Bollywood stars discover niche films don’t always generate box office success

Experts said titles such as Alia Bhatt’s Jigra, Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein are examples of popular names not catering to their target audiences but attempting niche, experimental subjects to prove their versatility. While the strategy often garners critical acclaim, it also alienates a large section of their wide fan base.

“Every once in a while, top stars do certain films for critical acclaim or out of a sense of indulgence to try something new,” film distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said. “While creative inclination is one thing, there should be a realisation that there are only a handful of faces that can command box office draw and there is an entire value chain that is dependent on them for survival.”

Rathi added that only a few actors can pull off mainstream blockbuster kind of roles and there are plenty of others who are fit for middle-of-the-road, content-driven cinema.

Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment, the operator of multiplex theatres, pointed out that mainstream stars have attempted content-driven films with some success in the past. Devgn himself starred in Raid ( ₹103 crore) and Drishyam ( ₹67.13 crore) and Bhatt appeared in Raazi ( ₹123.84 crore).

Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, agreed that when mainstream actors experiment with diverse genres, it expands their versatility and strengthens their connection with audiences. It’s a natural growth path that only enhances their appeal over time. However, quite a few things have changed over the past few years.

“This (content-driven films targeted at multiplex audiences) is pre-covid cinema,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said. “It would garner a lot of praise having captured mainstream attention and space, make up to ₹70-75 crore in theatres, and also manage good OTT money. However, these genres are theatrically dead now.”

Actor fee factor

Experts pointed out that while the films may be experimental or niche in treatment, most top stars do not reduce their fees to appear in them and the commercial terms at their end remain unchanged. While Jigra was made for over ₹80 crore, it earned only ₹30.7 crore at the domestic box office. Maidaan clocked in ₹52.3 crore in box office collections when made at a budget of ₹250 crore.

According to experts, Bhatt could easily charge over ₹30 crore for a film, and Devgn could take a combination of an upfront fee of ₹70-80 crore plus a share of the profit.

Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, agreed while some of these films may have found an appreciative audience, they were certainly too costly.

“The industry needs a healthy mix of subjects, and a star is often one of the main reasons for a film to get greenlit and it is important to encourage them to take risks at the correct cost. If some of these films were made at half the cost they actually were, the scenario would be different,” Puri explained.

He added that such movies are targeted at specific audiences, but budgets get inflated based on an understanding of what the star could achieve with the subject.

“There is a limit to what even stars can pull off,” he emphasised.