Gone are the days of the screaming hero. Actors like Manoj Bajpayee (Family Man), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail), and even mainstream stars like Ranbir Kapoor (Animal) are choosing grey, complex roles. However, the industry still suffers from nepotism leading to wooden performances in big-budget films. Better Entertainment Verdict: Strong in indie/OTT space; weak in tentpole films – You’ll find brilliant acting on web series, but many theatrical blockbusters still rely on star charisma over craft.
For too long, Bollywood confused entertainment with hero worship. The 1990s and 2000s gave us the "Angry Young Man" rebooted with NRI gloss. But better entertainment requires vulnerability. Look at the seismic shift in 2023-2024: We are celebrating films where the protagonist loses.
Consider the staggering success of 12th Fail. Here was a film with no item numbers, no foreign locales, and no superstar aura. It was simply a man trying to pass an exam. Yet, audiences wept and cheered louder than any punchline in Pathaan. Why? Because better entertainment respects the audience's intelligence. It understands that a real struggle—the sweat on a clerk’s brow, the fear of a UPSC candidate—is more cinematic than a CGI helicopter explosion. masala mms desi better
Similarly, Animal divided the nation, not because of its violence, but because it forced a conversation. Love it or hate it, it refused to be the sanitized, morally pure family drama we expected. It was ugly, obsessive, and deeply problematic—and in that discomfort, it was entertaining in a way a bland sermon never could be.
Ultimately, "better entertainment and Bollywood cinema" is not a call to erase the joy of Bollywood. There is a time and place for the massive Bhaijaan entry and the colorful wedding dance. Entertainment is a spectrum. Gone are the days of the screaming hero
Better entertainment does not mean "gloomy entertainment." It means honest entertainment. It means a comedy like Gully Boy that feels like the street. It means a romance like October that is so quiet it hurts. It means an action film like War that has actual stunt choreography instead of gravity-defying CGI.
Bollywood is at a crossroads. One path leads to the glitzy, lazy, formulaic past—safe but suffocating. The other path, lit by streaming platforms and hungry young filmmakers, leads to a future where Indian stories can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world. But better entertainment requires vulnerability
The industry has the money. The technology is here. The audience is ready. The only question that remains for the moguls of Mumbai is: Are you ready to give us better entertainment? Because we are no longer willing to settle for less.
The spotlight is yours, Bollywood. Don't waste it.