NEW DELHI: As Alpha, the Alia Bhatt-starrer female spin-off to Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe, which includes hits like Pathaan, readies for release later this year, trade experts say Bollywood still lags Hollywood in building high-profile, female-led franchise extensions.
Unlike the West, where films such as Wonder Woman and Black Widow have proven audience pull for women-led entries within larger cinematic universes, Indian studios have been slower to back big-budget action spectacles anchored by female stars—even when they sit inside established franchises.
Malayalam cinema has taken early steps in this direction with Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, a female superhero film released last year. In Hindi cinema, comparable attempts have largely been limited to mid-budget spin-offs such as Taapsee Pannu’s Naam Shabana, a spin-off to Akshay Kumar’s spy film Baby, Kajol’s horror film Maa, a spin-off to Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan, alongside Rani Mukerji’s ongoing Mardaani series.
“The gap largely comes from how franchises have historically been built in Indian cinema. Most major franchises in Hindi films were conceived around male action heroes, so the narrative universe itself was not originally designed to expand through multiple character-led stories. In Hollywood, studios actively build cinematic universes where several characters, including women, can lead independent narratives within the same franchise ecosystem,” said Abishek S Vyas, founder and chief executive officer of AVS, a Dubai and Mumbai based arts and entertainment company operating across film production, art licensing, audio media, and content-driven intellectual property.
In India, that shift is only beginning to take shape, Vyas said. Films like Naam Shabana suggested audiences are open to female-led extensions of existing worlds, but such projects remain limited as studios have been slower to adopt character-based franchise strategies.
A key constraint, Vyas added, has been the perception of market viability. Large-scale commercial films in India have traditionally depended on male stars to drive opening weekend box office performance, shaping how studios evaluate risk in greenlighting spin-offs.
“When you are mounting an action spin-off from a known franchise, the budgets can be substantial because audiences expect scale, spectacle, and continuity with the parent franchise. However, the market is evolving. With the rise of streaming platforms, global distribution, and changing audience preferences, female-led commercial films are increasingly viable,” Vyas said, adding that success hinges on strong character writing and stories that justify scale.
Naam Shabana earned around ₹37 crore at the domestic box office, compared with over ₹95 crore for its parent film, Baby.
Franchise logic
To be sure, Hollywood has a longer track record of female-centric narratives. Films and franchises such as Ocean’s 8, The Hunger Games, Underworld: Evolution and the Pitch Perfect sequels have demonstrated that women-led commercial cinema can sustain strong audiences. Even long-running male-led franchises have at times shifted focus, with recent Mad Max chapters placing a female character at the centre.
“However, if you look at the broader pattern, most long-running franchises across world cinema have traditionally been built around male heroes. Sequels usually happen when a central character reaches a certain iconic status. Think of characters like James Bond, John Wick, or Ethan Hunt. Their popularity itself sustains the franchise,” film producer Anand Pandit said adding that the gendered idea of heroism also has a lot to do with it.
Even so, industry observers say franchise storytelling itself is still evolving in India. Filmmakers, they argue, need to design character arcs with future spin-offs in mind, rather than treating them as afterthoughts once a franchise is established.
“The challenge often is one of perception rather than audience acceptance. Studios tend to mount male led franchise films on much larger budgets because they are seen as safer opening weekend bets. Female-led commercial films therefore often have to prove themselves through strong scripts, controlled budgets, and smart marketing,” producer and director Nivedita Basu said.
“The biggest creative challenge is that the female character needs to be well established in the original story for audiences to want to follow her journey independently. But the opportunity is huge. Audiences today are far more open to female-led action and commercial cinema, and if studios start designing franchises where women are written as equally powerful characters from the beginning, spin-offs will naturally follow,” Basu added.