Letters | How can Bollywood get its mojo back in 2025?

Readers discuss changing taste in Indian cinema, an idea for a Hong Kong resort, and a river revamp project

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Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar promotes his upcoming war film Sky Force in Mumbai on January 5. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 10 Jan 2025

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The year 2024 was a disappointing one for Bollywood, the Hindi film factory in Mumbai. No Hindi movie was a superhit or took in record profits. The industry is truly worried.

The reasons for Bollywood’s gloomy year are very clear though. First, there have been few well-written scripts, reflecting the national mood, that could be converted into good films. In the 1970s and 1980s, screenwriters like the duo Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) assessed the issues faced by people and wrote scripts for blockbusters. Thus the angry young man was born, a persona that was owned by actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Unfortunately, many films these days just focus on music and dance, neglecting the storyline. Otherwise, they are murder mysteries or revolve around crime and revenge.

Second, Bollywood films are too reliant on stars. Some of the top actors charge around 1 billion Indian rupees (US$12 million) per movie. When the costs of making a film spiral, producers cannot recover their expenses. Many stars are focused on building armies of followers on social media, rather than polishing their acting skills.

Over in Hollywood, even a celebrated actor like Marlon Brando had to audition for his role in The Godfather. In his autobiography, Sonny Boy, released last October, actor Al Pacino describes his devotion to practice and rehearsal, which he has persisted with even after becoming a global star.