Mumbai: Prominent Hindi film studios are moving into making regional language films as they look to break the dry spell caused by funding constraints, high costs and low confidence in starting fresh films. In the last one month, Dharma Productions, Luv Films, Baweja Studios, and Junglee Pictures are among the production houses that have announced films in Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil and Malayalam.

Dharma Productions announced a Punjabi film 'Akaal' with actor Gippy Grewal, while Junglee Pictures announced its Malayalam foray with the film 'Ronth' (night patrol).

"The Hindi film industry is in a flux. Big films and stars are unable to draw audiences to theatres. It will take at least twelve to fifteen months to deal with these challenges," said Naveen Chandra, founder and CEO of 91 Film Studios, a production house that makes, finances and distributes regional films.

"In the interim period, Hindi film production houses are experimenting with a few regional films."

After Covid, repeated failures of big-budget Hindi films have forced the industry to reassess. Similar challenges persisted even for mid-sized Hindi films as audience's interest in these films waned.

A key parameter which works in favour of regional film is the turnaround time. "The turnaround time for regional films is faster than mid-sized Hindi films," said Chandra. "Generally, it takes 8-12 months to make a regional film, whereas a mid-sized Hindi film takes 1-2 years."

In recent years, mid-sized Hindi films have been taking longer to complete production as actors associated with them are committed to web series, endorsements and events, too. Due to this, producers said, these actors have not reduced their remuneration even after their films have failed in the box-office, making the economics of mid-budget films unfavourable. As per producers, regional films are a more viable proposition. A regional film can be made for Rs. 2.5-15 crore, whereas a mid-sized Hindi film would require Rs. 15-30 crore. Also, regional films require a considerably low investment of  Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 2 crore for promotion and advertising. For mid-sized Hindi films, this would be Rs. 5-15 crore.

Performance of regional films in recent years has also been encouraging, thanks to their engaging and rooted-in-culture stories. According to media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media, in the January-February 2025 period, regional films accounted for 52% of the total box office of Indian films, while Hindi films accounted for 45%.

Producer Anand Pandit, known for regional films in Marathi and Gujarati, said, "Today, viewers have a greater connection with regional films, as these films are largely based on original stories. A Hindi film which does an average business has an occupancy rate of 10-15% in theatres. But a regional film which does an average business has an occupancy rate of more than 25%."

Another aspect which works in favour of regional films is intellectual property (IP). Producers shared that it is easier to create IP in regional films given their sharp and defined demographics.

Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director of Karmic Films, said, "A prominent Hindi production house enhances the production value of a regional film. But recovery of investments (sale of satellite and digital rights) will depend purely on the quality of storytelling and unique content."