In the last 12 months, Bollywood has failed to deliver a single film that truly stands out or is worthy of being called a classic.
On the contrary, the Tamil and Malayalam film industries have produced multiple classic films across a variety of genres.
They’ve delivered Manjummel Boys (Rescue Drama), Maharaja (Thriller), Dragon (Slice of Life Drama), Meiyazhagan (Family Drama), Rakhachitram (Thriller), Aavesham (Comedy Drama), Vazhai, Officer on Duty (Crime Thriller), and many more.
Many of these films will undoubtedly be remembered and celebrated as future classics.
Meanwhile, Bollywood hasn’t produced anything that even comes close.
This issue is quite concerning.
Producers are chasing profits, while genuine, heartfelt storytelling has been lost.
The success of a film is now measured by the number of clicks it gets on OTT platforms, rather than the quality of the story being told.
While a mediocre film like Naadaniyaan grabs all the limelight for being terrible, truly beautiful films like Supermen of Malegaon are ignored by everyone.
The industry, instead of striving for greatness, continues to push forward recycled, mediocre content- same tropes, same cast, same stories.
There’s nothing new being offered. No one is taking risks.
This can be clearly seen in the recent obsession with sequels.
We’ve now reached a point where even average or slightly above-average films are being hailed as ‘brilliant cinema.’
The bar for cinema has fallen dangerously low.
And most importantly, we’ve completely forgotten how to make great action and masala films. In this regard, the Telugu and Tamil industries are easily 10 years ahead of Hindi cinema.
A grand film doesn’t need a massive budget or a star-studded cast. The South has understood this. In the end, it comes down to strong writing and a director with the vision to bring it to life, not someone just doing it for money.
This growing gap is something Bollywood seriously needs to reflect on.
The golden era of Hindi cinema is long gone, and what’s left is barely standing on the shambles of what once was.
