Once upon a time, all was (relatively) well in Hindi cinema. Sure, the greed, the cynicism and the market-driven decisions existed even then 바카라 leaving little money for risky, independent initiatives. But 바카라parallel films바카라 were still being made. Not as frequently as their mainstream counterparts, but there was still space for a Ram Gopal Verma to try and run a parallel industry of his own. Thanks to corporates and a few independent producers the 2000s and 2010s witnessed many experiments 바카라 Vikramaditya Motwane바카라s Udaan (2010), Sujoy Ghosh바카라s Kahaani (2012), Anushka Sharma-led NH10 (2015) and Taapsee Pannu-starrer, Thappad (2019) 바카라 all of which teased like Hindi cinema had turned over a new leaf. We were bracing ourselves for more ambitious, progressive films 바카라 until the pandemic hit. Bollywood has been in a freefall since.
It might not be immediately apparent when one looks at the numbers. Hindi films grossed Rs 4,679 crore in 2024, according to an . This is 13% lower compared to 2023바카라s Rs 5,380 crore 바카라 which might seem like a reasonable dip. But that changes once you realise that three of the top five highest-grossing films are Hindi dubs of Telugu films. Pushpa II, Kalki 2898 A.D, and Devara - Part 1 바카라 account for an approximate 30% of the total gross of Hindi films. If they바카라re removed, then the dip in Hindi film earnings becomes more apparent 바카라 37% 바카라 as per the Ormax report.
As producers battle it out on roundtables, trying to win a mine-is-bigger-than-yours debate around box office figures 바카라 it바카라s crucial for Hindi film producers, directors, writers, actors to stop looking outside for intervention. No amount of reverse-engineering Telugu, Tamil blockbusters will help tide over this difficult period 바카라 as we saw with Baby John last year. There might be the odd success in Jawan or Drishyam 2, but the only way across the wall is through it. Trying to conjure a 500 crore/1000 crore box office with each undertaking is a less sensible approach, considering the significant downside a studio or a producer is exposed to when a film fails (which is more frequently the case). Trying to cheat one바카라s way through a creative crisis in Hindi cinema 바카라 is like treating a brain aneurysm with a band-aid. Hindi cinema will have to look deeper within, and find the answers for more ambitious films, made on controlled budgets.
Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee is of the opinion that for creativity to flourish, the industry will have to find a way to break the star system. If that바카라s not possible, maybe temper the fees down. "Today films grossing a hundred crores are being called flops,바카라 observes Banerjee, 바카라because the budget was astronomical without showing up on screen." Facing a delay with the release of his debut, Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), the likes of Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap, Rajat Kapoor were rescued by the likes of UTV Spotboy (with Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur at the helm) and Pritish Nandy Communications 바카라 who took a gamble on urban, new-age storytelling.
Today, Anurag Kashyap has confessed to having five unreleased films lying in the cans. Banerjee바카라s last two theatrical releases were snuffed out within two weeks of their run, and one film was put on indefinite hold. Vikramaditya Motwane hasn바카라t made a film for theatres since 2018바카라s Bhavesh Joshi Superhero. Sujoy Ghosh바카라s last theatrical film was Badla (2019), as was Zoya Akhtar바카라s.
There was a brief period in the 2010s when Hindi cinema could do no wrong, when everything was succeeding. Vidya Balan-starrer, Kahaani 바카라 made on a reported budget of Rs 8 crore 바카라 recovered its money 13 times over. Mainstream studios like Dharma Productions and Excel Entertainment took gambles on Kapoor & Sons (2016) and Gully Boy (2019) 바카라 films that would most likely be shipped off to OTT platforms in 2025. An Andhadhun (2018) or a Badlapur (2015) 바카라 would not make it to a theatre in this climate. Neither of the Sriram Raghavan directorial ventures could be considered mainstream, but they made several times their investments. It was possible because male actors weren바카라t charging Rs 30-40 crore per film 바카라 something that unfairly burdens a film especially during an industry바카라s lean phase. It바카라s been a major point of contention, but one that hasn바카라t seen a solution, with actors putting out sincere sound bytes through their PR machinery 바카라 without actually lowering their fees.
Also the box office discourse has overtaken everything else in Hindi films. Recently, when Vasan Bala바카라s Jigra (2024) didn바카라t perform as well as the trade had expected, the discourse became about Alia Bhatt바카라s 바카라first failure바카라 in years. As much as producers express their envy for the box office exploits of the 바카라pan-India바카라 film 바카라 a post-pandemic phenomenon. Most producers, studios pouring money into films have an eye on the astronomical figures of Rs 700-800 crore at the box office. It바카라s no surprise then that Singham Again uses all the star-power at its disposal and is considered 바카라underwhelming바카라 by the trade; despite making Rs 400 crore at the box office.
As Cody Jefferson, writer/director of American Fiction (2024), said in his last year 바카라 studios betting $200 million on one film, should instead try making 20 $10 million movies, or 50 $4 million movies. The risk is the same 바카라 in fact this one바카라s more diversified. The probability of one out of 20 movies becoming an Andhadhun (which made Rs 450 crore against its Rs 30-crore budget) is surely higher than someone setting out to make the next Andhadhun on a Rs 150-crore budget.
The only way for Hindi cinema to get out of this box office rut, is not by comparing itself to its earnings with the Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam entertainers, or mimicking their blockbusters. All regional film industries have different cultures, a less/more-discerning fan base. For Hindi cinema to succeed 바카라 it has to put its blinders back on 바카라 and make thematically ambitious, risky films at tightly-controlled budgets. Only when we start making a variety of films 바카라 will we have a shot at an uptick. It바카라s something Hindi films can inculcate from American distribution company, A24, which put out a list of its sixteen releases from 2024, with a cumulative budget of about $250 million 바카라 which made close to $280 million at the box office. Among them are Oscar-contenders like The Brutalist, which are yet to find mainstream distribution.
To fight the brain rot in Hindi films today, Banerjee concludes in no uncertain terms 바카라 바카라We need to pay writers. We need to find writers. Writers who come from all corners of India with new Indian stories. Jaded English-speaking, Crossword bestseller-reading, Soho House-dwelling 바카라scriptwriters바카라 brain damaged by demands of OTT platforms targeting addiction rather than engagement 바카라 will not deliver a fresh wave of creativity.바카라 The only way out of this hell for Bollywood is through it.
