In late 2021, when someone turns up to watch the press show of Delight Diamond – a single-screen theater on the edge of Old Delhi Ranveer Singh’s much awaited 83, an irate Usher asked the critics to wait as the previous show was housefull. As COVID-19 ran high, one was curious to know what scared the public in this part of the world. Moments later, a sea of onlookers emerged; They couldn’t pronounce ‘Allu Arjuna’, but they certainly knew the difference between the flower that was sold to them and the fire that engulfed them.
Revel in Southern Spice
It Has Some Flaws, But Southern Has Widespread Charm Spices Hindi film industry in 2022 covered. dubbed version of RRR, Ponniyin Selvan: I, Radheshyam, KGF: Chapter 2, And Kantara Original Hindi film content retconned. huge hoardings till the end of the year Kantara Can be pasted in the cities of Uttar Pradesh where people hardly worship the Varaha avatar of Vishnu.
A scene from the Kannada film ‘Kantara’
Veteran film critic Ajay Brahmatmaj says the extensive use of VFX in southern films makes the storytelling impactful. However, he cautioned that the success of regressive subjects at the box-office, in the name of promoting culture, is challenging Hindi filmmakers to return to a regressive curve they had already negotiated.
Cinema after COVID-19
The side effects of the pandemic can be seen in the content consumption of the audience. Issue-based, wake-up films that were doing well before the pandemic are now giving diminishing returns at the box-office. After a high dose of dark themes on streaming platforms during the lockdown, audiences are looking forward to watching fantasy, mythology and humor in the communal scene. So, the biggest box-office earner was Brahmastra Whose ‘Indian Mythology Meets Marvel Comics’ theme raked in the moolah despite obvious flaws in the writing. humor in the horror of Maze 2 And wolf It worked with an audience eager to see the lighter side of a passing threat.
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’
Buying cinema tickets has become a luxury after the pandemic. Reports suggest that Rajshri Films tried to negotiate with multiplex chains before the release height But Yash Raj Films, which distributed the film, was categorically asked whether it would cut ticket rates at the time of the film’s release. Pathan, Director Anand Rai also considered reducing the ticket price Raksha Bandhan Because the subject of the film suits single-screen theaters and multiplexes in non-metro cities. He says that producers feel that unilaterally reducing the ticket price of a film headlined by a big star can be seen as a sign of weak content. However, when the producer of Silent: Revenge of the Artist Reduced ticket prices for four days, worked.
the art of an essayist
However, storytelling remained a major concern throughout the year, with even Yash Raj Films seeming to be losing the plot and Dharma Productions playing it a little too safe. Screenwriters are either churning out essays on contemporary issues or reaching a global audience by making the idea so complex that it loses connection with the original audience. Screenplays are often filled with progressive but stock characters; A traditional mother on Tinder or a police officer in a lesbian relationship no longer arouse interest just by their presence.
Of course, there were illustrious exceptions. Vasan Bala and Suresh Triveni show how a film can raise important contemporary issues and at the same time remain entertaining and engaging in its rich repertoire of ideas. Monica, oh my darling And jalsa respectively , in Gangubai KathiawadiSanjay Leela Bhansali gave A classic old-school Hindi film that worked in 2022. Gangubai, Monica… And black There were evocative soundtracks that could be heard on loop, making the cinematic experience more interesting.
A scene from ‘Monica O My Darling’
Known for demolition, Rajat Kapoor yet again delivers a scintillating meta-caper RK Which raised some existential issues. M Gani observed a socio-political document from an Indian village in matto’s bicycleAnd Amar Kaushik and Anirudh Iyer slip into massive entertainers on environment, casual racism, tribal rights, privacy, and important messages on social media wolf And an action hero, Don’t forget the small town innocence of Magician And Issued in public interest, One of the highlights of the writing in these films was that the dialogues were imbued with the nuances of Hindi, Urdu and local dialects, making popular cinema less generic.
Must-sees in 20222:
Monica, oh my darling
Gangubai Kathiawadi
jalsa
matto’s bicycle
black
RK
Magician
re
wolf
an action hero
However, originality is still hard to sell and big producers are still investing in remakes. Lal Singh Chadha And jersey Even if the expectations are not met, but the success of Drishyam 2 And Vikram Vedha, and critical acclaim for re And Foggy Prove that well-crafted remakes can work even in the age of globalization of cinema.
waning star power
Veteran producer Boney Kapoor says when filmmakers are unable to satisfy the local audience, they aspire for a global reach. Kapoor also questioned big actors completing films in 25 to 30 days after taking full fees, and described their creative process as “dishonest”. Perhaps, he was referring to Akshay Kumar, who headlined five films this year, four of which flopped. and his best performance was a cameo An action hero!
Star power took another dent when Aamir Khan was disappointed with his painstaking portrayal of a malicious character in the film. Lal Singh Chadha. Ranbir Kapoor’s hard work hardly gets noticed shamshera And as Ranveer Singh’s experiment jayeshbhai vigorous Flop too. Karthik Aryan And Varun Dhawan gave numbers but little else. Although , Used to drive dilapidated vehicles like veteran Anil Kapoor Thar And long live on his aging shoulders and director Prakash Jha surprises everyone with his believable turn as the daily wager matto’s bicycle, Not to be forgotten Amitabh Bachchan’s tear-inducing performance goodbye And height,
Anil Kapoor in ‘Jug Jug Jeeyo’
At the other end of the spectrum, Ayushmann Khurrana, who emerged as the face of the new-age everyman, also had a poor run and critics began to wonder whether his success was driven by issue-based cinema or his performance. Rajkummar Rao surprised with some of his choices, but despite less luck at the box-office, he remained in the right hands of the critics with strong performances. congratulate And Monica, oh my darling. Meanwhile, Vijay Varma rises in stature with a wicked performance darlings,
The focus shifted to female characters, and actresses got better roles. Alia Bhatt delivers both the numbers as well as critical acclaim Gangubai Kathiawadi And sweetheart, and happily played the damsel in distress Brahmastra, Shefali Shah too had a stellar year with several powerful performances Jalsa. Huma Qureshi hogs the limelight as the spunky Monica and Taapsee Pannu continue to excel in complex roles.
boycott wave
Playing the role of super censor, a section of trolls on social media launched boycott campaigns against certain films on the basis of songs, color and texture, beard, or alleged statements and political leanings of lead actors in the film. Advait Chandan, Director Lal Singh Chadha, claims that he was told that people were being paid to troll the Aamir Khan-starrer. Derogatory terms like Urduwood and ‘tukde-tukde gang’ were hurled at an industry known for reinforcing syncretic culture after independence.
Aamir Khan in ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’
How much business was affected by this is not known, but the boycott trend spread negativity about the entertainment industry, which was already struggling with the side effects of the pandemic.
small screen, big impact
With less pressure to negotiate, the streaming platform delivered some gems. However, the quality versus quantity ratio was still very poor. while jalsa, Monica, oh my darling, darlings, art, magician, Saint, And Foggy as affected by the implementation of their ideas loop wrapped, marionette, my name is govinda And plan a plan b Made them like a dumping ground of middling material from A-grade production houses.
A scene from ‘Kaala’
growing divide
Like the world of fashion, the film industry is becoming increasingly wary of criticism and film journalists, and is engaging with influencers on social media to generate word of mouth. During press shows and press conferences, YouTubers are more than film critics. It seems the makers are not interested in a serious debate on their film, but it will have an impact on the study of Hindi cinema for decades to come. Brahmatmaj, who wrote an open letter to Rohit Shetty, says, “Preferencing a comedy show over a serious discussion during the promotion of the film shows the frivolous attitude of the top names in the industry towards the medium.” Circus Will bring the curtains down on a domineering year.