29-05-2025
Independent producers, boutique studios veer towards regional cinema for big gains
Small and medium-scale boutique studios and independent film producers who primarily churned out low-budget Hindi movies are now turning to regional languages for bigger gains.
Producers Anand Pandit and Vinod Bhanushali and Saregama-owned Yoodlee Films are among those betting on Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi films, where the star fee is lower and the movie-going culture is robust.
Actor John Abraham, who produced the Marathi film Savita Damodar Paranjpe, has expressed interest in backing more films in regional languages. This translates into more reasonable investments and predictable returns at the box office than in Bollywood, which many of these names had first tapped.
'Regional crews by and large manage their time and resources very well. There is frugality and also sensible spending where needed. Because production budgets and marketing spends are cost-effective, the RoI (return on investment) is higher as well," Pandit said.
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He recently backed three Gujarati films – Tron Ekka, Fakt Mahilao Maate and Fakt Purusho Maate – all of which managed an RoI of more than 400%, which is unheard of in Hindi cinema.
Pandit referred to regional cinema's rooted, audience-first approach to filmmaking. Franchises such as Baahubali, Pushpa and KGF have clicked big time not because of their big budgets but their storytelling.
'This model obviously makes more business sense," Pandit said, adding that he's also working with Punjabi and Kannada talent.
Hindi films had a 40% share of India's box-office collections in 2024, followed by Telugu films at 20%, according to a report by Ormax Media Pvt Ltd.
Experts including Pandit pointed out that there are various distinct flavours and characteristic styles and post the OTT boom, every language has found its audience. Streaming platforms have reported audiences in the Hindi-speaking belt watching Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali and other language content with subtitles or dubs over the pandemic.
Global potential
While the challenge to tell stories that resonate with diverse demographics remains, the more local the content is, the more global it can potentially be.
On the other hand, the Hindi film business remains fraught with uncertainty. Even big star films such as Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar find limited appeal. Streaming platforms face pressure on profitability, impacting their bullishness and spending in the country, which has led to a slowdown in commissioning content.
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On the music front, a decline in listenership on audio streaming platforms and falling revenue for Hindi movie tracks have led to hard negotiations between producers and music labels. All of this while regional cinema remains limited in scale but robust in returns.
'More filmmakers are realising that mass-market cinema is big business and regional language audiences are more loyal compared to Bollywood, which is primarily focused on multiplex cinema," said Yusuf Shaikh, business head of feature films at production and distribution firm Percept Pictures.
Shaikh was quick to point out that streaming platforms are not as keen to acquire films in regional languages like Punjabi and Marathi after their theatrical release.
'A lot of smaller studios and producers try to bundle a few films together, including regional titles, to offer a larger bouquet to streaming platforms. While some are only dipping their toes to test how regional films fare, it has to be seen if this is a strategy sustainable over a long period despite the low costs and need for experimentation," film producer Shariq Patel said.
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