The Indian film industry is facing a tough summer. Reports indicate a 30% decline in first-quarter FY2024 box office revenue, making it another disappointing season for the industry. Both Hindi and regional language films have struggled to perform well at the box office in the last two months. In the midst of these discussions, Karan Johar, a prominent figure in Indian cinema, emphasized the necessity for a reevaluation and a shift in how theatrical success is perceived.
During an interview with Faye D’Souza, Karan Johar explained, “Firstly, the audiences’ tastes have become very definitive. They want a certain kind of cinema. And if you (as a maker) want to do a certain number, then your film has to perform at A, B, and C centres. Multiplexes alone will not suffice.”
He continued, “Simultaneously, the cost of filmmaking has increased. There has been inflation. There are about 10 viable actors in Hindi cinema, and they are all asking for the sun, moon, and earth. So, you pay them; then you pay for the film, and then the marketing expenditure comes. And then your film doesn’t do the numbers. Those movie stars asking for Rs 35 crore are opening to Rs 3.5 crore. How’s that math working? How do you manage all these? Yet, you have to keep making movies and creating content because you also have to feed your organization. So there’s a lot of drama, and the syntax of our cinema has not found its feet.”
The film-maker added, “In the case of Hindi cinema, there has been a certain kind of syntax in each decade. Right now, we are like, ‘If Jawan and Pathaan worked, should we do only action?’ Then everybody’s running that way. Then suddenly a love story would work. I feel like we are running around like headless chickens. Conviction has taken a complete beating, and it’s all about herd mentality. We haven’t realized that there is a certain audience now that wants rooted Indian cinema and, without the pressure of what the critics have to say, pure joy. They also don’t want alienating cinema. When you talk about urban syntax and alienate Tier 2 cities and the plexes in smaller towns, then you don’t do that massive business. You can make such urban cinema, but at a certain price.”
Karan Johar’s latest production, Kill, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year, marks Lakshya Lalwani’s Bollywood debut. The film was showcased in the Midnight Madness section of TIFF and was one of 10 films chosen to be exhibited at the festival.
The film tells the gripping story of Indian Army commando Amrit (Lakshya) who races against time and armed adversaries on a New Delhi-bound train to rescue his beloved Tulika (Tanya Maniktala). According to Deadline, Chad Stahelski, Jason Spitz, and Alex Young of 87Eleven Entertainment will lead the remake, attracted by the original film’s intense action sequences and compelling narrative.
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