The first six months of 2022 have been pretty disastrous in Bollywood with just three films — Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2—declared hits.

This is pretty much a dismal record and one that will decidedly affect the future of Hindi cinema.

Says trade guru Taran Adarsh, “The first six months of 2022 have not been too good for the film industry that is ailing since the pandemic. We have had very few successes, starting with The Kashmir Files, which set new benchmarks at the box office. Then there is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Gangubai Kathiawadi and of course, KGF 2 and RRR from the South. These films brought abundant cheer within the industry. But there have been several setbacks and shockers too. Films like Radhe Shyam, Bachchhan Paandey, Attack, Jersey, Runway 34, Heropanti 2, Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Dhaakad, Anek, Samrat Prithviraj and Nikamma were underperformers at the ticket windows. The audience is in a mood to watch larger-than-life, well-made entertainers and films that don't meet the criteria might find limited takers. Let's hope things get better in the second-half of 2022.”

Producer and trade analyst Girish Johar feels the first six months of 2022 have been comparatively kind to the film industry. “The first six months of 2022 are pretty much decent as compared to the same time period in pre-pandemic times. We are around 30% behind normal times. Yes, the equilibrium has changed, parlance has changed, audiences' preferences have changed and of course, quality has changed too. The films which are liked by the audiences have a longer run at the box office and films which are not on their radar, are rejected outright, even if they are big ones in terms of cast or budgets.”

Girish feels the Hindi film industry is currently in a state of churning. “These upheavals at the box office definitely has made the fraternity very sceptical and they are still not able to gauge the audience's preferences. Also, another point we need to keep in mind is that all the films being released so far, are mostly pre-pandemic projects, so they are technically delayed products. But due to OTT, the quality consumption pattern has changed, hence we are experiencing this drastic audience behaviour. Overall, it is a decent trend. We need to increase the OTT window gap from the day of release in theatres, and control ticket prices, so that the audiences are back to theatres and we have sufficient films to help in achieving our targets.”

Trade expert Atul Mohan feels the South saved Bollywood from ruination in the first half of this year. “The first six months have proved to be dismal as all films with major stars and big budgets have failed. The big ones did not work and it was a small docudrama, The Kashmir Files that brought the cinegoers to the auditorium. Akshay Kumar does maximum films every year and has also delivered flops in that proportion, two to be precise in the first six months of 2022. Absolutely shocking! Which audience did Ajay Devgn’s Runway 34 aim itself at? If you think you can better Hollywood with their own themes, remember you are not making a film to prove a point. Absolutely unbelievable that we are still making films like Heropanti 2 and Dhaakad in today's times. Seriously?”

Speaking on the true hits of 2022 so far Atul comments, “The Kashmir Files was a sleeper hit. But the true commercial hit of 2022 is clearly Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Hit music, good marketing and commercial packaging ensured that the film had good collections even after debuting on the streaming platform and emerging the second-highest grosser of the year so far. Jugjugg Jeeyo is also heading towards decent numbers. This one also is a good family entertainer with great and aggressive ground-level marketing ensured 5th best opener of 2022. Gangubai Kathiawadi too did decently well and was the first to pass the litmus test. South proved to be saviour for exhibitors so far this year. RRR and KGF2 raked in 650+ crore. If you think that the OTT is harming your business, that is also part of entertainment and, if people opt for OTT, it may be because they are not getting what they want in cinema halls.”

However Bihar’s leading exhibitor Suman Sinha feels Bollywood would have to mend its ways to survive. “The audience today is not as tolerant as it was before Covid. They won’t swallow substandard fare just because Karan Johar or Sajid Nadiadwala are serving the meal. Karan Johar has to understand that the fake bonhomie of Jugjugg Jeeyo won’t work anymore. People want to see something genuinely new like The Kashmir Files or something genuinely funny like Bhoola Bhulaiyaa 2. And yes, the audience wants to see Kartik Aaryan not Varun Dhawan."

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.