Blood, sweat and tears

Films today are either gory action or gooey romance. No in-between. And no accident. Feel-it- all cinema mirrors our chaotic times, say experts

- Sneha Krishnan

Is it just us, or is your TV’s homescreen looking like it’s going through an identity crisis too? For every recommendation of a violent film (Kantara, Chhaava), there’s a feelgood romance (Saiyaara, Dhadak 2).

No in-betweens. Online, it’s the same. Reels set to violent slow-mo punches are trending, as are clips from cosy-blanket romances. How come our choices have boiled down to explosion or emotion? Is this where Bollywood is headed?

It might be, says Dheetchitha Sureshkumar, a counselling psychologist and film enthusiast from Chennai. “Romance and action fundamentally meet the needs of a mainstream audience,” she says. What’s changed is how the streaming system has amplified it. “Louder visuals, exaggerated emotions, more polarised social-media debates,” mean that you're just noticing it more now.