Bollywood sinking: How next 5 years can revive or ruin the industry?

Bollywood is going through bad times. No doubt some movies are making good business. But most of the big-budget films led by huge superstars are not doing the expected business. Either Bollywood fans are bored with the current lot of actors or the Hindi film industry is not coming up with the right content to woo the audience to the theaters. Nevertheless, the upcoming 5 to 6 years are going to be quite crucial which can either revive or further throw Bollywood downhill.

The three Khans, Akshay, and Ajay are now aging

Since the last many decades, every few years, a new crop of young actors has been coming into Bollywood ensuring that the industry stays relevant and thriving. After the likes of Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor shouldered the responsibility during the fifties and early sixties, it was the turn of Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Shashi Kapoor and Dharmendra to continue the legacy. This was again followed by the rise of Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra, and Shatrughan Sinha followed by Vinod Khanna, and Amitabh Bachchan.

Ditto with actresses! From Nargis, Meena Kumari, Kamini Kaushal, Madhubala to Waheeda Rehman, Vyjayanthimala, Asha Parekh, Nanda, Sadhana and then followed by Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Hema Malini and more.

So every decade had its superstars which kept on coming. That ensured that Bollywood kept on coming out with good movies and lead stars. The last two decades have been dominated by the three Khans- Aamir, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan. Along with these three, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn also kept the cash box in the theatre buzzing. Years later Hrithik Roshan made the most sensational ever debut in Bollywood but he could not capitalise on the initial hype.

The last few years have seen even the Khans, Devgn and Akshay Kumar struggling to continue with their legacy. Although one or two movies of theirs have become big hits there is no denying the fact that they are aging. Out of the new crop of actors only Ranbir Kapoor has shown some potential of reaching the status of superstardom enjoyed by the Khan trio.

All others including Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, Vicky Kaushal and now Kartik Aaryan do not seem to have the same pull.

Latching on flashbacks, documentaries, and past achievements

Since no new content is attracting the audience, Bollywood is trying to stay afloat commercially by digging out old things. From Roshan and Kapoor to Akhtar and Salim Khan, everyone is trying to latch on to the lost glory and emphasize the contribution of their respective families in the film industry.

Apart from that, old classics, even hits released during the 90s and in 2000’s are now being re-released in the theaters to ensure that the cash flow which has suddenly become very slow due to back to back flops do not dry up. More than 50 sequels and threequels have been lined up.

Eventually the next 4 to 5 years are going to be crucial as it will decide whether Bollywood can survive the onslaught of digital releases, pan-India regional releases and whether the new lot of actors from Ibrahim Ali Khan , Vedang Raina to Lakshya and Abhay Verma show the spark of becoming big superstars like the earlier ones.