Biopics, nationalist themes see diminishing returns at the box office

Trade experts say such heavy dramas are not just better suited for home viewing on OTT now, audiences are witnessing an overkill with far too many films on subjects not entirely relevant, especially to younger audiences. Further, the nationalist streak, an important part of many such films, is no longer working, with viewers tired of the same tropes.

Changing box office landscape

While Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency had earned ₹15.90 crore at last count, Chandu Champion featuring Kartik Aaryan had finished its theatrical run at ₹62.95 crore last year.

“There has been an overdose (of such films). The point is most movies have a nationalist tinge to them nowadays, and filmmakers find some way to bring in that angle, but audiences have perhaps moved from being overly impressed with such tropes, at least over the past eight to nine months," Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said. 

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Puri added that biopics, which are essentially meant to stay true to life and often tell the stories of hardship, end up losing out on the element of cinematic spectacle and scale. On the other hand, Amar Singh Chamkila, a film starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, is a good example of a biopic that found its audience on OTT, given that it was a Netflix original film.

OTT shift: Why content-driven films are better suited

To be sure, entertainment industry experts emphasize that while many of these may not be badly made films, there is an argument for them to stream directly on OTT platforms given that their content-driven themes do not really make for large-scale, big-screen experiences. Further, even though films like Saand Ki Aankh ( ₹23.40 crore) and Manikarnika-The Queen of Jhansi ( ₹92.19 crore) were considered successes when released before covid, the benchmarks for box office glory were different post-pandemic, with films breaching the ₹500 crore and even the ₹800-crore mark in some cases.

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“Given that biopics are based on lives which are very well documented, there is nothing new for theatrical audiences. The way to lure crowds to cinemas now is to create some sort of urgency or excitement, but with the oversupply of such films, there is no novelty left," independent film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said. He added that the understanding that the film will anyway be available on OTT within eight weeks is hitting such projects hard, with viewers no longer interested in what is readily available.

That said, a few films with a nationalistic tinge, such as Article 370 ( ₹83.37 crore) and Sky Force ( ₹104.30 crore), have managed some box office draws over the past few months. Trade experts and theatre owners point out that such movies' controversial or timely themes have worked in their favour. However, the ruling government has mostly restricted its support to films with overtly propagandist themes, as had happened in the past with The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story.

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“There is a limit to everything, and audiences will get bored once that is breached. People are not interested in historical figures unless there is an element of controversy to it," Pranav Garg, managing director at Maya Palace, a two-screen cinema in Muzaffarnagar, said.