The Filmy Hustle Exclusive: In India TV’s ‘The Filmy Hustle’ podcast, Vishek Chauhan, CEO of Roopbani Cinema in Bihar, openly discussed the decreasing craze for Bollywood films and the reason behind it.
In the recent past, the craze for Bollywood films has decreased among the audience as compared to earlier and the craze for South Indian cinema has increased. In India TV’s special podcast ‘The Filmy Hustle’, Vishek Chauhan openly discussed the decreasing craze of Bollywood films among the audience and also revealed the reason behind it. He discussed various aspects of the film world. He also made many revelations in this interesting conversation. While talking to Akkshay Rathie on India TV’s podcast, Vishek Chauhan shared an anecdote about Sunny Deol’s ‘Gadar 2’ and told how the audience showed immense love for this film despite the string of recent Bollywood flops. He also explained the reason behind the film’s success.
People tell me cinema is dead – Vishek Chauhan
Talking about the current state of cinema, Vishek Chauhan said, ‘Due to the elite movement in Hindi cinema, the general public has been left behind somewhere. It is not that the audience is not watching films. Sometimes a film comes which shows that there is still a possibility. For example, there was a theatre near my cinema in Bihar which was shut down. They had no audience. Then Gadar was released, they sent me photos of a thousand people inside and 2 thousand outside. How did this happen? People keep telling me that cinema is dead, cinema is not working anymore. But, when a good film comes, it breaks all records.’
People are still interested in cinema – Vishek Chauhan
Citing the example of Baahubali and Jawaan, Vishek Chauhan said, ‘Films like Baahubali, Gadar and Jawaan have shown us that the audience is still interested in cinema. But what has happened in the last 15-20 years is that the content that is coming week after week has failed to connect with the audience. Now, cinema has become more focused on people from urban, rich families instead of the general audience. The language they use in films is beyond understanding. Many times people tell me, ‘I did not understand the film. What have you made?’ And from here the audience’s connection ends.’
The decline in cinema halls
‘Cinema should unite people. On the digital platform, you can present content targeting a group, but there should be unity in the cinema. So that people of every group understand it and feel connected. The content shown in cinemas should be accessible even to someone who is from the lowest economic background. Only then cinema will see the success it seeks.’ He further added, ‘When I went to Bihar in 2009, there were over 100 cinema halls in my region, but now the number has shrunk to 8. It’s not that people have stopped watching films, but you have to bring such content that will draw people to the cinema hall.’
Also Read: The Filmy Hustle Exclusive: Vishek Chauhan, Roopbani Cinema’s CEO, explains theatrical changes in last decade
