Begin Again

The Hindi film industry isn't dead, nor is it dying. But it could definitely do with a reset

- Shamya Dasgupta

SO, what's new?

In the supersized world of big-budget, big-star, big-everything mainstream Hindi moviedom, not much, by the looks of it. If you want new, look South. Filmmakers from the South seem to be doing some good stuff with their stars. This isn't just an opinion. The numbers (gathered from Ormax Media) have spoken, even if they can be contested by other such sources.

From January to March 2025 (during which Holi and Eid-ul-Fitr were celebrated), the highest-grossing film in India was Chhaava, hitting Rs 691 crore till that point. It's a Hindi film about Maratha pride, perhaps a bit historically dubious, but if it's a good yarn, why let facts come in the way? That logic is not restricted only to movies these days. But after Chhaava, there are only two Hindi films (up to March) in the top ten: Sky Force (Rs 130 crore) and Sikandar (Rs 122 crore). Neither film appears to have been able to keep the momentum going and were anyway made on massive budgets, with Akshay Kumar headlining Sky Force and Salman Khan starring in Sikandar. Big enough grossers, then, but probably not massive hits in terms of return on investment.

The rest are all from southern India. Primarily Telugu. There's Sankranthiki Vasthunam, Game Changer, Daaku Maharaaj and Thandel: all Telugu. L2: Empuraan, with or without the Censor Board's scissors, is the lone Malayalam representative there. Tamil films score two spots: Dragon and Vidaamuyarchi.

In March, the festive month, when Salman Khan, the big Eid hero, released Sikandar, a film whose budget is rumoured to be in the Rs 200-crore region, L2: Empuraan, reportedly the most expensive Malayalam film ever made, was the bigger grosser at Rs 129 crore to Sikandar's Rs 122 crore. Sikandar hasn't picked up steam since.