Sachiin Joshi is chasing the good times

Joshi's filmi side is evident when he says his numerologist suggested the double 'i' so that the 'Viikings could fly'

It’s been busy times at Viikings Ventures, especially for Chairman Sachiin Joshi. What with taking over the reins at Playboy Club-promoters PB Lifestyle, holding a metaphorical pack of cards for the Indian Poker League and launching Royal Oak whisky in Mumbai, there’s been no time for the actor-producer to slack off. The desultory response to his latest bilingual film, Veedevadu (Yaar Ivan in Tamil), clearly has not affected his ambitions.
 
For a man whose claim to fame owes more to his having bought embattled tycoon Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Villa in Goa rather than to any marked cinematic success, the world of films holds old associations. “Our house shared a boundary wall with FTII [the film institute in Pune]. As a child, I would try to get inside to watch a film shoot. Once, a few students saw me and asked if I would like to be part of their documentary. That’s how it began. I acted in six to seven documentaries, even got some friends along, that was my first interaction with the camera.”

 
That the boyhood break became an adult career-plan has to do with his father’s friend and colleague, also a producer in South Indian cinema, says Joshi. The actor has worked with Sunny Leone, Naseeruddin Shah and Mahesh Manjrekar over the course of his career, even under the direction of Ram Gopal Varma. But for someone who says he likes to learn from the mistakes of others, his performance at the box office has remained less than dazzling. Be it his Telugu debut, Mounamelanoyi, or a string of Hindi releases (Azaan, Mumbai Mirror, Jackpot) none managed to make a mark. And Jazbaa, Aishwarya Rai’s much-awaited comeback film, produced by Joshi, was panned by critics and viewers alike.

 

Joshi is unfazed by the tepid response from the box office — he’s also been busy expanding his business into a glamorous global affair. Planet Hollywood in Goa, brought to Indian shores by Joshi, is only the second such resort in the world after Las Vegas. “I wanted to meet Robert Earl, who built Planet Hollywood as a brand globally. I didn’t mind the risk, it was a big high for me that I would be bringing the brand to India,” he says.
 
Planet Hollywood is not the only global brand in the Viiking stable. Joshi recently took full control of PB Lifestyle, which has a 20-year licence to launch Playboy-branded clubs, cafes, lounges, pubs, beer gardens, hotels and merchandise. Currently, there are flagship clubs in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad and beer gardens in Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad. “By 2018 we will have signed up and made progress on around 30 outlets,” says the 33-year-old entrepreneur.

 
Joshi is sniffing out ever newer territory. His company is also working on developing a township in Pune, with an 18-acre land bank in the first phase. Hospitality ventures under the Dreams brand are also in the works. “For me, something or the other is launching in life. Every new project means reaching a new milestone,” he says.
 
As part of his expansion spree, Joshi has flagged the alcohol business as a growth driver over the years. His acquisition of Goa’s King’s Beer from Impala Distillery in 2015 for Rs 90 crore was a step in this regard. The Viiking portfolio at the time included Goa Beer and XXX Vodka Mix. The launch of Royal Oak marks its entry into the blended whisky space even as negotiations continue for the purchase of a vineyard in France. The group also has a beverage named XXX Energy Drink and two brands of packaged drinking water, Life and Pani, the latter positioned in the high-end segment.

 
What does this maniacally busy person do to unwind? Football, swimming and spending time in the gym, are the quick replies. He finds physical activity stimulating: “Golf and chess can help mentally, but I like aggression.” Incidentally, Joshi once nursed ambitions with regard to football. “I started training in football but in the mid-1990s, the game wasn’t what it is today. There was no scope in India, the only thing that had potential was cricket. I was good at that, too, but couldn’t pursue it because of an injury,” he reminisces, saying it will always be a part of his life.

 
This penchant for sport, fitness and health has, almost inevitably for an inveterate businessman, manifested itself as business ventures. Take his association with Telugu Warriors, the Celebrity Cricket League franchise he co-owns with Telugu film producer Suresh Babu, as well as his promotion of the JMJ Sports Academy. Recently, he also became part-franchise owner of Goa Kings in Raj Kundra’s Indian Poker League. Viiking Ventures also operates the Trance fitness clubs and 360 degrees health food bars in Mumbai.
 
A not unrelated piece of trivia: Joshi himself is vegetarian and a supporter of PETA.
 
But despite interests across sectors such as hospitality and realty, media and entertainment, health and fitness, Joshi’s biggest claim to fame remains the Candolim villa. Impressed by the sprawling, ostentatious structure, Joshi paid a little over the reserve price of Rs 73 crore for the property. That it is still commonly referred to as Kingfisher Villa irritates Joshi. “We don’t call it Kingfisher Villa anymore. The day I entered the first thing I did was get the address plate off. We call it the Villa now.” Maintaining that it would be used by the family, he says they are still searching for an appropriate name. “We are in the process of identifying it because I would like to believe this name is going to live forever.”

 
Clearly, there’s much in a name for Joshi. That the Scandinavian warriors inspire him is evident. His filmi side is also evident when he says his numerologist suggested the double “i” so that the “Viikings could fly”. But it’s only a little bit of faith in the supernatural; for the rest, it’s hard work. Joshi works 10-12 hours a day and doesn’t take holidays, devoting time to each of his verticals. As he puts it, “If you don’t die, you won’t know what heaven looks like.”
 
That he has carved a diversified entity like Viiking clearly points to ambition. There’s a quotation, he says, that resonates with him. “The sun never set on the British empire… They achieved it and I'm trying to do the same...not rule the world but the segments I’m in.” Sounds a lot like a certain Mr Mallya? Given the Goa connection, the Villa, the cricket franchise, the muscling in on the alcoholic beverage industry and, well, the association with the word “playboy”, the comparisons have been made repeatedly. This displeases him: “Mallya is an inspiration in what not to do. The learning is to never be overconfident and arrogant — these are the two things that probably took him down.” The way things are going, looks like Sachiin Joshi would do well to heed his own strictures.