Mid-budget Hindi films shine as cine goers bet on experience

Mumbai: At a time when big-budget Hindi films are increasingly failing at the box office, the unexpected success of three mid-budget films-Saiyaara, Mahavatar Narsimha and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat -gives a solid indication of changing tastes and preferences of Indian cine goers.

Saiyaara, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, and Mahavtar Narsimha, which were made on modest budgets of ₹10-30 crore each, have collected ₹80-₹400 crore at the domestic box office.

According to producers and industry experts, these films resonated with Generation Z and tier-2 and tier-3 audiences with high affinity to themes observed in South Korean content and old-school Bollywood template films.


"For a long time, Gen-Z and audiences beyond metros who have a strong affinity towards South Korean content and old school Bollywood template films were deprived of films which appealed to their sensibilities. Saiyaara and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat contain similar themes and tropes found in South Korean content and old school Bollywood template films. Hence, these audiences lapped up these two romances," said Ameya Naik, producer and founder, Fantasy Films, an event management company.

Agreeing with Naik, film business strategist and producer Vaibhav Garg explained, "The success of Saiyaara and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not manufactured. It is real resonance meeting perfect timing, which is reflected in their collections."

Increasingly, producers pointed out today audiences are not swayed by scale or stars of films but prefer experiences. They pointed out that audiences have begun to prefer films which warrant family viewing and provide factual entertainment or infotainment experiences.

"Today, audiences are not chasing budgets. They are chasing experiences. They want sincerity - whether it is emotional truth, devotional depth or a topical narrative that sparks conversation. They are rewarding clarity of intent of the makers," said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder & director, Karmic Films. "The extraordinary success of Mahavatar Narsimha is a proof that a strong idea and honest storytelling in a mid-budget film can help it beat a big-budget film in terms of box office collections," explained Wadhwa.

Music is another factor which has worked for these films, said producers.

"These films are fresh takes on themes seen in old Bollywood films. But what really worked for these films is their music. The music in these films resonated with audiences who have been deprived of the traditional Hindi film music for a long time," shared Vicky Bahri, producer and founder & CEO of KLIP, a micro-drama app.
Lastly, producers are also of the view that there is an increasing appeal among audiences for stories which trigger debates and polarised points of view.

"In recent years, there is a conscious effort among makers to write films in such a way that it provokes debates and extreme and divided reactions among audiences. Characters and motivations behind their actions are tied logically well. But audiences realise that characters' actions do not match, complement, justify or represent what they say or feel in films. In this way, a film piques the audience's interest and sparks hot debates which in turn compel audiences to come to theatres," explained Naik of Fantasy Films.