WHY AND WHERE IS BOLLYWOOD GOING WRONG?

Have you noticed that today, many movies that are expected to do well end up struggling to get off the ground? Or that even movies with stars have to struggle to get released in respectable theaters on the Friday of their release! Have you noticed that except for a few movies, all the others have had to bite the dust?

Why is this happening? Where is Bollywood's problem? Why does it seem to have landed in an abyss?

There are several reasons why films are not getting good initials. For one, producers have stopped promoting their films as well as they did before the pandemic. It is heard that stars are often reluctant to give pre-release interviews or make appearances at malls or on reality shows to interact with the audience – something they used to do proudly and willingly until early 2020, before the country went into lockdown mode. When stars were promoting their films on the front lines, the audience was inclined to listen to what they had to say about their upcoming film. But today, the audience does not have many sources to know about the films that are scheduled to be released. Even television advertising has reduced significantly. Producers seem to be focusing their energy on promoting their films on social media more than traditional media. However, producers, actors and filmmakers would do well to realise that 85-90% of the people who are active on social media are those who have stopped going to theatres. Producers prefer watching films on OTT platforms rather than in theatres, unless of course the content is so captivating that they take the trouble to step out of their homes to go to the theatres, braving the insane traffic jams, at least in metro cities. In fact, producers often miss the mark as they do not address their real audience. Even today, 80% of cinema goers rely on street advertising, newspaper ads and TV and radio spots to get information about upcoming new films. But while producers have cut back on their advertising spends in the aforementioned media, they have increased their promotional budgets on social media, which, in reality, targets people who are not the first-day or first-weekend audience for watching Hindi films.

This is not to say that promoting films on social media is a mistake. But putting all your eggs in one basket is a mistake. Unfortunately, the need to hire young marketing professionals is so strong that producers rely heavily on these talents. And young people are perhaps so far removed from reality that they could end up wasting producers' money by developing plans that are heavily weighted towards social media promotion, sometimes to the complete exclusion of traditional media.

Even today, music and trailers remain the two most powerful promotional tools for a film. Let's talk about music first. Honestly, how many producers work hard on their music these days? The only two names that immediately come to mind are Karan Johar and Dinesh Vijan. They have a habit of coming up with popular and hit songs in their films. Apart from these two, it seems that the rest have forgotten how hit songs are made. If they don't have hit music to come up with, how can they expect their films to have a big start on Friday, considering that the majority of the audience, even today, decides whether or not to watch a film based on its music? As for trailers, one can't complain because in most cases, trailers are better than the films.

Now, let’s come to the other important aspect: films that don’t sustain at the box office and lose their appeal after three days. The only reason for this deplorable situation is the poor content that is being offered to the audience in the name of entertainment. So, what does this mean? Have our filmmakers forgotten to make entertaining films? Not really! But they definitely need to get their act together because the competition from OTT platforms is huge and real. There is no denying that a section of the audience has shifted from theatres to digital platforms; they will not come to the theatres unless the content is compelling and needs to be enjoyed on the big screen. For the rest of the films, these lost customers either prefer to wait for them to be streamed on OTT or never watch them. They get their daily, weekly or monthly dose of entertainment – ​​that too, in Hindi, regional and international – from digital platforms.

There are several reasons why the quality of films is declining. While in some cases it is not deteriorating, it is certainly not up to par with the quality of international cinema and web series. This may be hurtful to Bollywood filmmakers, but it must be pointed out that our filmmakers have often not been able to keep up with the filmmakers in the South Indian industry. The sincerity and dedication of the South directors and actors shines through in their films, which is often lacking in Bollywood films.

Frankly, one of the reasons for the poor quality of Bollywood films could be the easy availability of money in the form of revenue from OTT rights and the like. There is no doubt that digital platforms have become stingy compared to what they were five or six years ago, but they still shoulder 50% of the production cost in many cases. It is human nature not to work very hard when profits are easy to make. This seems to be the problem with our producers who make films with stars. Since OTT platforms generally scout for films based on banners and star casts, it becomes easy for established production houses to put up projects with marketable stars and thus fetch premium prices for digital rights even before the film is released or, for that matter, completed. Things may not change until OTT platforms change the criteria on which they finalise their deals. Today, many films are made on Excel sheets rather than in writers' rooms. Creativity has long been sacrificed in the name of commercial calculations.

Film production is a commercial venture and there is nothing wrong in being concerned about the commercial viability of films. The problem arises when commercial considerations become the sole factor in deciding how films should be made and creativity is buried in the name of financial constraints. It is okay for producers to be commercially savvy, but how can directors and stars start worshipping Goddess Laxmi while often ignoring Goddess Saraswati?

There are many things wrong with our producers. There is something radically wrong with the way many of our directors operate. It is urgent that our writers start thinking again so that they can come up with things that resonate favorably with the public. There is certainly room for improvement in the work of our music directors. Otherwise, our films will not get off to a good start and will not do well at the cash register.

Corrective action must be taken. NOW!