Nepo nexus kills India's Bollywood film industry (OMG 😮)

https://gulfnews.com/amp/opinion/op-eds/nepo-nexus-kills-indias-bollywood-film-industry-1.103750020

Nepo nexus kills India's Bollywood film industry

Bollywood’s fall from grace due to aging stars, nepotism, death of creativity, is swift

Published: August 08, 2024 08:45Swati Chaturvedi, Special to Gulf News

Image Credit: ANI/Supplied

India’s unarguable soft power lies in its cricket and Bollywood industries, both revered domestically and acting as cultural ambassadors on the global stage. However, Bollywood is currently in the grip of a crisis, grappling with a collapse of creativity — the very intangible quality that conjures the illusions and worlds we escape into.

The narrowing of the Bollywood mind is a sight to behold: a limited wheelhouse of ideas, even more limited talent, self-referential and indulgent subjects, and a pitiful lack of comprehension of India outside the “precious” South Bombay cafés. This has resulted in flop after flop, as financial backing exits the industry, making it increasingly difficult to produce the “pretty pictures” Bollywood is known for.

Industry insiders I’ve spoken to over nearly two months for this SWAT analysis point to a near-collapse in Bollywood. Old movies are being re-released and finding audiences in theatres, while new films struggle to draw even a near-zero audience.

In February of this year, classics like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Jab We Met,and Mohabbatein were re-released in theatres alongside successful southern-language hits. In stark contrast, new films released in the same period, such as Fighter, Main Atal Hoon, and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, tanked on their opening days.

Downfall of established stars

Akshay Kumar, once a bankable star, has faced a string of 13 flops in a row, with the latest being Sarfira. Earlier titles like Bell Bottom, Ram Sethu, Mission Raniganj, Laxmii, Katputli, Atrangi Re, Samrat Prithviraj, and Bachchan Pandey have also failed to perform.

Industry insiders say that Kumar hasn’t had a proper hit since 2021. Yet recently, Kumar aggressively attacked journalists who questioned him about his string of flops.

Insiders claim he demands huge fees and does back-to-back films, overexposing himself to the audience. At 56, Kumar is seen as out of touch, repeatedly cast in roles that have him romancing women young enough to be his daughter, in stories seemingly ripped straight from the headlines.

Take another actor, Jhanvi Kapoor, daughter of the legendary late star Sridevi. Kapoor has had seven flop releases at the box office: Dhadak, Gunjan, Roohi, Good Luck Jerry, Mili, Mr. and Mrs. Mahi, and the latest, Ulajh.

Kapoor embodies the real problem with Bollywood: a product of nepotism who gets opportunity after opportunity to lead films, despite being repeatedly rejected by audiences.

A top director I spoke to said, “She can’t act at all. She can’t even speak properly. If you want to be an actor, at least enunciate correctly. She can’t even be bothered with that. Worse, she’s hugely arrogant, thinking of herself as no less than her illustrious mother and travelling with a giant entourage whose only job is to sycophantically tell her how wonderful she is and second-guess the director. Kapoor is not believable in any role and only knows how to play herself, as if a film is a Koffee with Karan episode.”

Kapoor is actually a place holder for the giant “nepo-babies” crisis currently plaguing Bollywood, exemplified in the dud The Archies.

These cookie-cutter star kids look and sound alike: Khushi Kapoor (Jhanvi’s sister), Ananya Pandey, Shanaya Kapoor, and Suhana Khan, daughter of Shah Rukh Khan. Sara Ali Khan (daughter of Saif Ali Khan). They’re more of the same.

As one director mocked, “These nepo babies call directors ‘uncle.’ Their parents, all Bollywood bigwigs, aggressively make things happen for them, from brand endorsements and surgical enhancements to movie gigs.”

Nepotism debate

It’s not that Bollywood hasn’t dealt with nepotism before, but attitudes have shifted. The earlier generation of nepotism products like Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Varun Dhawan at least came with some talent. Now, the talent pool seems to have dried up.

Ironically, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who had a rags-to-riches story ascending to stardom from television, is now pushing to make his daughter Suhana a star. Her debut flopped, yet she’s managed to bag huge beauty endorsements. Khan himself is acting in a film with her to give her the elusive success.

The other problem is the ageing superstar trio: Shah Rukh Khan at 58, Salman Khan at 58, and Aamir Khan at 59.

Ajay Devgn, 55, just had a huge flop this week. These heroes refuse to act their age, and the audience isn’t buying them as fresh-out-of-college romantic leads alongside heroines half their age. Even in action movies, the computer graphics used to give these otherwise portly middle-aged men six-packs are obvious to the audience and no longer effective.

The Archies. (L to R) Khushi Kapoor as Betty Cooper, Suhana Khan as Veronica Lodge in The Archies. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Fear of controversy

The biggest crisis is that Bollywood has walled itself off from fresh ideas, thinking, and talented outsiders. Scripts are repetitive because writers can’t convince directors and producers, who have a worldview limited to Los Angeles, about what resonates in heartland India and appeals to small-town audiences.

Producers and directors shy away from “controversial” subjects, fearing legal cases, harassment, and violence. A certain political thought polices movies, ensuring that contrarian viewpoints face a firewall, says a director who was once outspoken and known for challenging politicians. Now, he says he’s a “pariah,” unable to make movies even for OTT platforms.

As film after film flops, financing is drying up. Even flop actors demand enormous fees yet can’t even guarantee a Friday opening at the box office. For every Kabir Singh that worked for Shahid Kapoor, he’s had a string of failures, yet his price is non-negotiable, says a director. “How does one make a movie with these kinds of stars who don’t seem to live in reality?” he adds.

Bollywood currently churns out “safe subjects” with “safe superstars” under “supervision” and then reaps mediocre or no returns. As the Khans age out, there is currently no replacement or new superstar on the horizon, male or female.

The magic of movies

The actual connection between an audience and movies is an organic magic. Films give wings to our imagination, make us fall in love, react to beauty and art, and allow us to forget our mundane worries for a while in the theatre.

But when the movies fail to move us, don’t blame the audience.

Alternative link…….. ……. …..

https://www.reddit.com/r/BollyBlindsNGossip/s/C3KEL8Ypaf

Bollywood has destroyed Bollywood

Why does it seem like I wrote this I swear some of these lines I have said here on IF

Originally posted by: oyebollywood

Bollywood has destroyed Bollywood

Major overhaul needed if you ask me

Have to say , can't disagree with this. If these people are not going to get pass nepotism then bollywood is doom. Have to respect Amir for not forcing his son on us.

expected more from shahrukh who himself is self made super star, anyone can tell Suhana has literally no talent when it comes to acting. Instead he should guide her in the direction where she can succeed.

Originally posted by: Outlander22

Have to say , can't disagree with this. If these people are not going to get pass nepotism then bollywood is doom. Have to respect Amir for not forcing his son on us.

expected more from shahrukh who himself is self made super star, anyone can tell Suhana has literally no talent when it comes to acting. Instead he should guide her in the direction where she can succeed.

One can make up for lack of acting talent with looks and aura, Suhana has none. She doesn’t have the charm tbh, neither any screen presence.

As I've the feeling that a serious discussion of this article isn't possible, I just state that I agree partially

Junk!!! As If Bollywood was churning out Oscar worthy premium content a decade back or 2/3 decades back.

Bollywood's "Collapse" has nothing to do with talent/Nepotism and everything to do with Competition, most notable OTT/Streaming but also regional industries which there was none/very little of a decade back.

Hollywood has faced a similar issue where people are content watching "Content" in the comfort of their homes which with the newer technology provides a theatre like experience. And frankly there's so much great content on streaming platforms that you really can't be bothered to make a trip to the cinema.

The only time people will get off their couch is for a big ticket extravagance. For smaller films it's all about a tight budget and OTT release. The Telugu industry does this well, where they have 5-6 premium expensive films where money is flown like water and the smaller films are made on such a tight budget, that recovery is easy. Bollywood too is moving in the same direction. A films budget will decide the stars fee, a star's fee will not decide the budget of the film going forward.

I agree that Bollywood is not doing well. But I think that has as much to do with directors and producers as actors.

The story, issues shown, treatment everything is extremely South Bombay and majority of India feels disconnected. Neither the characters are worth rooting for (like in Bahubali, RRR, Jawan), nor the story is charming or fascinating (Kalki, KGF, Animal). Somehow south indian (or specifically Telugu) directors are better connected and know how to spinup a fairytale that will engage a lot more people.

Jhanvi Kapoor is a flop actress who has never helped any potential superhit movie. Her headlining small inconsequential movies cannot destroy Bollywood. It is the likes Hritik, Ranbir, Ranveer, Shahid (who had the chances to the next superstar but could not convert that) who can negatively affect Bollywood's fate. Yes, it is sad that we don't have any replacement for the 3 Khans who ruled and gained their superstardom organically by becoming everyone's dream partner, the ultimate cool dude or the intelligent and super cute experimenter.