India's regional cinema in transition: Reinvention, revenue woes, and race to stay relevant

THE COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt in 2020. Among the areas affected was film production. Since then, global movie production has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in 2023, the latest year for which full global data exists, as many as 9,571 films were produced worldwide, compared to just 5,485 in 2020, and 9,205 in 2019. India leads the list, with 2,562 films being produced in 2023, says WIPO data.

While Bollywood and the film industries in the South seem to be riding this wave, those in the North and East are undergoing a phase of reckoning and recognition. For instance, Bengal is caught in the flux between its rich storied past and a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Meanwhile, the Punjabi film industry remains largely boxed in by comedy and repetitive, formulaic storytelling. And while the Bhojpuri film industry has grown, it is still looking for a film to take to a national audience.

For these industries, the challenge is to strike a balance between nostalgia and reinvention, as well as between rooted storytelling and commercial viability. The following narratives explore what is happening on the ground.

The Bengal chapter

“Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out,” U.S. filmmaker Martin Scorsese had said once. That question was mulled multiple times during the six-year restoration journey by Scorsese’s The Film Foundation that led to the re-release of Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) as part of the Cannes Classics in 2025, 55 years after the film was originally released.

Ray’s movie isn’t just a film, but one among his many cult classics that set the stage — along with fellow flag-bearers such as Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak — for the timelessness of Bengali cinema, which now finds itself caught between the nostalgia of its golden age and the demands of a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape.

Actor and producer Prosenjit Chatterjee, a key figure in Bengali cinema for over four decades, offers a broad view of this shift. “The entertainment industry changes every 8-10 years according to what the audience wants — in terms of storytelling, and technology,” he says, adding, while technology has transformed the look and feel of films, storytelling rooted in Bengali emotion remains the soul. “Bengali films have always been about storytelling… Bengal has produced the best of filmmakers, so generation after generation wanted to keep the legacy alive.”

Prosenjit, who has given super hits, including Amar Prem, Sasurbari Zindabad, Autograph, and Ajogyo, adds, “If you want to do a regional film, you have to understand the psyche of that language.”

From single-screens to multiplexes and now OTTs, the way Bengali cinema is consumed has undergone a massive transformation. The advent of multiplexes initially offered growth, variety, and new audience segments, but rising ticket prices eventually alienated the middle class — the very demographic that once formed the cultural backbone of Bengal’s film-going audience. According to a 2025 Ficci-EY report on the media and entertainment industry, the average ticket price for multiplexes in Bengal went up to ₹109 in 2024, from ₹106 in 2023.

Filmmaker Indranil Roychowdhury says cinema once catered to a wide range of viewers. But television, economic migration, and collapsing infrastructure slowly pulled the middle class away from cinema halls. Agrees actor Anirban Chakrabarti, known for his reprisal of the unassuming Eken, in the popular detective series. “There are lesser number of screens outside city limits. In some cases, people have to travel as far as 20 km to visit a cinema hall. Also, the closure of single screens has added to the problem.”

Case in point: 73 Bengali films were released in 2024, compared with 104 in 2023, says the Ficci-EY report. The decline has been more pronounced — 27.5% — in the past six years (2019-2024).

“We have stopped focussing on mainstream commercial Bengali cinema,” actor and director Parambrata Chatterjee said at a recent event in Kolkata. “If mainstream cinema in any industry doesn’t work, then it is very difficult to make any other kind of film.”

And then there are OTT platforms, redefining the rules of the game. “The trend to make for a global audience started with the advent of OTT,” says Prosenjit. Merely mimicking mainstream trends will not work, he warns. “We have to stay rooted in our culture.”

OTT releases after three to four months offer some hope, though. “Earlier, we used to celebrate 25 weeks. Now we celebrate 25 days. There was a time when cinema used to spread by word of mouth. Now, for a big film, the collection is mainly in the first week itself. Also, besides satellite rights, producers now get [money for] digital rights as well,” says Prosenjit.

Chakrabarti says that OTT takes films to a wider audience, especially in places where there is no theatrical release. “But nothing can replace the magic of big screens,” he says. In fact, Chakrabarti’s latest film, The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika, which opened to packed houses, is the highest-grossing Bengali film so far in 2025.

Yet, even as OTT expands audience reach, regional film industries such as Bengal continue to grapple with budget constraints and distinct viewing cultures. “In other regions, especially the South, film watching is like a ritual that’s conducted almost every week. That is somehow missing in Bengal,” says Chakrabarti.

National award-winning filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, known for hits like Autograph, Baishe Srabon, Chotushkone, Rajkahini, and Begum Jaan, also blames the declining number of single-screens as one of the main reasons for the financial woes of the industry. “We once had around 700 cinema halls; now it has come down to less than a 100,” Mukherji had said earlier in an interview.

“Satellite channels do not buy many films these days because of a lack of money,” says Roychowdhury. “Money is not coming in. Post-release sales have dropped drastically. Bengali cinema needs more local producers.” Others agree. “One of the core issues is the lack of funding,” says a filmmaker on the condition of anonymity.

The solution, it seems, lies not in chasing trends but in rediscovering strength in stories. As Prosenjit puts it, “When we go and watch a film, it should be like a book… the storytelling should cater to Bengali emotions.”

Experts are optimistic as well. “The Bengali film industry is entering a new phase. With fresh talent, better storytelling, and growing interest from audiences both in Bengal and beyond, thanks to the advent of OTT, the future looks brighter than it has in a long time,” says a leading industry analyst.

Punjab’s creative crossroads

Uber driver Ramesh Yadav, 26, has lived in Guwahati all his life, though his Bihari roots run deep. Fluent in Hindi and Assamese, his playlist, however, tells a different story. On loop are tracks by Karan Aujla and Diljit Dosanjh, music with no linguistic or cultural linkage to Yadav’s past or present.

“Sir, Punjabi gano main ‘vibe’ hai. Rok nahi sakte aap bar bar sunne se (Punjabi music has a certain vibe. You can’t stop yourself from listening on loop,” he says. Yadav is a hardcore Punjabi music fan, as are millions globally. Punjabi music has morphed into a global juggernaut, topping Spotify charts, shattering concert records, and becoming Bollywood’s go-to option for guaranteed hooks. Even global pop icons and Hollywood stars such as Ed Sheeran, Will Smith, and Sia, to name a few, have collaborated with Punjabi music artistes.

The popularity led to an 87% year-on-year growth in Punjabi music listeners in 2023, with top artistes like Aujla, Dosanjh, and Badshah being among the Top 25 artists in India in 2024, according to Ficci’s ‘Shape the Future’ report.

The scale of the Punjabi music industry is phenomenal, says Gurjot Singh, founder & CEO of BeingU Studios, which co-produced The Kapil Sharma Show. Singh says Punjab is the origin point or foundation, but the real magic is happening in Canada. “Punjab is the origin point for talent, but most production and global reach happen overseas.”

The list of Punjabi music artists scripting new history is long. Many independent music artists from Punjab are thriving on YouTube. Toronto-based Shubh, 27, has sold out concerts globally and crossed 5 billion streams by the end of 2024, with mega-hits like Still Rollin and No Love to his credit.

Punjabi pop icon and actor Diljit Dosanjh sells show tickets like hotcakes; his latest global ‘Dil-Luminati’ tour sold 640,000 tickets globally. And singer-songwriter Aujla, with hits like Tauba Tauba, grabbed the No. 11 spot on Spotify’s Top 25 Wrapped artists 2024, with Dosanjh at No. 14.

The picture, however, is not as rosy as it sounds. Jasmine Singh, entertainment head and radio host with Connect Media Network, Canada, says, “In Punjab, it’s the same old singers—new writers and singers aren’t promoted. Making a music video or recording a song has become as expensive as filmmaking. There’s no culture of independent artists.” She should know, as she has tracked the regional film and music industry for several years, working as a journalist with top news dailies in Punjab.

The cost of producing a song in Punjab goes as high as Rs 25-50 lakh, she says; the cost is much lesser in Canada. “An entire music video can be shot for $700 or even less in Canada,” he says.

On the industry’s criticism of too much of Westernisation and promotion of gun and violence culture, Punjabi singer and actress Simran Choudhary, whose latest hit "Rehle Mere Kol" has already garnered over 10 million views on YouTube in 3 months, says music is always personal and that it reflects society.“There's something for everyone in Punjab: from Diljit Dosanjh and Karan Aujla to more traditional voices like Gurdas Maan. There’s a range.” 

Moreover, she feels evolution in any field is essential. "You can’t keep playing the same dhol and harmonium forever. You have to grow while staying grounded. I, personally, like to stay rooted. My music carries nostalgia and cultural references. That’s the balance I strive for." More artists like Simran are ditching labels, thanks to platforms like YouTube and Spotify flattening the entry barrier and democratising the field. "If the song hits, it hits. The audience decides," says Choudhary. That’s Punjab’s music story, the film story is a bit different!

Punjabi Films = Same Genre, Storylines, and Actors

“Will Punjabi cinema have its breakthrough?” A user’s reply on this Reddit thread by the handle ‘r/punjabimusic’ aptly sums up the Punjab’s current movie scene in one line: “Unlikely, Punjabi cinema has the same genre, storylines, and actors.”

Numbers agree. Of the six top-grossing Punjabi films in 2024, four had Gippy Grewal, a famous singer-turned-actor. The highest-grossing flick, Jatt & Juliet 3, had music superstar Diljit Dosanjh. This reveals a pattern.

“The film industry is at a growing stage in Punjab, and the music industry is big. They feel they’re already doing music, what’s the harm in doing a film? Paanch gaane to hai hi, uske sath ek film bhi dal dete hai (A film already has five songs; why not adda movie to it?),” quips actor Jagjeet Sandhu, whose performance as Tahir in the recent Bollywood flick The Diplomat has been widely praised.

Sandhu, 34, says no Punjabi film released this year so far can be called a hit. “I think this [downfall] was necessary. In the past 15 years, mostly those who are singers became actors, but for the past some time, actors who only do cinema are emerging. After this bad phase, I think quantity will reduce, and quality films will be made.”

Last year, only one film, Jatt & Juliet 3, entered the Rs 100-crore club, while in 2023, Carry on Jatta 3 (Rs 101 crore) and Mastaney (Rs 74 crore) were among the big hits. The Punjabi film industry grossed Rs 203 crore in 2024, according to a report by Ormax Media, a research and consulting firm focussed on the Indian M&E industry. The year 2024 was particularly not a good year, as gross domestic revenue dipped 14% from 2023.

“Punjabi cinema is failing,” says Jasmine Singh, adding that despite a strong theatre and cultural heritage, the industry seems stuck in a cycle, with little room for experimental or meaningful cinema. She pinpoints four major reasons: lack of innovation and professionalism; shortage of good writers and over-reliance on a select few artists; the lack of big production houses; and exploitation.

“Scripts are often finalised after actors are cast, original ideas are scarce, and budgets are lopsided, with A-listed actors taking a major share. There’s no support for new writers or actors, singer-turned-actors dominate, and the same character artists are overused. Most producers are one-time investors, and exploitation is rampant, especially for female actors.”

Chandigarh-based film producer Rrupali Gupta’s two films—Mr & Mrs 420 Again (Part 3) and Farrata— will release on May 30 and August 29, respectively. She agrees that there’s been a dip in the film business in 2024, but it’s the same with other regional industries as well. “There are no proper single screens there. So, where will the revenue come from? That is a big revenue killer, to be honest. Even revenue from outside (Canada, the U.K., and Australia) is bigger than India.”

Adding to these woes are the lack of blockbuster films and the underperformance of smaller titles, which contributed to the decline, leading to a 20% YoY footfall drop in 2024.

Not Everyone Buys The Slump Narrative

There’s little doubt that the Punjabi film industry is lagging, but it’s not the end of the world. Many stakeholders are confident that, slowly but surely, the industry is experimenting beyond comedy, and these films are doing decent business as well. “We have broken that criticism. Our film Ardaas, which has three parts, broke the myth that we don’t do serious cinema. Movies like Mastaney, Akaal: The Unconquered, Guru Nanak Jahaz, which is currently running in theatres right now, have Hollywood-level VFX,” says Gurpreet Ghuggi, a veteran Punjabi actor, comedian, and politician. He believes that in the next five years, the Punjabi film industry will be among the top ones in the regional cinema chart.

Ghuggi attributes the falling revenue numbers to the similarity between the Punjabi and Hindi languages, which has fragmented the audience. “That has changed over the past four or five years. People now watch Punjabi movies (the top ones) first before going for a Hindi film. Moreover, just like southern movies, Punjabi films are also being dubbed, like my Guru Nanak Jahaz, which is coming in English and other languages on OTT. It certainly increases the business.”

Punjabi film director Karan R. Guliani, who directed Sarvann and Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh, highlights the rising cost of filmmaking as a growth barrier: “In the South, ticket prices are capped, so theatres thrive. How can an average Punjabi family earning Rs 25,000 afford Rs 400 tickets?”

OTT players are certainly filling the gap in a big way. 95% of content consumed on YouTube and 48% on OTT platforms is now in local languages, says the Ficci report. It’s win-win for industry as well as for these new-age companies. Chaupal OTT has emerged as a dominant player in the Punjab and Haryana region. “A national platform might make a story based in Punjab, but it’s not a Punjabi story. What we make are Punjabi stories,” says Chaupal co-founder Ujjwaal Mahajan, adding that piracy is one of the biggest threats to the industry’s growth.

Can the Bar be Raised?

That said, can the film industry in Punjab bounce back? “Newer actors must be given a chance in films, not just the same A-listers and their groups,” says Jasmine Singh. “Those serious about the art and movie business will thrive,” says Sandhu.

Singer Simran Choudhary also believes that Punjabi music is slowly but surely coming back to its roots. “The next phase is a return to roots. After a wave of experimentation, I see artists revisiting traditional stories, language, and emotions. Look at Diljit — despite his global appeal, he brings back the kurta-chadra and cultural pride.”

Can the world expect the ‘Punjabi Aa Gye Oye’ moment again?

A slice of Bhojiwood

The Bhojpuri film industry — also referred to as “Bhojiwood” — has evolved significantly in the past five decades. From an average of less than 10 movies per year between 1977 and 2001, production has gone up to about 100 films now. The valuation of the industry, too, has grown. The Bhojpuri film industry was valued at around ₹2,000 crore in 2017.

Though there is no research available on how migration of the labour force from Bhojpuri-speaking areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh helped the industry, its revival in the late 1990s and early 2000s is closely linked to the timeline of the migration. As the labour force moved out, they started consuming movies outside Bhojpuri-speaking areas.

The release of Saiyaan Hamar (2001), starring Ravi Kishan, a BJP MP now, was a significant moment for the industry. The film was a silver jubilee hit, and a new star was born. In the next few years, blockbusters such as Sasura Bada Paisawala (2003) and Panditji Batayeen Na Biyah Kab Hoyee (2005), were big hits and pipped many Bollywood films in Bihar and Jharkhand. Films started striking a chord with the audiences and became runaway successes commercially especially because of their modest budgets of ₹30-40 lakh then. In many cases, revenues worth more than 10x the production cost could be raked in.

By 2015, the economics had transformed. That year saw box office collections of ₹35 crore from 56 films, say reports. In 2016, collections stood at ₹30 crore. Blockbusters like Bam Bam Bol Raha Hai Kashi and Nirahua Rikshawala 2 contributed majorly to the kitty, grossing ₹4-8 crore each.

Despite that, the industry has faced criticism about raunchy content, and veterans feel that it needs more sensible directors to put a stop to that and take the films to a national level. “We need to take steps to take Bhojpuri cinema forward. And for that, we also need directors like, say, Satyajit Ray saheb, [or] a Prakash Jha. We have a lot of viewers, but we are yet to reach that level,” BJP MP from North East Delhi Manoj Tiwari, who has acted in more than a 100 Bhojpuri films, said in an interview last year.