) and alien-on-earth hit "PK" (2014), to the sports drama "Final Round" (2016) and now on to "Sanju".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Experts say that the Indian film industry is on track for record earnings in 2018, after surpassing last year's $2.1 billion marks by the end of the first quarter.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Across all languages, India now produces more than 1,000 movies a year - a several hundred more than coming out of Hollywood.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Increasingly these films are finding a global audience.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Hirani's "3 Idiots" -- the tale of three friends struggling with the pressures of getting an education -- was a ground-breaker in terms of international box office success, with around $30 million in international takings.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Hirani said Bollywood filmmakers are expanding their own horizons as their audience grows, both domestically and globally.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But the filmmaker stressed that he had found no magic wand for making great cinema.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"I don't think there's ever a formula for success in film," said Hirani. "If there was, everyone would share it. I've been fortunate".</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"I guess one of the principles I work with the film for yourself, not as an audience. At least then one person will like it."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"You can't judge what the world will like," he added. "If you laugh at the jokes you are writing if you can cry at the emotional scenes, then hopefully the audience will too."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">But for all the guidelines, Hirani says, early on it's hard to predict what the final product will look like.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"Every time you start a new film it's like digging a new well. You are not sure what you might find."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The Busan International Film Festival runs until Saturday.</p>