Anurag Kashyap’s recent remarks have sparked conversations about Bollywood’s declining connection with its core audience. The filmmaker criticised the Hindi film industry for producing subpar content compared to South Indian cinema and argued that this negligence has paved the way for South Indian films, including dubbed versions, to dominate even in the Hindi-speaking regions. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Kashyap expressed frustration with the flawed distribution strategies that hampered his films’ reach.
Reflecting on the challenges during the pandemic, Kashyap shared that two of his critically acclaimed films, Gangs of Wasseypur and Mukkabaaz, were not given wide releases in North India. He explained that studios wrongly assumed his films appealed only to urban audiences in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad, disregarding the broader Hindi-speaking regions in the North. Kashyap described this as a significant misjudgment, stating that such decisions underestimated the appeal of his films among their natural audience base.
The filmmaker recounted an incident illustrating the studio’s neglect of smaller regions. A theatre owner from Bihar had reportedly pleaded with Eros, the production house, to release one of Kashyap’s films in their area. However, the studio rejected the request, citing the cost of producing an additional Digital Cinema Package (DCP) for the region as unjustifiable. Kashyap criticized this decision as emblematic of Bollywood’s shortsightedness, contrasting it with the success of South Indian films in similar markets.
According to Kashyap, South Indian films have thrived in Hindi-speaking regions because Bollywood failed to cater to its core audience. He elaborated on how YouTube channels exploited this gap. “We make Hindi films, but we have ignored the Hindi film audience. The advantage was taken by this man who created the YouTube channel ‘Goldmines’. He started acquiring South Indian films at cheap rates, dubbed them into Hindi, and catered to that Hindi-speaking audience. That audience grew so much that Pushpa 2’s trailer was released in Patna,” Kashyap remarked.
The director highlighted how these channels acquired South Indian films at low costs, dubbed them into Hindi, and tapped into an audience that Bollywood had neglected. Over time, this audience grew significantly, leading to a stronger demand for South Indian cinema in regions traditionally dominated by Bollywood.
Kashyap also reflected on the shifting admiration of audiences in the Hindi-speaking belt. “The same audience, which once adored Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, now also recognizes and celebrates South Indian stars with equal enthusiasm,” he observed.
By pointing out Bollywood’s failure to adapt its distribution strategies and content creation to meet the expectations of its core audience, Kashyap painted a stark picture of the industry’s struggles. His remarks underscore a critical issue that Bollywood must address to regain its foothold among Hindi-speaking audiences.
