Everything feels different. If you walked into a theater ten years ago to see a bollywood film, you knew exactly what you were getting: a three-hour marathon, an intermission that hit right when the hero was in trouble, and at least five songs that had nothing to do with the plot but everything to do with the vibes. It was a formula. It worked. But lately? The industry is shaking.
The "masala" DNA isn't dead, but it’s definitely evolving into something weirder and, honestly, more interesting.
The Identity Crisis of the Modern Bollywood Film
We need to talk about the box office because that’s where the panic started. For a long time, a bollywood film was the undisputed king of the Indian subcontinent. Then came the "South Wave." Movies like RRR, Pushpa, and Kantara didn’t just succeed; they dominated. They brought back the high-octane, unapologetic heroism that Mumbai had started to trade for "urban" or "multiplex" stories.
So, what happened?
Hindi cinema got caught in the middle. Producers started chasing "pan-India" appeal, which is basically just a fancy way of saying they want everyone from Kerala to Kashmir to buy a ticket. This led to a bit of a creative mess. We saw big-budget spectacles like Brahmāstra trying to blend ancient Indian mythology with Marvel-style VFX. It was ambitious. Some people loved the world-building; others thought the dialogue felt like it was written by a translation app.
That’s the core tension right now. Is a bollywood film supposed to be a gritty, realistic mirror of society, or is it a three-hour escape into a world where physics doesn't exist?
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The Death (and Rebirth) of the Item Song
You’ve noticed it, right? The "item number" is becoming a relic. In the 2000s, you couldn't have a bollywood film without a standalone dance track featuring a star who wasn't even in the rest of the movie. Now, audiences are calling it out. It feels forced.
But music is still the soul of the industry. Even if the standalone dance numbers are fading, the background score is becoming more sophisticated. Think about Animal. Whatever you think of the plot—and people have strong opinions—the way it used music to build tension was undeniably effective. It wasn’t just "insert song here." It was atmospheric.
Why Stars Aren't Enough Anymore
The Khans—Shah Rukh, Salman, and Aamir—still hold a massive amount of power. Pathaan and Jawan proved that SRK can still bring the entire country to a standstill. But look at the smaller movies. Look at how a bollywood film like 12th Fail became a massive sleeper hit.
It didn't have a 100-crore budget. It didn't have foreign locations or high-speed car chases. It had a story. People are tired of the "superstar" veneer if the writing is lazy. We are seeing a massive shift toward "content-driven cinema," a term that is overused but actually means something here. It means the script is finally the hero.
The Streaming Effect
Netflix, Prime Video, and JioCinema changed the stakes. When you can watch a world-class thriller from your couch, why would you pay 500 rupees for a mediocre bollywood film at the mall?
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This pressure has forced filmmakers to do one of two things:
- Go incredibly big (Jawan, Fighter, Kalki 2898 AD) so it demands a theater screen.
- Go incredibly deep (Laapataa Ladies, Bhakshak) so the word-of-mouth carries it.
The middle ground is a dangerous place to be right now. Romantic comedies, once the bread and butter of Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions, are struggling. Unless they have a unique "hook," they’re mostly heading straight to OTT platforms.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Nepotism"
It’s the elephant in the room. Every time a new bollywood film is announced starring a star kid, the internet goes into a frenzy. And yeah, the privilege is real. It’s a closed-door industry in many ways. But the "Boycott Bollywood" movements of 2020-2022 taught the industry a harsh lesson.
Audiences are ruthless now.
If the movie is bad, people don't care who your father is. The failure of several high-profile "nepotism" projects recently shows that the audience is the ultimate gatekeeper. On the flip side, we’re seeing a rise in "outsider" talent. Actors like Rajkummar Rao, Vikrant Massey, and Sanya Malhotra are headline names because they can actually act. They bring a groundedness that the industry desperately needs.
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The Technical Leap
We have to give credit where it's due. The technical quality of the average bollywood film has skyrocketed. Cinematography is moodier. Sound design is crisper. We aren't just copying Hollywood anymore; we’re developing a specific visual language that feels Indian but looks global.
Tumbbad is a great example of this. It’s technically a "folk horror" film, but it showed that a bollywood film could look as good as anything coming out of A24 in the States while staying rooted in local mythology.
How to Actually Keep Up With What’s Worth Watching
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of releases, you aren't alone. Between theater releases and the "digital premiere" of a bollywood film just four weeks later, it’s a lot.
Here is how to filter the noise:
- Ignore the "Hype" Trailers: Modern trailers are notorious for showing the whole movie or using "fake" high-energy music to mask a dull plot.
- Watch the Writers: Follow screenwriters like Varun Grover or Juhi Chaturvedi. If they’re involved, the movie usually has a brain.
- Wait for Day 3: The "first day first show" reviews are often biased or bought. By the third day, the real audience sentiment on Reddit or Twitter (X) starts to reflect the truth.
- Check the Production House: Labels like Excel Entertainment or Maddock Films have developed a reputation for taking risks that usually pay off creatively.
The bollywood film isn't dying. It’s just shedding its old skin. It’s messy and confusing, and we’re going to get a lot of bad movies along the way. But the ones that get it right? They’re better than they’ve ever been.
To stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at the stars and start looking at the directors. The future of Hindi cinema is being built by people who grew up loving the old-school magic but aren't afraid to break the rules to make something new. Pay attention to the indie festivals and the "small" releases; that's where the next big shift is usually hiding.