3 weeks ago
Regional Indian Cinema Thrives as Bollywood Plays It Safe
Hollywood movies are very popular in India right now.
Some people worry that Indian movies are not as exciting anymore.
This article says India's movie business is actually doing well, and only one part of it, called Bollywood, is having problems.
Bollywood makes big Hindi-language movies, but many of them repeat the same safe ideas over and over.
Meanwhile, movies made in other Indian languages, like Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu, are trying new and different stories.
A Tamil movie uses a village god story to ask questions about justice.
A Malayalam movie explores growing up, friendship and becoming an adult.
These films take creative chances and make audiences feel closer to the stories.
The author believes taking risks is what makes movies truly memorable.
Hollywood films Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day have succeeded across Indian theatres this year.
Bollywood's biggest 2026 hits stayed within familiar genres: border-conflict spectacles (Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Border 2) and horror-comedy (Bhooth Bangla, Dhamaal 4).
Tamil cinema's hit Karuppu uses the folklore of village deity Karuppusamy to examine the apathy of the Indian judicial system.
Malayalam's Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros explores youth, friendship and the uncomfortable transition into adulthood.
Telugu films Peddi and Maa Inti Bangaaram blend mainstream entertainment with themes of systemic oppression and a woman's violent past, respectively.
- Who
- Bollywood studios, Christopher Nolan, and the Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu film industries
- What
- An argument that Indian cinema is thriving through regional creative risk-taking while Bollywood relies on safe, formulaic blockbusters
- Where
- India, from Mumbai's Bollywood to the Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu film industries
- When
- This year, following the successes of The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Indian theatres
- Why
- Because Bollywood's risk-averse pursuit of a 'pan-Indian' template contrasts sharply with regional cinema's willingness to explore new themes
Formula-Driven Bollywood
Creative Regional Cinema
Is Indian Cinema Struggling?
Formula-Driven Bollywood
The phenomenal success of Hollywood films like The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day suggests Indian cinema is losing its ability to capture the public imagination.
Creative Regional Cinema
Indian cinema is not struggling - only Bollywood is risk-averse, while Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu cinema remain wonderfully alive and commercially successful.
Creative Risk vs Safe Formulas
Formula-Driven Bollywood
Bollywood wisely stays within familiar genres (border conflicts, horror-comedy) that have been tested, approved and monetised, and popular cinema has always relied on such tropes.
Creative Regional Cinema
Extreme risk-aversion edges Bollywood towards irrelevance, shrinking the emotional and thematic territory it explores despite bigger budgets and polish.
The Pan-Indian Template
Formula-Driven Bollywood
Chasing a pan-Indian template allows films to appeal to the widest possible audience and maximise commercial reach.
Creative Regional Cinema
The pan-Indian approach sands away regional texture until films feel like they could belong anywhere and therefore nowhere, resulting in scale without distinctiveness.
Key facts
- Hollywood films cited
- The Odyssey (Christopher Nolan), Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
- Bollywood films cited
- Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Border 2, Bhooth Bangla, Dhamaal 4
- Tamil standout
- Karuppu - using Karuppusamy folklore to examine Indian judicial apathy
- Malayalam standout
- Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros - youth, friendship, adulthood
- Telugu standouts
- Peddi (systemic oppression in a sports drama), Maa Inti Bangaaram (a violent past vs ordinary life)
- Author
- A Chennai-based filmmaker
- Core argument
- Indian cinema is healthy; Bollywood's risk-aversion is the problem
Quotes
Rajinikanth
Tamil film star portrayed as hero in the narrative
“"Tell them I’m back."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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