A few days ago, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri had shared a post in which he had written, “BOLLYWOOD IS FALLING — and it’s the best thing that could happen.” In the long post, he had mentioned a lot of things about the industry. Now, Hansal Mehta has shared a long post about Bollywood and Hindi cinema, and while he has not named anyone, he has addressed his post to people who are ‘predicting doom for Bollywood’.
Mehta in a long post wrote, “Hindi Cinema Needs a Reset. For those predicting doom for Bollywood—pause. The industry isn’t dying. It’s waiting to be disrupted. The problem isn’t the audience losing interest. It’s that investment is being funneled into the safe, the recycled, the formulaic. The future of Hindi cinema lies in betting on raw talent, bold storytelling, and directors who can take a script and direct the hell out of it. The past few years have proved: stars don’t necessarily bring audiences; conviction does.”
“A new generation of actors, filmmakers, and writers is ready to change the game. But it will take producers with vision, platforms that back stories over statistics, and directors who demand authenticity over familiarity. It will need solid financial discipline, intelligent exhibition strategy, marketing that is well thought out and not the template paid publicity that is making publicists rich and the industry much poorer,” the Aligarh director further wrote.
Mehta further mentioned the names of some male actors and wrote, “If nurtured right, they’re the future.” Actors like Adarsh Gourav, Vedang Raina, Ishaan Khatter, Zahan Kapoor, Aditya Rawal, Sparsh Shrivastava, Abhay Verma, Lakshya, and Raghav Juyal have made it to the filmmaker’s list.
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In the post he has mentioned about what’s missing right now. For producers he wrote, “Think long-term. Stop chasing weekend box office numbers and start building talent that will bring audiences back for years.”
For OTT platforms, the filmmaker posted, “You have the data. Now have some faith. In talent. Start backing actors, not algorithms.” For directors, Mehta wrote, “Cast actors for the role, the skill, the depth. Not just familiarity. The audience is hungry for authentic, lived-in performances.”
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He concluded his long post by writing, “Hindi cinema doesn’t need saving—it needs a shift in priorities. The formula is simple: invest in actors, not “stars.” Write without fear. Direct with conviction. Written in good faith. Apologies in advance for any omissions or errors.”
A lot of netizens have agreed with what Hansal Mehta has posted.
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This morning, Mehta shared that he is getting positive response from the industry for the post, but mostly in private.
