It is true that smaller regional language film businesses, including those in Marathi, Bengali, and Punjabi, which cannot boast of the big budgets of Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, have suffered for the previous two years, with the pandemic has caused losses of close to Rs 600 crore. Not only were several projects stalled with growing interest expenses for the creators, but content in these languages was still not being widely consumed by giant video streaming sites that prioritise languages with more appeal.
Regional and Bollywood Movies
Larger Hindi films have long been a fierce competitor for regional movies. Approximately 130 movies in the Marathi language were released in theatres in 2019; however, only four or five of them were successful financially. The 2016 smash Sairat is a rare exception, according to industry insiders, as Mumbai, the centre of the Hindi film industry, frequently has a tendency to overlook excellent Marathi cinema that has languished on the margins for years. In addition, in contrast to Bollywood, the Marathi, Bengali, and Punjabi industries are mostly unorganised and rely on independent producers rather than well-known corporate houses. At the box office, movies produced in smaller regional markets hardly ever bring in more money than their production costs. This is partially due to the fact that these movies are concept-driven and lack significant star power. In contrast to Bollywood and the south, actors in these businesses aren’t really revered as heroes. Even in states with thriving film industries, like West Bengal and Punjab, Bollywood is still more popular.
