Even as the music plays in the background, the lead actor is romancing his lady, who’s clad in a diaphanous chiffon saree. Indeed, many films from the Yash Raj Films’ stable have followed this successful formula. But then came the Rani Mukerji-starrer, Mardaani. This film, directed by Pradeep Sarkar, was the first YRF production to feature at its helm, a tough, hard-hitting, female protagonist. What’s more, it didn’t even have any songs — a big risk for any film, let alone a YRF production — and it went on to become the first film from the production house to bag an A certificate.

By choosing to make a film that dealt with human trafficking, the production house is clearly looking at venturing into a new territory. The idea, it seems, is to bend stereotypes that have been associated with the production house all along. hitlist points out other filmmakers who have worked on offering something different from their usual fare...