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There’s no doubt that Bollywood is currently going through one of its worst periods in history. Although movies such as Stree 2 and Chhaava have raked in big bucks, the harsh reality is that these are among the very few films sustaining the Hindi box office, preventing it from taking its last breath. Despite Shah Rukh Khan revitalising the ailing industry in 2023 with two Rs 1,000 crore grossers, the industry failed to build on this momentum the following year, plunging it into a crisis that persists well into 2025. But what’s eating Bollywood alive? According to legendary screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar, the industry’s biggest failure lies in its inability to reconnect with audiences.
During a recent conversation with Bollywood’s “Mr Perfectionist” Aamir Khan, Akhtar highlighted the curious case of relatively unknown South Indian stars breaking into the Hindi market and delivering massive blockbusters. While he began by asking Khan’s opinion on why the “Bombay film industry” is currently on the back foot, he quickly added: “The [Hindi] films have lost all connectivity with the audience. Dubbed South Indian films, featuring stars who are unknown to audiences here in North India, are releasing and doing Rs 600-700 crore business. Even the few of our films that end up working also stem from South movies. What happened to our people?”
In response, Aamir argued that the filmmakers’ geographical background was irrelevant and that the issue wasn’t about ‘South vs North’ films. “The problem we are facing is something different,” he stated during their chat at the launch of Aamir Khan: Cinema Ka Jadugar, a special film festival by PVR INOX. Explaining that Bollywood is struggling due to a flawed business model, Aamir used an example to illustrate the principle of supply and demand in economics.
“Ours is the only industry that goes around requesting people, ‘Please come and consume our product (film). If you don’t, we’ll come and drop it off at your doorstep in eight weeks (through OTT platforms). This is our business model. After eight weeks, you will get to watch my movie for which you had already paid (through a subscription). I don’t know how to sell the same product twice. Earlier, I used to watch movies because I had no option. Now, I go to theatres for the fancy of it. Since we can watch movies anywhere, there’s no absolute need to go to theatres. So we’ve killed our own business model,” he added.
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