Bollywood movies have always been about excess, with even serious scripts often managing to squeeze in lavish musical numbers and frenetic routines featuring scores of dancers. No more. The pandemic is turning Bollywood downright minimalistic. Shooting scenes of crowded wedding songs—a staple of the genre—has been temporarily ruled out by Covid-wary officials. And a chase scene scripted for a dusty, crowded Indian street was recently rewritten to take place in an empty warehouse, confides one director at a major studio.
These are just some of the changes the globe’s most prolific movie industry is making to awaken from one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. The coronavirus, which has sickened more than a million Indians—including superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World who is one of the nation’s best-loved actresses—is forcing filmmakers to radically rethink how they do their job. “We’ve looked at all the scripts on our table to make them more production-friendly,” says Atul Kasbekar, producer of the award-winning thriller Neerja, who’s now preparing to shoot a Hindi remake of the 1998 hit German experimental film Run Lola Run. “The only thing you can do is figure out what is the path of least risk, financially.”
Kasbekar and other filmmakers in India are competing for attention from streaming sites such as Netflix and its homegrown rivals; these are the only showcases available as Indians continue to shelter in place while grappling with increased oversight from a government that’s struggling to contain a worsening viral outbreak, now the third-largest in the world. The resulting clash between creativity and caution has poised India’s almost $34 billion entertainment industry at an inflection point that some say could change it forever.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Changpeng Zhao – “I don't really care much about money”
Critics say Changpeng Zhao became the wealthiest man in crypto by operating the equivalent of an unlicensed casino. He says that’s all in the past
Where Ultrafast Delivery Still Zooms
India’s so-called quick commerce is soaring, but high cash burn may clip the startups’ wings
The Other NBA Draft
League officials, investors, and Barack Obama are betting they can make basketball Africa’s second-biggest sport—and Africa basketball’s most valuable growth market
TikTok Turns On the Money Machine
The ad revenue is already flowing, and e-commerce is next
The Scuffle Over Your Stock Trades
The SEC’s ideas to change how markets work could shake up the brokerage business
The Global Currency War Begins
Desperate to tame inflation, central bankers are vying for more buying power
Spotify's Long, Winding, and Pricey Journey Into Podcasting Is Very Much Not Over Yet
The company spent $1 billion on studios and top-tier talent. Now it wants to be podcaster for the everyman
Is China At Peak Property?
An extended slump in home sales may be a bigger drag on growth this year than lockdowns
FLUBBED
Inflation blunders have strained the trust that anchored the dollar and other currencies for decades
Elon Musk's Sober Outlook
The billionaire Tesla chief cast a shadow over prospects for the US economy and the Twitter deal
Can Bollywood Survive Modi?
Its films have always celebrated a pluralistic India, making the industry—and its Muslim elite—a target of Hindu nationalists.
Lost In Translation
Hey Siri, why don’t digital assistants understand people who don’t sound like white Americans?
Angie Aching For Michelle Pfeiffer!
Star reunites with girlhood crush – & melts
Kangana Loses Her Mental Balance
For those who missed the August issue, to bring you up to date; we had a story which said, nobody wants to work with Kangana Ranaut. We explained how she had rubbed all the Khans the wrong way and from Karan Johar to Shahid Kapoor to Irfan Khan no one was prepared to work with her. Now here is the latest escapade Subhojit Ghosh investigates.
Farhan Akhtar: Bollywood's Casanova
Remember ‘Imran’ aka ‘Majnu’ from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, played by none other than Farhan Akhtar.
Is Fatima Sheikh The New Lady Love For Aamir Khan?
After the smashing hit of Dangal, gossip mills were abuzz with the rumours of a probable relationship between Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan and his mentee Fatima Sana Shaikh. So much so that there were reports of his wife Kiran Rao being upset over their growing closeness. Since neither Aamir nor Fatima came out to deny the reports, speculations rise further. Subhojit Ghosh delves into the story.
Why Bollywood Loves To Hate Kangana Ranaut?
More and more people from the industry are jumping on to the Hate Kangana Ranaut bandwagon so much so that not too many people want to work with her anymore. Has her enormous ego and motor-mouth caused Kanganas career to plunge down to the point of no return? Is this the end of the road for this talented performer? Sumita Chakraborty finds out
Was Shah Rukh Khan Responsible For Arjun And Mehr Rampal's Divorce?
The twenty years marriage of Bollywood top star Arjun Rampal and one of India’s top models, Mehr Jesia ended in a surprise divorce. Subhojit Ghosh investigates the lifetime of this traumatic story.
Irrfan Khan In Critical Condition
It has been a month since the acclaimed Bollywood actor made a startling revelation about battling a rare disease called neuroendocrine cancer. Recently, he penned his emotional journey of his suffering in a painful letter to Bombay Times.
Can The Badshah Regain His Mojo?
Shah Rukh Khan, said to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema, has lost a bit of his Midas touch over the Box office in recent times. Ankit Shah tries to dig deep and find out more...