With Liger, the flop show of Bollywood continues. Is there hope for Hindi cinema? Experts have a few suggestions...

Mona

Bollywood is going through a rough patch; the latest to tank at Box Office is Liger. Lately, the success of South Indian stars has been seen as the way forward for pan-Indian films. But despite Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda and boxing champion Mike Tyson’s presence, Liger’s dismal collections (which is a Dharma Productions film), suggests otherwise. Reduced budget, focus on content, offers to lure audience into cinemas ala — US theatres celebrating National Cinema Day, a one-day event that will have movie tickets for as low as three dollars — what can help Bollywood to put its act together?

Up your game

Film trade analyst Atul Mohan calls it unfortunate times for Hindi cinema. “When a film does well, producers to back another project, putting the money in motion. Flops stop this cycle.” Mohan says nothing is working at the moment. “Rocketry also didn’t enjoy box office success despite being such a well made film. Family entertainers like Jugjugg Jeeyo did only marginally well. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 did surprisingly well and so did The Kashmir Files,” he says. Nothing can replace the charm of cinema, bats Mohan. “Hindi cinema has to up the content. That wouldn’t happen overnight, it would take about six months and it’s best to wait out this period,” he adds.

Done with mediocrity

Post-pandemic multiplex audiences are hooked to OTT. To lure them back to cinemas one has to create something exceptional, opines Anil Sharma. “People are done with mediocre cinema. One has to bring something special, create a buzz,” says the maker.

context is kingmaker

“Post-Covid, especially in the recent times, the entertainment industry has had a churning of sorts, leading to major changes like decimation of the star system followed by a change in viewership’s palate. Evolution being the norm of the world, eventually those most responsive to change will survive. From content point of view, this is good news as content is finally the king and context is the kingmaker. The genre they are attempting and the honesty with which a story is being translated into cinema will now define the fate of the film. Dated actors demanding crores of rupees should be shown the door for non-performance and fresh talent should be encouraged. Same goes for us filmmakers...those with a parochial approach should take a back seat. That alone will generate engaging and entertaining content,” says filmmaker-actor Rahul Mittra.

International exposure

National Award winning director Rajeev Kumar attributes Bollywood’s fall from favour to bad content. “People now have international exposure. Bollywood can’t beat Hollywood in technology. Content has to be strong. Forrest Gump which was repackaged as Laal Singh Chaddha is already on OTT. Shamshera and Raksha Bandhan offer no novelty. South Indian cinema brings relatable content, so the generic content wouldn’t sell!” Sartaj Singh Pannu makes a point for telling stories which are embedded in our culture and ethos. “Regional cinema is doing well for they know their language and know the world they are representing,” he adds.

Give writers a chance

Abhishek Dudhaiya feels the dismal Bollywood run is because the writers are not getting their due credit. “Despite big banners, writer who are writing the stories of the land are not able to reach them. When the content is strong, the audience will return to cinemas!".”