MUMBAI, Jan 26\u00a0\u2014 India\u2019s Bollywood is moving decisively towards a cinema of scale and confrontation\u2014where patriotism, spectacle, and ideological clarity increasingly trump nuance and narrative risk, industry insiders say.<\/p>\n
The shift has fuelled what experts describe as \u201cevent cinema\u201d, as studios rely on big-budget spectacles and top-tier stars to lure audiences\u2014especially smartphone-loving Gen Z viewers\u2014back into theatres.<\/p>\n
That strategy appears to be working. Akshaye Rathi, a prominent film exhibitor, predicted a 45-50 percent rise in net Hindi box-office collections and a 25 percent increase in young theatre-goers this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe year looks poised for historic numbers,\u201d Rathi told AFP.<\/p>\n
The industry\u2019s financial model was shaken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with the rapid rise of streaming platforms and a shift to home viewing.<\/p>\n
But its 2026 upcoming slate, packed with patriotic war dramas, spy thrillers, mythological epics and nationalist narratives\u2014reflects not just a commercial recalibration, analysts say, but a broader change in creative priorities.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u2018Propaganda\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarising films aligned with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema\u2019s unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cThese days film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the centre\u2014Hindu wave, propaganda… all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on,\u201d said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema. \u201cBut only one or two films work, not all 10 or 15.\u201d<\/p>\n He cited the success of 2022 blockbuster The Kashmir Files, depicting in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989-90.<\/p>\n And he compared that with the 2025 film The Bengal Files, on alleged political violence in eastern India, which he described as a commercial \u201cdisaster\u201d.<\/p>\n Films centred on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting both the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s gory action thriller Dhurandhar, meaning \u201cformidable\u201d, leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents confronting Pakistan-linked foes, and became one of 2025\u2019s highest-grossing films\u2014following a real-life four-day border clash with Pakistan.<\/p>\n Its sequel, Dhurandhar 2, again starring Ranveer Singh, is set for release in March.<\/p>\n \u2018Gratuitous violence\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not the quality of the film that matters today, it is propaganda films that are working,\u201d said Banerjee.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning.\u201d<\/p>\n Banerjee also criticised what he called an excess of \u201cgratuitous violence\u201d, arguing that \u201cit is social media hype that is deciding the film\u2019s fate.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed to Ikkis, a film on the 1971 India-Pakistan war released in January, which struggled commercially despite positive reviews.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a well-made film, but it didn\u2019t work,\u201d he said. \u201cPerhaps because Pakistan is not shown as the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n Director Ahmed Khan, however, said quality still ultimately determines success, citing his upcoming action-comedy Welcome to the Jungle, starring Akshay Kumar.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever the genre\u2014action, drama, comedy or horror\u2014it depends on how well you\u2019ve made it,\u201d Khan said.<\/p>\n He pointed to the 2025 successes of the contrasting romantic drama Saiyaara\u00a0as well as high-octane Dhurandhar.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth, poles apart in genre, did great business,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople\u2019s mood can change any time.\u201d \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MUMBAI, Jan 26\u00a0\u2014 India\u2019s Bollywood is moving decisively towards a cinema of scale and confrontation\u2014where patriotism, spectacle, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[263],"tags":[129356,18,117,149721,19,17,327,149719,149720,149718,4715],"class_list":["post-304351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-dhurandhar-sequel","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-hindu-nationalist-cinema","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-movies","tag-mumbai-india-cinema","tag-patriotic-war-dramas","tag-seema-sinha-bollywood","tag-the-kashmir-files"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115961423601881528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}