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Bollywood filmmakers follow a hit formula? Trade analysts believe it’s a trend since the Amitabh Bachchan era
After Jeetendra Ji struck gold with Himmatwala, every actor wanted to do a South remake. After the remakes, Maine Pyar Kiya brought back the era of love stories: Hindi film trade discusses the evolution of content in cinema.
We have often seen social media discussions about how Hindi filmmakers follow a herd mentality by following a successful formula. Be it the trend of remakes or the biopics, it’s too much of everything in the offing at the moment, making one wonder if the industry has started playing safe. Would we reach a saturation point? Trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains, “Even in the 1970s, Bollywood used to follow a particular formula. For a matter of fact, when the angry young man image came in with Zanjeer, every actor wanted to be the angry young man. Zanjeer resulted in the actors deviating from romance, which was at it’s peak during the Rajesh Khanna era”
He adds, “After Jeetendra Ji struck gold with Himmatwala, every actor wanted to do a South remake. After the remakes, Maine Pyar Kiya brought back the era of love stories followed by family films with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. Then came Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar, who made films catering to the NRI audience. It’s a phase and we have been following the formula for so many years now. With the passage of time, success changes everything. There has to be that one person who challenges the norm and then, everyone follows.”
Producer and film business analyst, Girish Johar agrees and adds that every industry follows a tried and tested formula. “Even Hollywood follows a formula. Today, a marvel universe is made because one film in the superhero space succeeded. Even in India, we have been following trends for years now. Rajesh Khanna sir did romantic films, Dilip Kumar sir was known for drama. It’s nothing new because entertainment consumption is very dynamic. All kinds of films are being made and their consumption depends on the mood of the nation,” Girish reveals.
He signs off saying that the audience has the final say on any content. “All genres work and it’s eventually the content that matters. At the end of day, we are in a commercial entertainment industry,” he concludes.
What’s your take on the debate? Do let us know.
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