Once unanimously accepted as the primary film industry of India, Bollywood is now witnessing the abandonment of its loyal viewers who are moving towards the more soulful cinema of the South. Are the successive big-budget, star-studded flops of Bollywood indicative of its inevitable death or is this just a transitional period that will lead back to past glories? Only time will tell.
While Bollywood movies are crashing at the box office, South Indian movies are breaking records and OTT platforms are bagging bigger numbers in membership with each passing year. The audience seems to be losing their faith in Bollywood. The time-tested formulas of star-studded casts, hit songs, action-packed and dramatic scripts, etc., fail to catch the viewer’s attention like they used to.
For the diverse audience of India, Bollywood has little left to offer. It seems to miss its mark with both urban and rural audiences. In its attempt to appeal to all, it ended the charm that once made it great. The lost magic of Bollywood is a puzzling one, nobody quite seems to know what exactly is going wrong in the industry. Only if contemporary Bollywood filmmakers solve this mystery can the industry return to being India’s dominant film industry. Failing to do so, Bollywood might lose its appeal to the masses completely.
Bollywood in Crisis
Even just a decade ago the impact that Bollywood had on the lives of Indians was unmatched by any other film industry in India. Films released by megastars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, etc. used to be akin to national events. The kind of anticipation that the films of yore enjoyed is nowhere to be seen for the movies that are being released now. Even Amir Khan who is known for his intellectually stimulating movies with superior writing and soulful acting is not generating the interest he used to. His movie Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the 90s American classic Forrest Gump, has gone mostly unnoticed and has not done well at the box office.
The post Covid years have been terrible with back-to-back flops. It seems that the classic industry formula of star-studded cast, little to no storylines, overly dramatic plot, and over-the-top acting, is just not doing it for the audience anymore. The audience wants something authentic and original, which is not something Bollywood is known for. Big-budget films with megastars were almost guaranteed to break all records at the box office, while also influencing the popular culture of the country. The dialogues and the songs could be heard throughout the country, whether to tease friends or to impress a date. The downfall of Bollywood is not just limited to lower revenues, but also to the fact that it is not a part of the common man’s everyday life; It can be argued that Hindi cinema has become an afterthought. People go to the theatres just for the experience of the theatre, they are not particularly invested in what is being shown on the screen.
With only an 8 – 10% success rate, Bollywood touched another low as this was one of the lowest rates of success in the world in 2021. Of all the notable movies released in 2022, around 20 movies have flopped, some of which include megastars such as Amir Khan and Akshay Kumar. This number is almost double of what it used to be before the pandemic. According to industry reports in 2022, almost 70% of movies have not managed to recover half the amount invested in making the movies. EY – FICCI reports show that post-pandemic, the largest box office revenue was going to the South, that is, in 2021 revenue of 2400 crores was generated by South Indian movies while Bollywood was next to it with only 800 crores in revenues. But the numbers were quite different pre-pandemic with Bollywood taking the lion’s share of revenue, generating 5,200 crores in revenue, which is far ahead of both – South Indian movies generating 4,000 crores in revenue and Hollywood with its 1,500 crores in revenue.
Impact of the Pandemic and the Rise of OTT platforms
Whether the current crisis in Bollywood is a direct result of the pandemic and people preferring to watch movies at home instead of the theatre is uncertain. There is no shortage of demand for content in India, people want more as well as better content to entertain themselves. Compared to the pre-COVID era now they have more options for far lesser prices.
The revolution in Internet usage brought about by the ‘Jio Revolution’ accelerated the adaptation of OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, etc. A lot of films in Hindi and in many other languages have started to be released on these platforms themselves. As the viewership for OTT platforms grew, people were exposed to international movies and television and the preference for long-running, well-made series also grew among viewers. Hindi movies like Gehraiyaan, Good Luck Jerry, and Jaadugar have found success on OTT platforms, which is a testament to people’s interest in original and innovative storytelling.
People want an imaginative, well-written script along with a talented cast – a combination so rare in Bollywood. Now with the price of just a single movie, they have access to thousands of unique and innovative productions. Another trend prevalent after the pandemic is people’s interest in exploring movies in many different languages.
The appeal of South Indian cinema
The success of South Indian cinema doesn’t fully support the OTT narrative to explain Bollywood’s fall from grace. The post-COVID Indian audience is more open to content exploration. South Indian movies have consistently been able to address the plight of the masses, they are more in touch with their audience and have a keen understanding of the regional culture that they are portraying. Disconnection from their core audience is one of the biggest barriers to the success of today’s Hindi language cinema, whereas the South Indian film industry has managed to stay relevant in the disorienting times of today.
In contrast to the connection that South Indian filmmakers have with their audience, Bollywood is becoming increasingly niche and seems to cater to people in metropolitan cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. Even when Bollywood tries to depict the common man it seems more performative and lacks authenticity and a genuine understanding of the desires of the audience.
Lack of quality content
People today have no lack of entertainment, so their expectations are high for movies as they are expected to spend so much of their valuable time. The stories today lack not just originality and a realistic portrayal of life, but also the charm old Bollywood seemed to have. The soulful soundtrack, larger-than-life yet relatable characters, and the understanding of the culture seems to be lost now. Songs seem generic and can fit in any movie, they are not as climactic and rooted in the story anymore. The movies are not addressing the common man’s dilemmas anymore, the filmmakers don’t know who are they speaking to and what their message is.
The problem of losing touch with the audience can be addressed by looking at movies that have done well in the past and movies that are doing well today despite the crisis that the industry is in right now. Some such recent movies like JugJugg Jeeyo, Bhool Bhulaiya 2, and Gangubai Kathiawadi did surprisingly well in Thailand. The absence of movies that are relatable, interesting, thrilling, and those with a variety of stories is failing to capture the attention of the audience. The unimaginative plots and lazy stories indicate a lack of respect for the audience. Even star power is not making up for the abysmal quality of the movies being made.
Ranbir Kapoor expressed in an interview that novelty is not appreciated in the industry. New talent and outsiders are not given a fair chance in the industry. He also expressed his concern saying movies nowadays seem to be confused in the messages they are conveying. In the last two decades, Hindi movies have been highly influenced by Western culture without being able to adapt it to the Indian viewer’s preferences. Kapoor also believes that the lack of understanding of the audience is also something that is contributing to the downfall of the industry.
The much-discussed issue of recent years has been that of the spectre of nepotism in Bollywood. Although nepotism has always existed in the industry, the issue seems to have drawn people’s attention in recent years particularly due to the lack of good movies being made. The recently released movie The Archies marks the debut of the daughter of Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan and many other star kids alongside her. The apparent lack of quality of the story and performances has again disappointed the audience tremendously, causing the film to tank. The Archies along with other disappointing movies this year might be the last nail in the coffin for Bollywood. But all is not lost yet. If the industry tries to connect with its audience again and deliver the content that people are hungry for it might regain its past glory.
Written by – Sangeeta Behera
Edited by – Nandini Pillai