Sawt Falasteen - India's Bollywood bets big on 'event cinema'

The shift has fuelled what experts describe as "event cinema", as studios rely on big-budget spectacles and top-tier stars to lure audiences -- especially smartphone-loving Gen Z viewers -- back into theatres.

That strategy appears to be working. Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45–50 percent rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25 percent increase in young theatre-goers this year.

"The year looks poised for historic numbers," Rathi told AFP.

The industry's financial model was shaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the rapid rise of streaming platforms and a shift to home viewing.

But its 2026 upcoming slate, packed with patriotic war dramas, spy thrillers, mythological epics and nationalist narratives -- reflects not just a commercial recalibration, analysts say, but a broader change in creative priorities.

- 'Propaganda' -

Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarising films aligned with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema's unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment.

"These days film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the centre -- Hindu wave, propaganda... all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on," said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema. "But only one or two films work, not all 10 or 15."

He cited the success of 2022 blockbuster "The Kashmir Files", depicting in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989-90.

And he compared that with the 2025 film "The Bengal Files", on alleged political violence in eastern India, which he described as a commercial "disaster".

Films centred on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting both the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival.

Last year's gory action thriller "Dhurandhar", meaning "formidable", leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents confronting Pakistan-linked foes, and became one of 2025's highest-grossing films -- following a real-life four-day border clash with Pakistan.

Its sequel, "Dhurandhar 2", again starring Ranveer Singh, is set for release in March.

- 'Gratuitous violence' -

Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.

"It is not the quality of the film that matters today, it is propaganda films that are working," said Banerjee.

"The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning."

Banerjee also criticised what he called an excess of "gratuitous violence", arguing that "it is social media hype that is deciding the film's fate."

He pointed to "Ikkis", a film on the 1971 India–Pakistan war released in January, which struggled commercially despite positive reviews.

"It is a well-made film, but it didn't work," he said. "Perhaps because Pakistan is not shown as the enemy."

Director Ahmed Khan, however, said quality still ultimately determines success, citing his upcoming action-comedy "Welcome to the Jungle", starring Akshay Kumar.

"Whatever the genre -- action, drama, comedy or horror -- it depends on how well you've made it," Khan said.

He pointed to the 2025 successes of the contrasting romantic drama "Saiyaara" as well as high-octane "Dhurandhar".

"Both, poles apart in genre, did great business," he said. "People's mood can change any time."

W.Mansour--SF-PST