Bollywood was once known for producing lengthy films exceeding three hours, including classics like Mughal-E-Azam, Sangam, Sholay, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein, Lagaan, Swades, and Jodha Akbar.
However, in recent years, audience attention spans have shortened, making three-hour films less acceptable. Multiplexes also tend to give shorter films more prominence, affecting the business of longer productions.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga challenged this trend with his recent release, Animal. Despite being an A-rated film and running for 3 hours and 21 minutes, Animal became a major success, breaking the norm of shorter films dominating the industry. Vanga’s accomplishment has sparked a revival of longer films in Bollywood.
The upcoming release, Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan, is set to hit screens in the coming weeks. Reports suggest that the film’s duration is expected to be 3 hours and 10 minutes.
Fighter, directed by Siddharth Anand following the successes of War and Pathaan, features a star-studded cast including Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor. Slated for release on January 25, coinciding with Republic Day, Fighter is set to be one of the first major releases of the year with a runtime exceeding three hours.
So Sandeep Reddy Vanga creates a trend and immediately Bollywood starts following it.
