The ongoing season in India might be monsoon but in Bollywood, it’s raining flops. Ranbir Kapoor starrer Shamshera became the fifth film by Yash Raj Films (YRF) to tank after a series of flops, including Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Samrat Prithviraj. YRF is not alone; there were other big-banner films like Bachchhan Paandey, Heropanti 2 and Runway 34 that failed to get audiences back to the big screens. Experts believe that in the past few years, Bollywood started losing its sheen, with the pandemic only aggravating it.
Business Today – August 06, 2022
“For many years, Hindi films have gone urbane and elitist. Down south, they tell the same tales in a way that a common man can understand and enjoy them. We really need to learn from them about how not to alienate anybody,” says Akshaye Rathi, Director of Aashirwad Theatres, a Nagpur-based film exhibition and distribution business.
He insists that Bollywood stars haven’t marketed themselves well in South Indian markets.
“Big studios like Yash Raj Films release their films like Dhoom, Tiger Zinda Hai, etc. in Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions. More Hindi film studios need to do it with more consistency,” he adds. Proprietor of Bobby Enterprises and distributor of Delhi, UP and east Punjab circuit Sanjay Mehta explains what has gone wrong.
“Hindi films have lost out on the connection with the masses. They were concentrating more on films which were metro-centric, or for the overseas market, because multiplexes bring in more money. Multiplex ticket prices are much higher than at single-screen cinemas. That’s the gap filled in by regional films,” he says.