Source: ZOOM TV
The Fall of Bollywood
The film industry in the South is leaving Bollywood far behind. Regional cinema is now no longer regional; it is becoming popular throughout the nation.So is this the end of Bollywood?In this article we are going to cover why Bollywood rejected South films and their actors, then how they copied them and then how they became national sensations!Firstly,Bollywood is not real. Like there is an actual place called Hollywood in Los Angeles where there are many film studios in Hollywood. Similarly we don't have a Bollywood named place in Mumbai.In fact, slowly Mumbai's local industry is shifting out of Mumbai.Bollywood is not a place, Bollywood is a status Quo!
What Makes Mumbai the Film capital?
The only reason is because of power.Earlier when the whole country used to face electricity issues, Mumbai promised reliable electricity connections.Even Bengal at that time had a similar situation.That's why earlier, films were made in Mumbai and Kolkata.But today, this power of uninterrupted electricity and the power of films is spreading nationwide. Before Covid pandemic, India used to make 1500-2000 films per year. Just 20 years ago half of them were Bollywood films.The reason behind this is simple. The film producers who had money, they know that Hindi will have a mass appeal. More people, more shows, more money!
Top Myths of Bollywood Script
Actors should be fair skinned with perfect Hindi.For Stories it should take place in big cities in India.The actor or the story that did not fit into this formula was simply rejected by Bollywood without a second thought.It this formula has to get old at some point or other.The audience wanted something fresh; they were getting rid of the same story line and got bored.By the year 2000, the story of rejection changed to imitation.South Indian movies started getting remade in Hindi.The riskiness in these types of experiments is quite low because all they had to do was copy tried and tested stories.The stories which already had the audience's stamp of approval and those were already hit, only those stories had to be copied into Hindi films. Many popular Hindi movies which have big stars were actually remakes of hit regional cinema.
The Success Mantra of Regional Films
Some experiments of regional films were accepted very well.But many times, because the actors and directors were different, these experiments failed.For example Sairat is the highest grossing Marathi film till date.But people completely rejected the Hindi remake of this film.Because it was obvious the film would be compared to the original. Sairat was an important film because this movie proved something that had not been done before.A new director, a new cast, and a different language all of which was accepted by the audience.This movie was accepted so well that a song from this movie became a super hit. Sairat, a film that was made with a budget of rupees 4 crore earned Rs. 110 crore in the box office. Similarly Bahubali broke all the financial records as well as language barrier. It was released in 10 languages and it was a great move and its revenue crossed over 1800 crores. Bahubali was an instant hit.South films have been technically superior.
The South Indian film industry is known for its discipline.No matter how big the star is, from spot boy to the director, everyone has to follow a fixed schedule.And this run of regional cinema domination didn't stop.In 2018, Tamil film 2.0 was the highest grossing film, followed by Pushpa in 2021 and then RRR and KGF 2 this year. They are already at the top of the box office.
Conclusion
I feel the stories of regional cinemas are far more innovative, slice of life, and more real.Ultimately content is king.For today's generation, language is no longer a barrier, it is a bridge.South India films are not just films, they are an experience.There's a different feeling to watching these films in a theatre. Regional cinema has brought a cinematic revolution in India and is now becoming national cinema.Cinemas are the mirror to our society.It is not necessary that cinema represents only one part of society.I don't mean to say Hindi cinema is over, but I definitely do want to say that a formula that all of us are very tired of, this formula is finished.It is time for a change, because all types of stories should reach out to the people and over the nation.
Written By - Aritra Maij
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