Film producer Ronnie Screwvala speculated about the reason why Bollywood films haven't been performing well with critics and audiences in recent months, and said that a lot of filmmakers are living in a 'la la land' and can't seem to look beyond the bubbles that they exist in. The main problem, he said in an appearance on Raj Shamani's podcast, is that Hindi filmmakers haven't evolved with the times, which is why audiences aren't turning up to watch their films in theatres. In the post-pandemic era, many major Bollywood movies have tanked commercially, while an uptick in interest has been noticed in films emerging from the South Indian industries. Even though Bollywood dominated the cinema landscape this year, it can mostly be attributed to the abnormally large contribution made by Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan. Asked why Bollywood films have lost their charm, Ronnie said, "I don't want to be judgmental, but I think we've taken our audience for granted here. And that's the problem, and we haven't made the change. When you're an insular industry - and I'm not saying we necessarily are, because I don't want to be critical, I'm very much a part of it, and I'm proud of it - but when you're insular, and you're clannish, you just say the same thing again." He continued, "When you're with people who finish the sentence for you, it's the most dangerous place to be in. Every meeting, someone is finishing the sentence for you, you're going out saying, 'What a culture.' Sorry, but where's the diversity? What's going on outside? How are you going to figure this part out? Who's going to challenge you? You're in you're own world, you're in la la land. One, you're in your own world, then you're in la la land, then you're irrelevant." Ronnie was the founder of the UTV Group, which was sold to the Walt Disney Company in 2012. He has since founded the film production company RSVP Movies, and currently serves as the chairman of the online education company UpGrad, which he co-founded.
