New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali on Saturday said the Hindi film industry is going through a phase of introspection with storytellers struggling to figure out what works at the box office even as films that defy conventional wisdom find success.
Speaking at a session with actor Ananya Panday at the HT Leadership Summit 2026, Ali cited the example of Aditya Dhar's blockbuster spy film "Dhurandhar", saying the movie was initially considered an impractical project with little likelihood of success but has now become a reference point for filmmakers trying to understand audience preferences.
"We are in that phase where people are saying that 'nothing is working'. We don't know what kind of film to make so that it will run at the box office. Should we go with a big star, non-star? People are saying that attention span is missing in the audience now," Ali said.
"But the films that are inevitably doing well are three hours long... When 'Dhurandhar' was actually conceived and was doing its run around the studios, people thought this was the most impractical film with the least likelihood of success. But it broke all the rules and now that everybody wants to make it. So all of us in the film industry are thinking about what will work'," he added.
Ali, whose recent release "Main Vaapas Aaunga" turned out to be a success despite a slow start at the box office, cautioned filmmakers against trying to identify fixed patterns in audience behaviour.
He cited Vinod Kapri's "Pyre", a film featuring non-professional actors, saying its theatrical run had gained momentum with the number of shows increasing over time.
"I think we are looking for some sort of event viewing when we go to theatre, that's for sure, but a lot of people went to watch a film called 'Pyre' recently, which is the smallest film with non-actors and people have enjoyed it and the number of shows have increased over the days," he said.
"There is no pattern. The audience is not telling us that this is the pattern in which they would like to watch films. If you ask an audience member, they usually say, 'Achi film hogi, toh will watch it'. It is as simple as that, and it is also so unquantifiable that it becomes difficult to put in a pattern," he added.
Panday agreed with Ali's assessment, saying that while the platforms and language of storytelling may have evolved, emotions continue to be its foundation.
"People try to find patterns and things and people try to find reasons for things, the excuses for things, that the attention span of the audience has changed or this platform has come in or that platform has come in. But I think the way of telling stories could have changed positively, possibly the language we are telling it in, but the craft will always stay the same, which is emotions," she said.
Panday also said it was reassuring to see films across genres finding audiences, rather than success being restricted to a particular kind of cinema.
Citing the female superhero film "Lokah" and Ali's "Main Vaapas Aaunga", she said the industry was gradually moving away from relying on established formulas and conventional tricks.
"It is quite reassuring. After a very long time, I feel all kinds of films are working. As actors, directors, producers, as an industry, we are not following a recipe, we are not relying on all tricks because we don't know what's working. So hopefully people will now go back to doing things from their heart rather than the formula," she said.
