Madhur Bhandarkar marks 20 years of Corporate: 'Grateful for this journey'
Synopsis
Twenty years after Corporate hit screens, Madhur Bhandarkar took to X to thank everyone who kept the film alive — from producers to audiences. The 2006 drama starring Bipasha Basu and Kay Kay Menon remains one of Hindi cinema's rare unflinching looks at corporate power, and its anniversary is a reminder of how Bhandarkar's mid-2000s run still resonates.
Key Takeaways
Madhur Bhandarkar marked the 20th anniversary of Corporate on 7 July 2025 with a post on X.
The film, released on 7 July 2006 , starred Bipasha Basu , Kay Kay Menon , Payal Rohatgi , Minissha Lamba , and Raj Babbar .
Bhandarkar credited producers, technicians, and audiences for keeping the film's legacy alive over two decades.
The film was the third in Bhandarkar's informal socially observant trilogy, following Chandni Bar and Page 3 .
Last month, Bhandarkar also made headlines for praising PM Modi on becoming India's longest-serving Prime Minister.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Tuesday, 7 July 2025, marked the 20th anniversary of his critically noted film Corporate, sharing a heartfelt tribute on X (formerly Twitter) to the cast, crew, and audience who have kept the film's legacy alive over two decades.
The Anniversary Post
Bhandarkar shared original posters from the film alongside a note that read: '#20YearsOfCorporate Time flies! A huge, heartfelt thanks to all the producers, brilliant actors, talented technicians, & most importantly, the amazing audience. Your love and appreciation for the film #Corporate have kept it alive all these years. Grateful for this journey.' He tagged co-stars and collaborators including Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, and Raj Babbar in the post.
About the Film
Released on 7 July 2006, Corporate was written and directed by Bhandarkar and featured Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Payal Rohatgi, Minissha Lamba, and Raj Babbar in key roles. The film charted the fierce rivalry, unchecked ambition, and power struggles between two dominant industrialists and their competing business empires — a theme that struck a chord with audiences navigating India's liberalisation-era corporate culture.
Notably, the film arrived at a time when Bhandarkar was cementing his reputation as a chronicler of institutional India — following Chandni Bar (2001) and Page 3 (2005) — making Corporate the third instalment in an informal trilogy of socially observant dramas.
Bhandarkar's Recent Headlines
The anniversary celebration comes weeks after Bhandarkar made news for publicly congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on becoming India's longest-serving Prime Minister. The filmmaker praised Modi's leadership, saying the country was in 'safe hands.' He said: 'I am very happy that PM Modi has been in office for so many years and has done very good work. Since 2014, we have seen a very remarkable journey. He is a very popular world leader. Wherever we go outside India, people speak highly of him and admire him.'
He added: 'It feels great that he has completed such a long tenure of 12 years and has become the longest-serving Prime Minister. Very nice. Whenever I have met him, it has always been a very good experience.'
Legacy and What It Signals
Two decades on, Corporate is frequently cited in discussions about Hindi cinema's engagement with business and institutional power — a genre that has remained relatively sparse. The anniversary underscores how Bhandarkar's mid-2000s run continues to draw renewed attention, particularly as streaming platforms have introduced the film to younger audiences unfamiliar with its original theatrical run. The filmmaker has yet to announce his next project.
Point of View
But it also quietly underlines a gap in contemporary Hindi cinema: no major director has meaningfully picked up where Corporate left off in examining institutional and corporate power. His mid-2000s trilogy — Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate — represented a strand of socially observant mainstream filmmaking that the industry has largely abandoned for franchise spectacle. The fact that a 20-year-old film still generates engagement says as much about what is missing today as it does about Bhandarkar's legacy. His recent public praise for PM Modi, meanwhile, adds a political dimension to his public profile that sits somewhat uneasily alongside the institutional critique embedded in his best-known work.
NationPress
7 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 20th anniversary of Corporate about?
Corporate, the 2006 Hindi film written and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, turned 20 on 7 July 2025. Bhandarkar marked the milestone on X by thanking the cast, crew, and audience for keeping the film's legacy alive over two decades.
Who starred in Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate?
The film featured Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Payal Rohatgi, Minissha Lamba, and Raj Babbar in key roles. It explored power struggles and ambition between rival industrialists.
Why is Corporate considered significant in Hindi cinema?
Corporate is one of the few mainstream Hindi films to directly examine corporate rivalry, institutional power, and ambition. It was part of Bhandarkar's mid-2000s run of socially observant dramas that also included Chandni Bar and Page 3.
What did Madhur Bhandarkar say about PM Modi recently?
Last month, Bhandarkar congratulated PM Narendra Modi on becoming India's longest-serving Prime Minister, calling him a 'very popular world leader' and saying the country was in 'safe hands.' He noted that since 2014, India had seen 'a very remarkable journey.'
Has Madhur Bhandarkar announced his next film?
As of the anniversary celebration on 7 July 2025, Bhandarkar had not publicly announced his next directorial project.
