Bollywood in 2022: Trade analysts call this 'the worst year for the Hindi film industry'

The Hindi film industry believed that things had improved when the year 2022 arrived. Bollywood was prepared to resume operations in 2022 after the pandemic's two-year closure of theatres. But a year later, things are not looking good. Only four films—Drishyam 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and The Kashmir Files—became hits in that year, according to trade observers, while the massively expensive Brahmastra: Part One—Shiva managed to break even. From Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha to Akshay Kumar's Samrat Prithviraj and Raksha Bandhan, from Ayushmann Khurrana's Anek and Doctor G to Rajkummar Rao's Badhaai Do and HIT: The First Case, many movies have failed at the box office.

Raj Bansal, a distributor and industry expert, estimates the damage at Rs 2,000 crore. He told Mid Day that 2022 was the worst year ever for the Hindi film industry, with almost every performer having their biggest professional failure. To make up for the previous two years, they anticipated new content. Instead, the industry has suffered a revenue loss of over Rs 2,000 crore. However, South Indian movies did well. The only successful actor among the younger cast was Kartik Aaryan, while Tabu was the only female actor to have two box-office hits.

While addressing what went wrong, Atul Mohan, a trade expert, attributes it to two factors: old material and the stars' exorbitant salaries, which drive up the cost of a movie. Due to exposure to OTT programming over the past two years, people's tastes have altered. While most directors stick to the same formulaic subjects, their standards have increased.

He continues by saying that, given the current situation, actors should rethink their fees. There should be a profit-sharing structure for star fees. Southern producers are wary of high fees and star encirclements. The box office has also been hampered by the high cost of tickets. After the pandemic, the average person's financial situation deteriorated, and they may hesitate before spending money on a movie.

With big names like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan working on their parts, the year ahead looks good. But if 2022 has taught the industry anything, it is that celebrity power is not as important as content. Girish Johar is an expert in the business side of the movie business. He thinks that the industry will learn from its mistakes. As they move forward, they need to understand projects and the fact that mediocrity is no longer good enough. The secret is to pay attention to texts and storytelling. Everything about the system needs to be changed, including the finances, ticket prices, and digital and satellite rights.