Namit Malhotra mortgaged his family home and took a Rs 2 crore bank loan in 1997 to fund his visual effects startup, risking homelessness when his company's turnover was only Rs 75 lakh.

The 1997 gamble came as Malhotra, then 19, co-founded a visual effects business out of a garage with approximately Rs 7 lakh in seed capital — partly from his father and partly through bank financing. The small operation gradually expanded, with the team renting apartments within the same building by 2006 and establishing a presence across India.

Throughout this growth, Malhotra's father consistently supported his ambitions, going so far as to mortgage the family home. Malhotra reflected that the risk was immense: with a Rs 2 crore loan outstanding and the company's turnover at Rs 75 lakh, failure would have meant losing everything.

'If the business failed, our story would have been completely finished. After all, it was a new technology. We would have become homeless,' Malhotra said. His father's response was unequivocal: 'Then go do it.' He even said, 'I will put the house on the line, mortgage it.'

Over the last three decades, Malhotra has transformed the venture into a globally recognised visual effects company, contributing to Hollywood productions including 'Avatar' and earning eight Oscars associated with its work.

Having developed the technological expertise and resources required for large-scale cinematic projects, Malhotra is now backing his long-held ambition with 'Ramayana', the Rs 4,000-crore epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor. The film marks a significant milestone in a journey that began with a teenager determined to make films, even if he had to take an unconventional route to get there.

Namit Malhotra's grandfather, MN Malhotra, began his career as a cameraman and went on to shoot 'Jhansi Ki Rani', regarded as the first Indian film shot in colour. His father, Naresh Malhotra, also ventured into film production and backed projects such as 'Shahenshah'. Growing up in a family immersed in filmmaking, Namit naturally developed aspirations of becoming a director.

The Rs 4,000-crore 'Ramayana' is reported to be one of Indian cinema's most ambitious projects, with Namit Malhotra at the centre of curiosity following the announcement of the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer.