Bollywood in Reverse Gear? Poor Promotional Content

Bollywood, one of the world’s oldest film industries, should ideally be setting benchmarks in creativity and technology. Yet, fans feel that the quality of Hindi films has been declining instead of evolving with time.

Many viewers online have called out Bollywood for falling behind in three crucial areas poster design, VFX, and trailer editing. These elements once defined cinematic excellence but now seem to lack innovation and effort.

Take War 2 for instance. Its CGI scenes were criticised for being unrealistic and lacking depth. In comparison, Ra.One released back in 2011 had more impressive VFX, thanks to Red Chillies VFX, which still remains a standout in the field.

Although the success of Mahavatar Narsimha has rekindled interest in animated films, Bollywood continues to lag in this space, with very few studios exploring the genre seriously.

Poster design, once a celebrated art form, has now become formulaic. Classics like Swades, Omkara, Gangs of Wasseypur, Veer-Zaara, Hum Tum, Dabangg, and Rang De Basanti had posters that captured the true spirit of cinema.

In contrast, today’s posters like those of Thamma, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, and even War 2 fail to leave a lasting impact. Only a few, such as 120 Bahadur and Homebound, stand out as creative exceptions.

The problem extends to trailer editing as well. Trailers are meant to build curiosity, not reveal the entire plot. However, most recent Bollywood trailers show every twist, character, and even surprise cameo, leaving nothing for the theatre experience.

Fans believe this stems from over-reliance on marketing analytics rather than storytelling instincts. When data replaces creativity, the emotional connection between cinema and its audience suffers.

Bollywood has reinvented itself several times in history. Many hope that this criticism sparks another revival one that brings back originality, artistry, and true cinematic magic.