Thought Box

THOUGHT FACTORY: SUPERSTARS CAN'T SAVE FAILING FILMS

THOUGHT FACTORY: SUPERSTARS CAN'T SAVE FAILING FILMS

by Vinta Nanda February 4 2025, 12:00 am Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins, 48 secs

"Big budgets, bigger stars, and colossal failures—Indian cinema’s crisis lies not in its cast but in sidelined storytellers, as audiences demand creativity over celebrity-driven spectacle." Vinta Nanda writes…  

Recent box office failures of high-profile films like Deva, Emergency, Skyforce, and Azaad call out the deep creative crisis in Indian cinema. Despite top stars and massive budgets, these films underperformed, exposing the industry's overreliance on celebrity appeal instead of strong storytelling. Audiences today seek engaging narratives, innovative direction, and authentic screenplays—elements often obscured in favour of marketing strategies that prioritize big names. As Bollywood struggles to compete with globally diverse content, it's clear that the future of Indian cinema depends on giving due credit and prominence to scriptwriters, directors, and independent creators.

The Indian entertainment industry is in a state of creative crisis, as evident from the recent string of box office disasters. Films like Deva, Emergency, Skyforce, and Azaad—despite boasting massive budgets and the biggest stars or their progeny—have faltered spectacularly. Lately, it’s become the norm for star kids to make their debuts on OTT platforms, the Archies as we know recently launched a bundle, because theatrical releases are predictable failures despite their A-list celebrity status, and Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor’s Naadaniya is the latest. Even Singham Again, with a mammoth budget of ₹350 crores, couldn’t scrape through with ₹390 crores in collections. These performances stress a critical truth: star power is no longer enough to sustain audience interest. The storytelling is failing because the true architects of cinema—the writers, directors, and creative visionaries—are marginalized, their contributions overshadowed by a marketing machine that elevates celebrities instead of narratives. In an era when audiences are exposed to rich, diverse global content, India’s mainstream cinema is collapsing under its own weight, out of touch with the very viewers it seeks to captivate.

Where the Indian Entertainment Industry Stands: A Creative Crisis Decades in the Making

Revolutions in the entertainment industry have come and gone over the decades, each leaving its mark. Yet, never before have I witnessed such a profound decline in creative morality as now. The industry has become ensnared in a maze of oppressive obstructions, restricting the creative voices that once defined its spirit. After 35 years in the business, I’ve lived through multiple revolutions in Indian entertainment that disrupted and reshaped its ecosystem.

The first transformative revolution we experienced was the introduction of colour television during the 1982 Asian Games. This technological leap altered the landscape of storytelling. Public broadcaster Doordarshan transitioned from its conservative programming of news, agricultural shows, and film-based segments like Chitrahaar to producing India's first soap opera, Hum Log. A cultural shift followed, with hit shows like Buniyaad, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, and eventually epic serials Ramayana and Mahabharat, captivating a nation now enamoured with long-format storytelling.

The Rise of Satellite TV and Bollywood’s Cultural Negotiation

By the early 1990s, satellite television revolutionized Indian media again, breaking Doordarshan's monopoly. Private channels like Zee TV, Star Plus, and Sony Entertainment began offering diverse narratives that mirrored both urban aspirations and rural sensibilities. Economic liberalization fuelled this growth as India opened up to global markets, and Indians, in turn, discovered a renewed cultural voice. At the same time, Bollywood underwent a parallel transformation, crafting romantic escapist dramas like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ), Dil Toh Pagal Hai, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. These films appeared modern on the surface but carried deeply conservative values that soothed older generations. Love was permitted but only within patriarchal boundaries; stalking and emotional manipulation were normalized under the guise of romance.

Yet, as Bollywood clung to these tropes, the film Satya (1998) disrupted the industry's norms. A gritty portrayal of Mumbai’s underworld, Satya ushered in a new era of realistic storytelling. Following its success, filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bhardwaj led a movement of dark, socially conscious films, including Maqbool and Gangs of Wasseypur. Multiplex audiences embraced this shift, but Bollywood continued catering to mass audiences with formulaic "item songs" and regressive narratives designed to maintain profitability in rural markets.  

The Factory Model of Creativity

While independent cinema evolved in urban centres, television storytelling became formulaic hand in glove with Bollywood. Between 2001 and 2022, television and, later, digital streaming platforms increasingly sidelined creativity in favour of data-driven content. Marketing executives, financiers, and sales strategists dictated the terms, characters and even the stories that were told. Creativity became a factory process, and writers, directors, and producers were reduced to mere cogs, churning out content dictated by focus groups and market research, not to mention the corrupt practices adopted by the mercenaries to gauge response, which has been extensively reported in earlier years. Originality was sacrificed to appease profit spreadsheets.

OTT platforms initially promised liberation for independent creators. However, this potential was short-lived. Over time, major players like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar began requiring theatrical releases and box office figures before accepting content. Small production houses where creativity had once thrived as well as led the discourse found themselves locked out of the system. A vicious cycle developed: without established stars or marketing budgets, independent films couldn’t gain entry into streaming platforms.

No one anticipated the disruptive power of social media and platforms like YouTube. These platforms gave voice to a new generation of creators who bypassed traditional gatekeepers entirely. Millennials, Gen Z, and now Generation Alpha emerged as both creators and consumers of diverse, globally inspired content. For many young Indians, mainstream Bollywood and television became irrelevant—outdated relics of a bygone era.

Independent creators thrived on digital platforms, often garnering larger audiences than mainstream films. Ironically, the very Bollywood stars who once ignored these creators now seek relevance by appearing on their platforms. Yet, this democratization of creativity has not gone unchallenged. As traditional revenue models falter, power brokers in the entertainment industry have reinvented themselves as curators and gatekeepers of independent content.

The Struggle of Independent Filmmakers

The plight of independent filmmakers is emblematic of the broader challenges facing the industry. When I directed #SHOUT, a documentary tracing feminism in India, I encountered significant pushback from potential distributors. Two so-called curators approached us, demanding extensive re-edits under the pretext of improving the film’s marketability. Their proposed budget for these changes exceeded the entire cost of production. We refused, knowing it would jeopardize our chances at major film festivals. But this is the new reality: filmmakers are pressured to cede creative control to financiers and curators who hold the keys to distribution.  

This issue came to public attention recently with the short film Anuja, produced by Salaam Balak Trust, which was nominated for an Oscar. Industry insiders were surprised to see Priyanka Chopra and Guneet Monga listed as producers, despite their minimal involvement in the film's creation. I took to social media to question this practice. My post resonated with countless filmmakers who shared similar stories of being sidelined by brokers and curators nowadays insisting they be credited as producers and partake in profit making. Journalists picked up on the controversy, with outlets like NDTV, Network 18, and Hindustan Times quoting my concerns about how independent talent is being overshadowed by celebrity producers.

The problem is not limited to individual cases. It reflects a systemic flaw in how awards, festivals, and funding operate. Prominent names often secure nominations and accolades while the true creators remain in the shadows. Even figures like Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra have become part of this flawed system, albeit unintentionally. Their involvement raises questions about conflicts of interest, especially given Monga's close ties to the Academy Awards.

Neena Arora, a screenwriter, articulated this frustration on my Facebook timeline, explaining how OTT platforms now demand box office validation even for films intended for digital release. This practice locks out smaller productions, creating a closed circuit where only those with powerful connections can thrive. Ananth Mahadevan, an independent filmmaker with a vast body of work behind him, too, accused "influential ones" with the right "connections and networking" of benefiting from this system. 

What Needs to Change

The Indian entertainment industry stands at a crossroads. It can either continue down the path of creative stagnation or embrace the revolutionary spirit that once defined its greatest works. The new generations of creators have already shown the way forward. Now, the system must evolve to meet their aspirations—or risk irrelevance in a rapidly changing world.    

The solution to the creative stagnation lies in dismantling the monopolistic structures that control distribution. Over time, networks and platforms have deprioritized meaningful storytelling, viewing web series, soap operas, and films as disposable content. This shift is driven by the profitability of sports and mega-events, which attract massive audiences and advertising revenue with minimal creative investment. However, this profit-centric model overlooks the essential role of storytelling in capturing the sensitivities, nuances, and complex reflections of societies. Stories shape cultural identity, encourage empathy, and offer deep insights into human experiences. If networks continue to neglect these values, they risk eroding the very essence of the human connection that binds us together. Ultimately, without nurturing thoughtful and impactful narratives, the industry will face a void that no amount of star power or spectacle can fill. 




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