Nikhil Dwivedi has a sharp understanding of box office trends and how the industry can do better. Bollywood Hungama spoke exclusively with the actor-turned-producer about these aspects and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Nikhil Dwivedi on how corporate money changed Bollywood’s filmmaking DNA: “Earlier producers borrowed or put their own money; that pressure led to great content”; praises Saiyaara’s promotional model: “Mall visits make for a great Insta story, doesn’t translate into footfalls”

It is being said that this year has been great for Bollywood and the pre-pandemic normalcy is back. What are your views?
It is definitely the best so far post-Covid. I won’t say it’s completely normal because there’s a change in the habit. Pre-Covid, you just had to go to the cinemas to watch a film. Today, it’s not a need anymore; it’s a desire. And if that desire is not kindled enough, one is not going to go to cinemas. Meanwhile, producers got complacent for over 20 years.

I have a small analysis and it could be wrong. But in my opinion, until the corporates came in, the producers were investing their own money or they were borrowing heavily at high interest. They often mortgaged their properties or film negatives. So, the financial play used to create a lot of pressure on them. It was this pressure that compelled the producers to make great content. If the content didn’t make a mark, they would not just lose money, but the losses would push them back by a decade.

Once the corporates came in, securing money became easy as long as you had a star in your project. As a result, everybody started the chase to create a project rather than create content. A few still paid attention to content, though.

Secondly, the multiplexes also mushroomed and hence, the viewing habits of urban India and the elites changed. They were okay spending 2 – 2 ½ hours watching great visuals. Finally, it took a pandemic to change their habit. Suddenly, they realized that they could consume content in the comfort of their homes. They were also exposed to some really great content (from other industries). They began to make a choice and that choice hit us, the filmmakers.

Now, we have to go back to the point before the corporates came in. We have to pay undue attention to the content. Because there’s so much clutter of information, the advertisement of that content has to be outstanding. If you can advertise it well and if you have content, it is bound to work. All the films that have worked either had great trailers or the content was strong.

Speaking of advertisements, the July blockbusters, Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha, didn’t go the usual promotional route – no interviews, no events and no city tours. And they worked big time…
I have been sensing for a very long time that all this promotion is just empty noise, be it going to college or malls. Today, because of social media, the entire world is very focused on creating an Insta story. It makes for a great Insta story when a celebrity or a movie star has arrived at some place and a wide-angle shot shows thousands of people going crazy. I don’t even know how many of them are real fans and whether they are really going to watch that film in cinemas. Growing up, when we were fans of a particular actor, it didn’t matter what the trailer was going to be or where he was coming. There was a fierce loyalty to a star. It was like, ‘Iski picture toh dekhni hi hai’. That’s the reason why stars were created.

Now, that kind of fandom is sadly missing. All of us go to these events, where there are large crowds, and we often mistake it for excitement that we are inciting in them. I think we have to stop being fooled. They are also using us as much for an Insta story (smiles). We should only take it seriously when they have created an actual footfall in the theatre.

I got the sense of a film doing very well and being the real deal only during Animal (2023), followed by Saiyaara. Inn dono films ko dekh ke laga ki yeh sach mein hits hai. You could get a sense that the craze for them is not manufactured. Especially during Animal, you felt that Ranbir Kapoor is a superstar. You felt that Bobby Deol had made a tremendous comeback. Fans started flocking outside his bungalow suddenly after years. Anyway, everybody gets to know what is manufactured and what is not.

During the lockdown, we saw several films being offered a huge amount to skip theatrical release and release directly on OTT platforms. Even the ones which took the theatrical route got good returns for their streaming rights. But now, it’s common to hear filmmakers complaining that they are not getting a streaming partner for their films. What do you think has changed in the last 5 years?
I think the avenues are far more today. Even this new avenue that has been created by Mr Aamir Khan – releasing his film Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube – is being keenly watched and observed by many in our industry, including me! The more the avenues, the better it’s going to be. Streaming helped and brought a lot of producers out of the quandary during the pandemic. Not everybody can sustain for a very long time. You have to be a producer with deep pockets and a large heart to be able to take that risk. Mr Aditya Chopra had both. He never gave away even a single film of his production to the OTT platforms. It shows his sheer love for the theatres. But not every producer, even if they have large hearts, can sustain themselves financially for a very long time. So, I am not going to judge anybody. Now, even if one doesn’t get a streaming partner, but if your content is good, theatres are looking at an attractive proposition all over again.

Aamir Khan has opted for a pay-per-view for Sitaare Zameen Par, a model that hasn’t picked up in our country. If it picks up, will things change?
Suppose if this doesn’t become a hit, but tomorrow it might work. Somebody has to make a start. It takes a bit of time for platforms to catch up. It’s not like Netflix and Amazon had become popular on day 1.

Many feel that ticket rates should come down and that the cinema-going experience needs to become affordable. Do you feel the same?
Absolutely. But no one wants to fight for it. Multiplexes are just operating from a business point of view. True lovers of cinema are suffering. It is an unaffordable proposition today to go and watch a movie. I can understand if a few screens are expensive. But how can you have every screen and every theatre selling tickets at such high rates? It doesn’t make sense. At one point, cinema was the most affordable form of entertainment. That’s what created mass superstars right from the time of Dilip Kumar until Govinda. One or two producers can’t just fight it alone. It has to be a collective call which should be taken.

We also need more cinemas selling tickets at affordable prices. Somebody needs to build enough cinemas and ensure that there’s a cap on the ticket prices.

We often see cities like Mumbai having several cinemas, but many districts or towns do not have a single cinema hall. Do you feel cinemas should be equally distributed across the country?
For sure. B and C centres are totally getting ignored. I don’t understand why that’s the case. They need to realize that if they build more theatres in such areas, they only stand to gain, including the theatres. If they do so and keep prices in check, their footfalls can increase three times.

Another topic of discussion is the North vs South debate. Do you feel too much is made of it?
Yes. Also, it’s been going on since time immemorial. Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981) was the biggest hit of that year. Kamal Haasan then was a legit star. Films were being announced in Hindi around him. The same with Rajinikanth. Sridevi and Jaya Prada were South Indian heroines who came and became superstars here. Half of Anil Kapoor’s career involves him working with South Indian directors. His first film as a main lead, Woh Saat Din (1983), was directed by Bapu. Jeetendra ji did several films with South Indian directors. Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) made a lot of films with South Indian filmmakers like Bombay To Goa (1972), Mahaan (1983), Andhaa Kanoon (1983), Inquilaab (1984), Aakhree Raasta (1986), Geraftaar (1985) etc. Chiranjeevi tasted success in the late 80s; it was believed that he was going to take over from the Hindi film stars.

Hence, nothing has changed. It’s just that social media now amplifies everything. Earlier, we read about it in gossip magazines. Then, mainstream newspapers started coming out with supplements like Bombay Times. That’s where we’d read about it. Now, you can read about it 24 x 7 on social media, which makes you feel that something different is happening. But that’s not the case.

Do you feel there’s a bias against our film industry? The talk on social media is often that Bollywood doesn’t make good films while the South excels in this regard…
I don’t know. What we need to understand is that most of these South directors are first-generation filmmakers who came from outside. They didn’t start from a very privileged background. It means they have survived and as a result, they are more attached to their roots. Meanwhile, most of the directors in Bollywood are children of film families. They were not exposed to survival methods. They all went to elite schools and colleges. I am not holding it against them. However, these experiences changed their perspective towards life. They watched English films far more than Hindi movies. They read even less! So, their school of training is an English film, which is culturally very different from what we are meant to consume in this country. They are not connected to the mass audience. As a result, we say that the South is better.

If the same thing starts to happen down South and if South directors are suddenly children from film families, we’ll see that within 10-15 years, they are making the same kind of not-so-exciting content. It’s not that South Indians are wired better. Their upcoming is what is giving them an advantage.

Also Read: Saket Chaudhary to helm Nikhil Dwivedi’s Nagin; producer shares update on film

More Pages: Saiyaara Box Office Collection , Saiyaara Movie Review

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