Director Pravin Tarde disclosed that after ‘Deool Band 2’ surpassed the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office, the makers chose to donate the entire profit earned once production costs were covered. As per the filmmaker, these proceeds were channeled towards funding the education of children whose farmer parents died by suicide. Tarde, who had earlier shared that the film might never have been released without Shah Rukh Khan stepping in to help, opened up about both the movie’s success and this charitable gesture.
‘Deool Band 2’ makers donate entire profit
In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Tarde shared, “What made Deool Band 2 a unique film across India? The film earned Rs 100 crore. We only took the production cost for ourselves. However, every single penny that we earned from that film as profit was donated.” He went on to explain that the funds were directed towards supporting the education of children whose farmer parents died by suicide. “We donated it to the kids of the farmers who died by suicide. It was donated with the intention that they could resume their education. We started distributing money to kids belonging to drought-hit areas of Maharashtra,” he added.
‘Deool Band 2’ team provides meals to 250 children
Tarde further shared that the team, using the film’s earnings, ensures around 250 children receive two meals a day, and intends to keep this effort running in the years ahead. He gave credit to producer Kailash Vani for backing the initiative.
‘Deool Band 2’ faced a budget hurdle before release
A shortage of funds turned out to be a serious roadblock right before the film’s release. The team was unable to bear the cost of Rs 42 lakh charged by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment for the Digital Cinema Package (DCP), a mandatory format for screening films on digital projectors. While they had planned for an expense of roughly Rs 12 lakh, the quoted amount turned out to be almost three-and-a-half times higher, at nearly Rs 42 lakh.
Pravin Tarde recalls the tough phase
Looking back at the tough phase, Tarde shared with Abhijat Marathi Filmy, “The bill came to Rs 42 lakh. We didn’t have that kind of money, nor did we have any source from where we could arrange it. We approached Red Chillies and explained our situation. We told them that it was a Marathi film, a regional film, and our budget was limited. But we wanted to release it on a large scale and requested their support.”Their appeal eventually made its way to Shah Rukh Khan himself. Tarde recounted that the actor inquired with his technical team about the situation. “They told him it was a film by the makers of Mulshi Pattern. Since Mulshi Pattern was later remade as Antim by Salman Khan, Shah Rukh was aware of our work. He then enquired about Deool Band 2. His team told him it was a well-made emotional film and that the makers wanted the DCP but couldn’t afford the cost. The DCP was ready, but it hadn’t been handed over because the dues were pending,” Tarde said.The filmmaker added: “Shah Rukh Khan simply said, ‘Waive off their bill.’ He told them, ‘It’s a Marathi film. Give them the DCP. We can sort out the payments later. If it’s a good film, give them the DCP.’ They showed tremendous respect towards Marathi cinema. For him, the film was more important than the money. I credit all these people for the success of the film.”
Deool Band 2’s budget and theme
‘Deool Band 2’, a social commentary that addressed the issue of farmer suicides, was reportedly produced on a budget of Rs 8-10 crore.