Son of cinematographer Pravin Bhatt, Vikram Bhatt always knew he wanted to be a director and he made this belief a reality with his directorial debut Jaanam, a film which also marked the beginning of a long relationship with the Bhatts' Vishesh Films. A disaster at the box office, Jaaanam made Vikram even more hungry to prove that he was a proficient director and storyteller, which he ably did with the super-hit film Ghulam, in which he convinced his perfectionist hero Aamir Khan to sing for the first time ever in his career, an act which resulted in the song that became a rage, "Aati Kya Khandala'.
Ghulam, the first commercial hit of Vikram's career, also marked Rani Mukherji's first mainstream commercial Bollywood film post her debut in Raja Ki Aayegi Barat. Vikram then went on to launch several new faces in the industry including Lisa Ray in Kasoor and Miss Universe Sushmita Sen in Dastak, as well as serial kisser Emran Hashmi in Footpath. Whether a success at the box office or not, Vikram's films have always been entertainers for the mass audiences and Vikram clearly makes films with the single objective of entertainment.