EXCLUSIVE: Bhushan Kumar explains his director-led slate strategy with Border 2 director Anurag Singh; draws parallels with Anurag Basu, Sandeep Reddy Vanga 2 : Bollywood News

With Border 2 now released, producer Bhushan Kumar and director Anurag Singh have shed light on a broader creative and business strategy that goes beyond a single film. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, the two spoke about building a long-term association centred on jointly owned intellectual property, co-production, and directors taking on a larger role in shaping film slates.

EXCLUSIVE: Bhushan Kumar explains his director-led slate strategy with Border 2 director Anurag Singh; draws parallels with Anurag Basu, Sandeep Reddy Vanga

EXCLUSIVE: Bhushan Kumar explains his director-led slate strategy with Border 2 director Anurag Singh; draws parallels with Anurag Basu, Sandeep Reddy VangaBhushan Kumar explained that his collaboration with Anurag Singh follows a model similar to his existing partnerships with filmmakers Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Anurag Basu, where the director also functions as a producer and stakeholder in the content being created.

He said, “We have formed an association. Actually, when I was speaking to him earlier, we were thinking of forming an association – like I have an association with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Anurag Basu, in which they are producers. They have their production houses; they produce and also handle production, and we jointly own the IP and create content, and they direct it as well.”

Kumar pointed out that this structure allows for creative continuity while ensuring that the director has long-term involvement in the films they make. He cited his ongoing projects with Vanga as an example of how this approach has evolved at T-Series. “Like with Sandeep Vanga I am doing Spirit, Animal Park, and further a film with Allu Arjun. So we have built a fairly long-term association, and I believe in that,” he added.

Applying the same philosophy, Kumar approached Anurag Singh with the idea of a sustained collaboration rather than a one-off project. According to him, Border 2 became an important milestone within that association.

“So with that same thinking, I approached Anurag the first time – that ‘I want a long association, I love your work and I want to make this’… So he was very much into it. We locked that association, and then in between came Border. So I said, ‘Let’s do Border in between. You direct Border,’” Kumar shared.

He further explained that following Border 2, the plan is to jointly develop films where Anurag Singh will both direct and produce through his own company, with T-Series coming on board as a co-producer. “After this, in our association we will jointly make films in which his company and our company will together make the film. He will handle production, produce and direct, and we will be involved in our way,” Kumar said.

Anurag Singh echoed the sentiment, stressing that long-term collaborations are not just about professional alignment but also personal comfort and mutual trust. He said, “See, long-term associations only happen when – professional level is another thing – but when you sit together with people you want to work with for long, and if they are good people, you don’t feel any difficulty sitting with them.”

Singh added that open communication plays a crucial role in sustaining such partnerships. “You can say what you feel without putting too many filters, like, ‘Yaar, I feel this,’ or ‘I think that,’ without thinking, ‘Yaar, he is a producer, or he is this or that, and I must behave in a certain way.’ If you can interact at a human level, then the association lasts long.”

With Border 2 serving as the first major outcome of this collaboration, the Bhushan Kumar–Anurag Singh partnership signals a move toward director-led, jointly owned projects—an approach that continues to gain traction in the Hindi film industry.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Border 2 director Anurag Singh breaks down the “No green screen” approach for the action war film; speaks about the challenges of shooting at real locations