In the past few months, there has been a lot of conversation around nepotism. How it affects the ‘outsiders’, how it stifles talent and what can be done to stop it from happening.
Demands have been made to boycott certain filmmakers/actors as the rage around the topic continues on social media.
However, in this discussion, one thing seems to have been ignored. Our accountability as viewers. What are we watching? What are we going to the cinemas for? How much are we making a film earn?
No one is asking those questions to themselves, probably because the answers will be a little embarrassing.
If you look at the movies from last few years, it’s not tough to notice that the ones with big names (whether it’s actors or filmmakers) have been doing way better business than the ones which didn’t feature big stars or were made on a smaller budget.
Some movies falling in the second category, have got us laurels all over the world. But they hardly had any viewers here in India. Below, are some posters putting the above-mentioned contrast in perspective.
While discussion around nepotism is important, what’s also crucial is some introspection on part of the viewers.
All figures (rounded off), have been taken from the official website of Box Office India. *Except creative 1, where the figures are from Bollywood Hungama.
Design credits: Nupur Agrawal