Namit Malhotra mortgaged his family home and secured a Rs 2 crore bank loan in 1997 to fund the early stages of his visual effects company, recounting that the risk was so great he believed the failure would have made his family homeless.
The Times of India founder of the VFX studio that is now backing the Rs 4,000-crore film 'Ramayana' grew up in a family immersed in filmmaking. His grandfather, MN Malhotra, began as a cameraman and shot 'Jhansi Ki Rani', regarded as the first Indian film shot in colour. His father, Naresh Malhotra, also ventured into film production, backing projects such as 'Shahenshah'.
Growing up in a family immersed in filmmaking, Namit naturally developed aspirations of becoming a director. At 18, when asked by his father what he wanted to do, he replied he did not want to take up the family business and hated computers. Yet a chance conversation on a flight introduced him to computer graphics, which he was told was 'like filmmaking'. Intrigued but admitting he was not good at drawing, he enrolled in a course but soon shifted to offering computer-based editing services instead.
Namit joined instructors and started a business from a garage with an initial investment of around Rs 7 lakh, partly funded by his father and partly through a bank loan. None of the founders had experience; he was 19, the others were 21. As the business expanded, the team rented apartments within the same building to accommodate growth. By 2006, the company had established a presence across India.
Namit has often credited his father for backing his ideas without questioning his ambitions. The father reportedly said he would mortgage the family home. In 1997, with the company's turnover at Rs 75 lakh and the bank loan at Rs 2 crore, Namit reflected that if the business failed, 'we would have become homeless.' His father proceeded with the mortgage regardless.
Over the last three decades, Namit has transformed the venture into a globally recognised visual effects company. The studio has contributed to Hollywood productions including 'Avatar', with eight Oscars associated with its work. Having spent years developing the technological expertise required for large-scale cinematic projects, Namit is now backing his long-held ambition with 'Ramayana', the Rs 4,000-crore epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor. The project 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 maintains that a person's willingness to learn and passion for the craft matter more than their educational background. Citing an example from his own team, he noted that the boy who delivered chai to the team is now a core part and one of the most well-respected creative technicians in the company.
