Teachers Day 2022: From hits to failure, lessons Bollywood learnt this year
It’s Teachers Day today and time to recall our learnings, whether it’s career skills or personal experience. This year was a great teacher for Bollywood. The Hindi cinema learnt its lesson from facing reality checks with boycott trends to failure with the wrong film choice. Bollywood might have now got the idea about what works and what does not in the industry. This is the thing everyone from the industry should remember this Teachers Day.
The year 2022 started with a pandemic still being an obstacle in the industry and theatres remaining closed. After the theatres opened in February -March, Filmmakers started releasing their movies expecting crowds in cinemas. But, almost all the Bollywood releases met an abrupt ending failing badly at the box office. People refuse to watch Hindi movies in cinemas and chose south movies over them. This hits hard as it gives a reality check to Bollywood filmmakers that ‘Content is King’ and ‘audience is the majority.’ No one can save the movie which isn’t acknowledged by the audience.Â
So the low-budget film like Kashmir file became a winner followed by South movies like RRR, KGF2 and others. On the other hand, Bollywood just saw back-to-back failures, with only a few hits. Bachchan Pandey was disappointing, Heropanti2 didn’t do well. Samrat Prithviraj failed miserably. Laal Singh Chaddha & Raksha Bandhan’s bad state is left for pity. Ek Villain Returns couldn’t retain the glory of its prequel. and recently released Liger is another addition to disaster. Only Kashmir files and Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhoolaiya 2 could shine.Â
On the occasion of Teachers Day 2022, let’s count the lessons Bollywood learnt this year.Â
Bollywood needs to focus on story rather than big budget and glory
Bollywood would have realised that big budgets and superstar involvement wouldn’t help them draw crowds to theatres. Look at films like Samrat Prithviraj, Its eye-catching budget and Akshay Kumar’s casting didn’t help the movie that lacked an effective story. The same happened with Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera and the recently released Liger. People are even trolling Liger, calling it useless with no story.
On the other hand, the recently released south movie Karthikeya 2 did wonders at the box office despite the low budget and lack of star power.Â
Large-scale promotion doesn’t ensure crowd in theatres
When it comes to promotion, Liger was promoted on a large scale. From malls, and trains to grand events and even reaching out to popular influencers, makers did it all to attract the audience. The pan-India film was meant for both Hindi and south audiences. However, even the south audience rejected it and didn’t acknowledge it like other south movies.
The audience was disappointed and even said that just shouting INDIA, INDIA is not enough when the movie lacks a strong story. Another example is Aanand L Rai’s Raksha Bandhan, where they left no stone unturned and promoted the film all across the nation. But, it ended badly. Bollywood should better focus on its story.
OTT is the new challengerÂ
The 109-year-old film industry is in danger due to the digital era where streaming giants like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney + Hotstar, and others are offering quality content at affordable prices. Why would someone go to watch movies in theatres, leaving the comfort of home and binge-worth OTT watch, if the theatrical release is not appealing enough?
The audience criticized these Bollywood releases while they had all praise for OTT movies and series like Darlings, Delhi Crime 2, Criminal Justice 3 and so on.
Language isn’t an obstacleÂ
With South movies like Pushpa, KGF2, RRR, and Karthikya doing exceptionally well even in the north, Bollywood must have learnt that language isn’t an obstacle. It does not determine the film’s success. Since the pandemic, Malayalam movies have gotten special attention due to their fulfilling storiesÂ
The audience has a hunger for entertainment and they will fetch it from any part of the country. The subtitles play a great role in this, and the winning end helps movie lovers explore.
Star power is no longer aliveÂ
The times when promoting the movie as Akshay Kumar’s film and bringing a large crowd to theatres are gone. Star power is no more, and it’s not the same anymore. Kartik Aaryan and Anupam Kher’s movies are doing magic at the box office, and Aamir, Akshay, and Ranbir’s films are giving disappointing results, which proves this fact.
Celebrities should think twice before making any public statements
The last thing that counts is shocking statements made by celebrities. Aamir’s Hinduphoba, Kareena’s leaked video saying, “Don’t watch our films,” Taapsee and Anurag asking the audience to boycott their movie too. All this can’t be ignored. Bollywood must have understood the impact of the boycott trend on its movies.
Meanwhile, Bollywood celebrates Teachers Day today with all the actors showing their gratitude towards their mentors. We wish you a Happy Teachers Day!
For more such exciting and fresh updates on Television, OTT, Bollywood, and Hollywood, stay tuned to Cine Talkers. Also follow us on our social media pages including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
