Veteran filmmakers Kiran Rao, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Anurag Kashyap have expressed concern about the increasing structural problems in the Hindi film industry, which range from poor theater experiences and rising marketing budgets to OTT-driven algorithms and a shortage of enthusiastic producers. They contend that small films are finding it more difficult to thrive as a result of the growing divide between creators and financiers caused by tech ownership.
In order to bring back the creative spirit of the industry, the filmmakers demand more accommodating producers, more equitable promotion tactics, and flexible release models as theaters become more impersonal and streaming becomes more popular.
“Now it’s statistics and algorithm,” says Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap highlighted the loss of passionate producers in today’s film industry. “There was a time when producers were proud of films, now it’s statistics and algorithm,” he said. Kashyap recalled how Rakesh Roshan once mortgaged his house for his 1987 film Khudgarz. He added, “Whenever people have liked my film, there was a good producer empowering me. And whenever my film didn’t work, the same producer was pulling the strings because the money comes from somewhere else.”
Vikramaditya Motwane echoed similar concerns, explaining, “Most of our entertainment is owned by tech companies. There’s a slight broadening of the gap between creative people and people who have the money.” He praised Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films but added, “Not every producer or studio is like that.”
Filmmakers Demand Fair Play
Kiran Rao pointed out that high marketing costs make it difficult for small films to reach audiences. “There’s so much noise now… only big films can afford [to promote]. Small films that are great just cannot,” she said. Speaking about the struggle of attracting people to cinemas, Rao added, “It takes a lot for someone to find the right show, the right timing. Ticket prices are sometimes prohibitive, and it’s not convenient.”
Vikramaditya Motwane was more blunt in his criticism of cinema halls. “You walk into a theatre that’s sterile. There are 30 minutes of ads, disclaimers, then 15 more during the interval. You exit through the bum of the place.” The group also discussed the impact of streaming.
He criticised the eight-week rule between theatre and OTT releases, saying, “We’ve become used to watching films at home… I don’t think it should be standard.” Kiran Rao added, “Streaming and theatres are not mutually exclusive. You should be able to release a film on both at once.”
In the end, all three agreed that the Hindi film industry needs passionate producers, fair marketing practices, better cinemas, and flexible release models to truly thrive.
