The Film Industry Is Not Dead

The film industry is dead. I have been hearing this for a long while now, and as someone working inside it, I was worried. Until I looked deeper.

When people say the industry is dead, they are looking at theatres shutting down and fewer films breaking the box office. I want to argue that we are not dead. Are we in the ICU? For sure. Do we need CPR? Definitely. Are we under severe stress? 100%. But we are not dead yet.

The problem is that from the outside, you only see a finished film and its collection. That is the symptom you are seeing. But, from the inside, we are seeing the cause.

In every era where cinema thrived - whether it was Hollywood in the 90s, Kannada Industry in the 70s or the Malayalam industry right now, the directors were in charge. The creative wing decided what films will be made and the business wing evolved with it. They didn't stick to a formula.

The business people did not come asking for a “Pan India” film or a “Horror comedy” film. The business people saw the film, came up with the best way to make it profitable. That’s when most films used to work and some didn’t.

Today, especially in the Kannada industry, we have it backward. Filmmakers are trying to evolve, but the business ecosystem is stuck. I personally know a lot of filmmakers who want to try something new, break barriers, have come up with kickass scripts. But, business eco-system is outdated. They still want something that has worked. They are not looking for a way to make a finished film or script profitable. They want a film that has been worked at the box office but somehow magically want the audience to have a different reaction. They are trying to treat a modern patient with 50-year-old medicine.

The industry isn't a corpse. It just needs a business ecosystem that is willing to evolve alongside the stories we are telling.

There are enough storytellers. But where are the businessmen who dare to go against the norms?