Composer Tanishk Bagchi on Saturday claimed he is yet to receive `8 lakh in royalties for the title track of Saiyaara, a year after the film’s release. However, Yash Raj Films (YRF) said all payments have been made as per the contract.

Marking the film’s first anniversary, Bagchi shared a note on Instagram, saying he poured everything into the song, his first collaboration with YRF Music.

“Whatever YRF had paid me, all of that nominal amount was used to do the live and mixes... what was left was zero. That’s what I earned from a song so big.”

He added, “What hurts the most is that, as per the royalty statement, I’m yet to receive just Rs 8 lakh in royalties for a song that has gone on to do millions of streams and views across platforms. Honestly... Rs 8 lakh feels like peanuts.”

Responding to the claim, a YRF spokesperson said the Saiyaara title track was composed by Tanishk Bagchi along with Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami, and royalties are shared equally among the three as agreed.

“Royalties for the title track have been shared and will continue to be shared by YRF equally between all three composers... The production house has paid every collaborator their due, as per contract, all within mutually agreed terms and time,” the statement said.

Bagchi clarified that his post, adding, “This experience has changed the way I look at this industry. From now on, I’ll only work with producers and directors who value creativity, honesty and the people who build their music.”

He also said he respected director Mohit Suri and lyricist Irshad Kamil from the film.

Irshad Kamil has little left to prove. Over two decades, he has written some of Hindi cinema’s most memorable songs, from Tum Se Hi, Nadaan Parindey and Kun Faya Kun to Agar Tum Saath Ho and the recent Saiyaara. Yet the National Award-winning lyricist insists he is still a student.

“My journey has been about coincidences and evolution,” he says with a laugh. “It’s about what I want to become.” Sitting over tea on a rain-soaked afternoon in Andheri, Kamil looks back at a career that began almost by accident. As a student with a deep interest in theatre and poetry at Panjab University, he drifted into television before finding his way to films. More than 100 films later, he still believes every project teaches him something new.

“I stumbled into television. I stumbled into films,” he says. “With every song, I understand a little more about what it means to be a lyricist. There are so many layers to lyric writing. Just as there are many kinds of love, I’m still learning them.” That desire to keep evolving changed the way he works.

For years, Kamil deliberately restricted himself to four films annually. Then filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya offered advice that stayed with him.

“‘Irshad, you’re harming the industry by working less,’” he recalls. “That really struck me.” He decided to say yes more often. “The more time you spend in a creative environment, the more you learn. That’s how projects like Krishnavataram and the ghazal EP with Papon happened.”

If there is one emotion Kamil keeps returning to, it is love. Ironically, he considers it the hardest to write. “I feel most love songs don’t have the purity that love deserves,” he says. “My language for every film is love. I want to redefine that language for today’s world.”

His ambition is not to make lyrics more poetic, but more truthful. “Love has evolved. Society has evolved. I want to reflect that in my writing. I want songs to feel less fake.”

That philosophy shapes Main Vaapas Aaunga, on which he worked alongside A R Rahman while simultaneously writing for Tere Ishk Mein. Before beginning, the pair watched James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete, Unknown together. “Bob Dylan’s journey charged me creatively,” he says.

One song from Main Vaapas Aaunga, Kya Kamaal Hai, juxtaposes images of Partition with those of present-day refugees. “For me, it isn’t just a song,” he says. “It’s a dream of love, peace and hope.”

Kamil is equally clear about what he doesn’t want his lyrics to become. “In every art form, people struggle to balance mass appeal with artistic quality,” he says. “We’re diluting art to make it more popular. Dilution isn’t the solution. Accessibility is.”

Instead of reaching for ornate vocabulary, he prefers words people are familiar with. “I don’t want to impress listeners with difficult words from a dictionary. I’m trying to make my lyrics more accessible without compromising on quality. At the same time, I’m trying to redefine myself, and romantic songs in films.”

That openness also informs his collaborations. Having worked with veterans such as Rahman, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar, Amit Trivedi, and now with a younger wave: Shashwat Sachdev, Tanishk Bagchi, Sachet-Parampara, Vishal Mishra, Sarthak Kalyani, Hiral Viradia, is the process of working with new-age composers different? “There’s no fixed pattern,” he says. “Every composer has a different way of thinking, so every project challenges you differently. That’s where the learning happens.”

Some of his most rewarding work has emerged from those unstructured sessions. While writing Dhurandhar, he, director Aditya Dhar and composer Shashwat Sachdev often worked through the night, with Dhar’s home doubling up as a studio.

“We’d start at six in the evening and sometimes continue till six the next evening,” he says. “Phir Se was born during one of those sessions.”

Unlike singers and composers, lyricists rarely enjoy the visibility of live performances. But Kamil believes the profession has become more sustainable.

“Being a lyricist now comes with a pension plan,” he says, referring to royalties collected through IPRS. “Sometimes the royalty from a successful song can become many times what you were originally paid. And it keeps coming.”

Social media often compares him with Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Anand Bakshi. Others have likened aspects of his recent work to Bob Dylan. Kamil accepts the compliments but rejects the comparison.

“There can never be another Bob Dylan,” he says. “Just as there can never be another Sachin Tendulkar. Every artist has their own zone. Irshad Kamil has to remain Irshad Kamil.”

Perhaps that is why, even after two decades in Hindi cinema, Kamil still speaks less about success than about discovery. At 54, his ambition is simpler, or perhaps some might say harder: to write songs that feel a little more honest than the ones he wrote yesterday.

Soon after Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’s trailer dropped online, an unexpected discourse surrounded director Mudassar Aziz — that his movies normalise infidelity. To him, the dialogue is welcome, as long as it comes from a place of fairness. “This is my seventh film. Never before have I made a film that legitimizes infidelity,” began Aziz.

The May 15 release revolves around Ayushmann Khurrana’s character’s dalliances with two women, portrayed by Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh, while his wife grows suspicious. Pointing to his body of work, Aziz said that he feels misunderstood when such criticism comes up.

“Both Ayushmann and I have a history of doing films that don’t approach gender politics in a skewed way. In Pati Patni Aur Woh [2019], the husband is faced with the consequences of his actions when his wife and girlfriend join forces. In Happy Bhag Jayegi [2016], I created a protagonist who chooses her partner. Women in my films have always had agency. They are never passive recipients of male behaviour.” For him, the film’s emotional core doesn’t lie in betrayal.

It took the director some time to convince Khurrana. Aziz shared, “We had three rounds of narrations. After the first time, Ayushmann said he wanted to hear it again. Before the third narration was over, he was having so much fun that he said, ‘Let’s do it.’ He comes with a history of subjects that are difficult. He is never afraid of complicated emotional space.”

Few Hindi movies have made an impact at the box office in the post-pandemic landscape. According to Mudassar Aziz, the audience today seeks conviction over all else — a lesson he learnt from his friend, filmmaker Mohit Suri. Aziz shared, “Nobody expected ‘Saiyaara’ [2025] to blow up the way it did, but Mohit believed in it completely. He recently said in an interview that when he was making films with conviction, commerce followed. But when he started chasing the latter, he lost both.”

Actor Janhvi Kapoor made her Bollywood debut in 2018 opposite Ishaan Khatter with Dhadak. Now, she has revealed struggling with depression despite her first film’s commercial success.

“Every time anyone talks to me about my first film, they are like, ‘She was so good in it’. But my memory of Dhadak was very different. I was depressed after Dhadak,” the 29-year-old said on Raj Shamani’s podcast, adding, “I thought ho gaya, pack-up ho gaya. People hate me.”

Janhvi made her debut just months after the sudden and tragic death of her mother, veteran actor Sridevi in February 2018.

“I got all of my validation in my life from my mum. She went away. So I was like, ‘I’m going to shift that to the audience’. I was expecting some across-the-board acceptance, which I didn’t know does not exist,” she shared.

The actor admitted that she focused only on criticism, overlooking the film’s strong performance at the box office: “I didn’t even acknowledge that it was a very big success. I think it was the most commercially successful film with newcomers until Saiyaara. It didn’t click that it was a hit. I just knew that I sucked and people hated me… Because I only looked at the negative, and that became my reality.”

Saiyaara (2025), starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, broke Dhadak’s record for highest opening day ticket sales for a debutant-led Hindi film.

Filmmaker Mohit Suri says actor Shah Rukh Khan praised the unconventional promotional strategy behind his 2025 hit Saiyaara, which skipped traditional publicity and focused on music-led marketing.

Recalling a meeting at fellow filmmaker Siddharth Anand’s Diwali party, Mohit shared, “The great Shah Rukh Khan told me this was the best thing we did.”

Instead of relying on interviews or star-driven campaigns, the team chose to keep its lead actors away from the spotlight. “Because we didn’t have stars, we focused on making great music and pushed that instead. It felt authentic, and it paid off,” he told Variety India.

The romantic musical marked Ahaan Panday’s Bollywood debut, with co-star Aneet Padda. The film went on to become a blockbuster, earning Rs. 570 crore worldwide and Rs. 329 crore domestically, and ranking among India’s highest-grossing romantic films.

“I don’t think my romantic films fit into the quintessential romantic mould,” says Mohit Suri, distancing himself from the song-and-dance template often associated with Hindi love stories. “Some of my biggest songs, like Tum Hi Ho, aren’t lip-synced. I don’t have dance numbers either. I don’t know where I fit in – it’s just my way of expressing love.”

Yet films like Saiyyara (2025), which left youngsters teary-eyed in cinemas last year, have revived the mainstream appetite for intense love stories. During his recent visit to Delhi, where he received the All India Management Association (AIMA) award for Director of the Year, he decoded love stories in a chat with us.

​Ask what he felt as a director when he saw reels coming in showing youngsters crying after watching Saiyyara, and he shares, “I’ve never been able to analyse it. I don’t know what I have or what I did that made people cry.”

After a pause, he reflects, “But I remember Pooja Bhatt telling me this very early in my career – that if anyone has been able to touch my heart, other than my father, in the films he makes, it’s you. You’ve that in you, and it’s very rare. Mahesh Bhatt also told me that.”

He elaborates, “I never went out to shoot a scene thinking, ‘In this scene, I will make you cry.’ I’ve never been able to do that. And I am not that kind of filmmaker who knows how the audience is going to react.”

​A clip went viral from a round-table discussion when everyone was talking about when they last watched a film in a cinema hall, and he turned around to his fellows and asked, “Don’t you guys go to the theatre?”

He says it was more of a surprise to him, adding, “My TV is huge. I have about a 100-inch TV at home. It’s a great experience. I’ve got great sound. Even in my office, I have a theatre, but it’s still not the theatre, because I don’t have 100 more people watching the film with me together. Humans like to watch entertainment in groups.”

He explains, “Look at cricket. Why do stadiums still get filled? Maybe not so much for a Test match, but for T20. So theatres will still get full. It’s just that the game is no longer a Test match – it’s more like T20. So the kind of content we put in theatres has to change. We can complain that people are not going to theatres, or we can get up and do something about it.”

​Are there any particular elements for a good love story? Suri explains, “In a basic love story, I think what essentially has to work is – it’s not about what’s on the page. It’s about what magic you bring about on the set. Because a love story is very simple on the page. They don’t have the thrill of lots of twists and turns or action. So it’s like — there is nothing on the page; it’s just written: he looks at her. But the way he looks at her — that is the magic.”

Citing a scene from Saiyaara, Mohit says, “Nobody reacted when I told them she takes Mahesh’s name. They were just like, ‘Oh, that’s sad.’ But the way they reacted in the theatres – people burst out crying. More than that, moviegoers cried in the last scene when they got married. And that’s a happy scene. Why were they crying there? It is because they felt validated that this girl who had left had come back. So I think that’s the magic you create on the set.” Suri believes that for love stories, “we just have to live the emotion.”

He elaborates, “That’s the only thing. You have to live with the actors; they’re living with the characters. In thrillers, you can cheat – you can use a different camera angle but in love stories, you have to bring out an emotion.”

A much-in-love couple’s world comes crashing down when the girl is diagnosed with a memory loss condition. She goes missing one day, and the musician hero uses a song to find her.

This is not just the plot of Mohit Suri’s directorial Saiyaara (2025), but of the 2019 YouTube short film Khwaabon by Amit Jadhav. These glaring similarities are the basis of Amit’s allegations of plagiarism against the makers of the Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda starrer, made in a now-viral Instagram Reel.

Talking to us, Amit, an actor, singer, and filmmaker, shares that he was about to convert his short into a feature film. “I had got producers, too. We were going to shoot in 2025, but then Saiyaara happened and everything got derailed,” he shares, adding, “I went into depression and one day, when sloshed, I almost committed suicide. But my parents saw me and stopped it from happening.”

Amit says that the entire ordeal dates back four years. “I had tried speaking up about this last year, too. In 2022, I received an Instagram DM from YRF Talent (a division of Yash Raj Films, which produced Saiyaara) about getting in touch with me. I asked which project they were reaching out for, but they did not respond. I did not know anyone there, nor had I given any auditions.”

After the release of Saiyaara, Amit’s friends pointed out the overlaps. “My friends said, ‘Tera toh story same tha’. I was shocked. I tried reaching out to them, even going to their office, but my friends told me they won’t entertain me... I wrote YRF two mails seeking clarification, but got no answer.”

When asked if he got his story or script registered, Amit admits that he did not. “I am a part of the Screenwriters’ Association, but I did not get the story registered in 2019 because it was a short film and out on a public platform as proof,” he says.

Now, all he is seeking is acknowledgement: “I should get some credit. Or maybe I can be cast in a role in some project. That’s all I am seeking.”

We reached out to both Mohit and YRF for comment on the matter, but did not receive a response till the time of going to press.

DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has already set a record for the highest advance at the national chains over the last year or so. This is just five days of advance and its not even a full day and there six more days of advances to go. The collections at these national chains stand at a phenomenal 10.50 crore nett and for the record a historic blockbuster like PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE had managed 14.50 crore nett for its first day which should be covered sometime over the weekend. The best over the last year was CHHAAVA at 2.25 lakh tickets and that is the only film getting over 2 lakhs.

The last part of DHURANDHAR got to 1.77 lakhs but that has to be taken with a pinch of salt as there was plenty of feeding and the figures of BAAGHI 4 are also manipulated to an even higher degree than DHURANDHAR.

The pace of advances even in these chains is slowing but that is basically as they don't really have anywhere there to go as where there is less sensitivity to price, the tickets are practically gone. Now, its about the other places and here the public here is waiting for the plans to open in full and the lower pricing though it will still be higher than any film has seen in the past.

The advances for national chains over the last year are as follows.

2. Chhaava - 2,25,00,000

3. Saiyaara - 1,95,00,000

4. Dhurandhar - 1,77,00,000

5. Baaghi 4 - 1,56,00,000

6. War 2 - 1,53,00,000

7. Sikandar - 1,45,00,000

8. Border 2 - 1,42,00,000

9. Housefull 5 - 96,00,000

10. Raid 2 - 93,00,000

After several reports claimed that Mohit Suri, 44, has roped in actor Ranbir Kapoor, 43, for his next project, touted to be a gangster-backed musical love story, the filmmaker rubbishes the claims.

Mohit tells us that there is no film in place yet, largely because he is still writing his next script. “No, no, it’s not (true). I’m still writing my film,” he tells us, adding that he hasn’t even reached the stage where casting conversations begin.

While the two did meet recently, he insists that it was more of a casual setup than a professional discussion. “He did call me up. So it’s just an informal discussion, but not about a film, we just met,” he shares, adding, “Ranbir has always been praising me and talking highly about me in the past… so this was not a conversation to talk about a film.”

Setting the record straight about his next project, Mohit says he is still writing the script. “The fact is the film (last directorial, Saiyaara) released in July (last year)… I need about one to two more months to at least finish my script. I’m not there yet,” he says.

Actor Ahaan Panday, who is currently undergoing a physical transformation for his next project, reveals having undergone a ‘painful surgery’ after his debut film.

“I actually got a whole surgery done after the release of Saiyaara last year. And it’s one of the most painful surgeries you can do, with the longest recovery time,” he told Esquire India.

The procedure was to correct a lingering shoulder subluxation from an old snowmobile accident, which was hindering his ability at the gym.

While the doctor told Ahaan his body would “go back to zero”, making it “nearly impossible” to achieve the desired physique for his next, the actor was able to “prove everyone wrong”.

“I went from being injured, to not being able to move, to not being able to lift, to being able to lift,” he said, adding, “I don’t know how nobody realized (that I spent months bound in a cast).”

Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar recently shared a behind-the-scenes look from his upcoming project, featuring the leading man, Ahaan Panday.

Now, a source tells us, “Shoot begins on March 30 in Mumbai’s YRF Studios for a 27-day schedule. Then, the team will travel to UK for a 60-day shoot in May. All the actors are currently in action training, and will be till end of March.”

When contacted about his lead, Ali, 44, is all praise for Ahaan. “He doesn’t perform emotions, he feels them. And as a director, that’s a rare quality to find. The camera has a way of catching the truth and with him, the truth is always there in his eyes,” he says.

Only one film old in the industry, with his debut Saiyaara being a surprise hit, Ahaan, 28, will take on the action-romance genre in the upcoming film.

Ali adds that Ahaan “brings a modern energy to classic romantic leads”: ‘It’s always amazing to work with raw, new talent and Ahaan, to me, is at the top of the league from his generation.”

Mumbai: Hindi cinema saw a significant growth in footfalls in movie halls in 2025, topping those for other language films, according to Box Office 2025 report by Ormax Media, a media and entertainment research firm.

The report said that in 2025, Hindi film ticket sales grew by 11.3% from 2024 to 256 million. The growth bucked the general downtrend, as the all-India figure for footfalls across all language films declined by 5.7% to 832 million.

“Today, only content works in theatres. Gone are the days footfalls would come to theatres merely on the strength of stardom of a star,” said Bhuvnesh Mendiratta, managing director at Miraj Cinemas. “The successes of Hindi films across diverse genres from historical (Chhaava), romance (Saiyaara), animation (Mahavatar Narsimha) and Spy (Dhurandhar) in 2025 prove this trend.”

This optimism is evident in the performance of Hindi films when compared to the all-India box office collection.

Last year, the box office (gross) of Hindi films grew by 18% from 2024 to Rs 5,504 crore. In the same period, the all-India box office (gross) grew by 13.2% to Rs 13,395 crore.

Although this growth in footfalls weakens the argument that people are averse to going to theatres, producers had a nuanced argument. Community experience in theatres may not be passe but the frequency of going to theatres for films has declined.

“Footfalls in theatres for Hindi films have shown visible improvement in 2025 compared to 2024. This growth has come despite a continued rise in average ticket price (ATP),” said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director of Karmic Films. “It indicates that audiences are selectively returning to theatres for Hindi films which provide them genuine theatrical experiences.”

After the pandemic, the recovery in the industry’s business has been led more by increase in the average ticket price than footfall growth. The ATP of Hindi films grew by 6% to Rs 215 in 2025 from Rs 203 in 2024. In comparison, the all-India ATP grew by 20.1% to Rs 161 in 2025 from Rs 134 in 2024. A large part of the growth in all-India ATP was contributed by the ATP of southern films, which grew by 21.8% to Rs 123 in 2025 from Rs 101 in 2024.

Producers shared that theatres and entertainment avenues outside theatres will not be a threat to each other’s existence.

“I think there will be a lot of movies which audiences will watch in theatres. And there will be a lot of movies because of short windows, audiences will watch in their home theatres,” said Naveen Chandra, founder, 91 Film Studios, a studio that produces and distributes regional films. “Both forms of entertainment experience will co-exist.”

Lastly, producers also shared that audiences are the biggest promoters and campaigners of a well-made film.

“Today, audiences have become the biggest promoters and campaigners of a well-made film through strong word-of-mouth communications. No amount of out-of-the-box film marketing helps a bad film,” said producer Ameya Naik. “This is reflected in the successes of Hindi films such as Saiyaara and Mahavatar Narsimha in 2025.”

The year gone by saw so so results as there was collection of around 4000 crore from the Hindi films including a few dubbed films. In terms of collections, it would be the third best year after 2023 and 2019 with the latter being before the pandemic. However, the ticket prices are higher now even compared with 2023.

The problem is that there was plenty of feeding in this 4000 crore and this happened in big as well as small films. There was a week when three small films releases and collected 9 crore nett between them but 85-90% of this was feeding. This is just not understandable as to why its been done across the board. There are reputations to be held up and expectations and so, sometimes you know that is the reason. But here, its become film after film and many just do in some vain hope that it helps.

2025 has fallen around 8% short of 2023 but that year also had plenty of feeding and manufactured box office as well and maybe more than 2025. So, in reality the 4150 crore of 2019 remains the biggest year ever followed by 2023 and the 2025. The ticket pricing is far higher than 2019 and therefore, there is a heavy fall of footfalls. But this was happening before the pandemic as well with limited content for the wider audience. 

The year was driven by the bigger grossers as DHURANDHAR, CHHAAVA and SAIYAARA put up 40% of the business which makes it easy to see the problem are those support films which is not letting the industry grow. These handful of blockbusters and grossers will come every year but if you don't get a good supply of 100-200 crore nett films, it is tough for the overall business to be where it should be and there will just not be enough films being made.

In 2019, the top film did 292 crore nett and the 20th film was also doing 88 crore nett. In 2025, the top film is doing 780 crore nett and the 20th film is doing 50 crore nett which sort of tells where the problem lies and the huge shift in business towards the bigger film. This year, there are bigger films than 2025 and it should be even better. But for the industry to prosper, the middle film has to get better results as there can only be 4-5 big films a year and they alone cant keep the industry afloat as we know it.

The reach of films was getting less and less before the pandemic as enough revenue was coming from the films aimed at those urban centres which led to them being rolled out in numbers. This has all changed post pandemic. As a result, even smaller films now have to reach like a PHOOL AUR KAANTE had in the 90's or even better example a NIKAAH had in the 80's. Films like TERE ISHK MEIN and EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT are showing the way forward with music and characterization but more will be needed. The death of the urban film is actually good news as it will mean having to reach a wider audience which is better for long term prospects. However, its all about getting the act together and being able to cater this audience. 

The Hindi film industry is still in a better position than the regional industries although this is reported the other way around with Hindi in dire straits and regional doing well. The costs of production are going up steadily but in general Hindi films have bigger potential recoveries from all revenue sources and it puts in in a better position whereas with, regional these costs going to end up hurting more. Other industries are looking for support from the Hindi audience but if the Hindi industry can get it right, then this audience will not have to look elsewhere.

Following the success of Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, anticipation has been high around director Mohit Suri’s next project. Over the past month, speculation has been rife that the filmmaker would reunite with his Aashiqui 2 (2013) star Aditya Roy Kapur. However, there was buzz doing the rounds suggesting that the actor opted out of the film after multiple discussions and script readings, prompting the makers to search for a new male lead.

Putting an end to the rumours, Mohit addressed the casting speculation exclusively with Bombay Times. Clarifying the situation surrounding his upcoming YRF-backed project, the director said, “I meet Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shaad Randhawa to play cricket. We hang out together.”

Mohit said, “Aditya is a close friend of mine, but we haven’t met for work at all. The script that I am working on is not even ready, and no discussions have happened on the same. The script that I am writing isn’t for Aditya Roy Kapur. I will reveal everything once my script and cast is in place.”

When we reached out to Aditya, he laughed and said, “The only place Mohit and I have been meeting is on the cricket field where I’ve been getting him clean bowled! So, no role is going to be coming my way from there. The news of me opting out of his film is totally false.”

The Indian film industry saw broader and diverse success across genres, themes and movie lengths in 2025, with audiences favouring strong storylines over star casts, industry executives told ET.

Net box-office collection of the Indian film industry grew to Rs. 10,453 crore in 2025, up by 12% from 2024, data gathered by ET from the website of box office research firm Sacnilk showed. For Hindi films, net box-office collection grew by 20% to Rs. 4,792.7 crore.

Experts said there was a palpable shift in the way audiences responded to films.

"Today's audience has a mind of its own. The control has shifted in the hands of audiences in terms of what, when and where they will watch content. They are clear about this," said Vikram Malhotra, founder and CEO of Abundantia Entertainment.

"These elements have reset and defied the norms in which Hindi films will be made. The success of Dhurandhar, which is the highest grosser of 2025 (net Rs. 668 crore), is a key example. It was written off much before its release. But audiences have lapped it up."

Producers said that audiences showed an inclination towards watching films in theatres and were not "particularly" focused on the "length" of films.

"There has been increasing traction for rooted stories speaking inclusively to the Indian heartland as well. And contrary to earlier belief of keeping a film's length to around two hours, 2025 has shown that the length of a film does not matter to the audience," said Sunir Kheterpal, producer, Athena E&M.

In 2025, 14 Hindi films, most of which were over two hours log, grossed more than Rs. 100 crore at the box office. In comparison, 2024 had 10 films which grossed more than Rs. 100 crore. The smash hits of 2025, such as Saiyaara, Mahavatar Narsimha, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Tere Ishk Mein, Chhaava and Dhurandhar, showed that audiences across geographies preferred "stories" over star cast and that a film's size has a little role to play in its success.

"2025 proved that scale alone doesn't guarantee success. Several big-ticket titles underperformed, while mid-budget, content-led films quietly delivered returns," said Suneil Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films. "2025 wasn't about volume. It was about conviction, clarity of positioning and timing."

In addition to these aspects, consistent failure of solely business-focused franchise films, and increasing success of films across genres such as romance (Saiyaara), animation (Mahavatar Narsimha), anime (Demon Slayer) and mythology (Chhaava) are a few developments which showed that audiences are looking for value-for-money entertainment and not just a visit to theatres.

Lastly, 2025 also saw the standout performance of Hollywood films such as F1: The Movie, Avatar: Fire And Ash, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Jurassic World: Rebirth. Consequently, the net collection of Hollywood films in India grew by 42% from 2024 to Rs. 673.2 crore in 2025.

One of the surprise blockbuster hits of 2025 has been Saiyaara, the musical romantic drama directed by Mohit Suri and starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. The film crossed the ₹500 crore mark worldwide and become the highest grossing debutante-led Hindi film. With audiences raving about the lead pair’s chemistry, Saiyaara’s intimacy coordinator (IC) Akshay Murarka opens up on how the film’s intimate scenes were filmed.

He says, “Since Ahaan and Aneet were newcomers, building trust came first. We conducted workshops in the first week of shooting and did exercises around consent, boundaries, trust, and comfort. These sessions are mainly to help actors feel secure in their own bodies and with each other. They are structured, with every detail discussed, agreed upon, and carefully staged; nothing is ever assumed. Once that foundation of safety was in place, the intimacy on screen felt natural, and I think that honesty really connected with the audience.”

Sharing details of how the shots were planned, Akshay adds, “In the song Tum Ho Toh, there’s a sequence of the two of them in a bathtub. The intention was to capture young, playful love without it seeming vulgar. A lot of care went into ensuring strict closed-set protocols, along with the use of modest garments, body tape, and physical barriers, so the actors’ safety and comfort were never compromised.” 

About the song Barbaad, he says, “There is a bedroom sequence where the emotion called for passion. Every moment was carefully discussed and choreographed so the intimacy felt honest and intense.”

Being a man in the profession, how does he ensure women artistes are comfortable? “I’m aware of the responsibility that comes when actors place their trust in me. There have been instances where I wasn’t brought on as an IC because a director, female actor, or the production felt they might feel more comfortable with a female IC, and I completely respect that. My effort is always to approach intimacy with empathy and neutrality,” he concludes.

Aanand L Rai’s Tere Ishk Mein has turned out to be the box-office surprise that Bollywood has been waiting for. The Dhanush and Kriti Sanon-starrer opened at over Rs 15 crore on November 28, and is expected to close the weekend at approximately Rs 60 crore. What about the film has worked when most Hindi movies struggle to stay afloat at the box office?

Delhi-based exhibitor Gurmeet Seble points to its depiction of the dark side of love. “There is a real pull for stories where love feels dangerous and high-stakes.”

Dhanush’s performance as the heartbroken lover is among the film’s biggest draws. Videos from theatres across Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai show crowds reacting to the climax with feverish energy. Trade analyst Girish Wankhede points out that it has as much to do with the leading man’s portrayal as with the unrequited love story’s writing.

Wankhede elaborates, “Saiyaara was Gen Z–friendly and stylish, and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat found strong loyalty among tier-2 and -3 viewers. Tere Ishk Mein knows exactly whom it is speaking to. This one is for jilted lovers everywhere.”

Wankhede believes such love stories will almost always find takers in India. He reasons, “We’re used to such love stories – Khilona [1970], Darr [1993], Tere Naam [2003], and so on. Break-ups and unrequited love are part of our system. We love underdogs who are madly in love, but not getting that love back. We are a country of Devdas-es.”

Another encouraging sign is that Tere Ishk Mein is performing well across urban centres as well as mass pockets like Punjab, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh notes that Rai’s movie has broken the recent pattern of Hindi cinema making “multiplex films catering only to five cities”. “It’s rooted. A common man in Jabalpur or Patna is responding to it just as much as someone in Mumbai is. [In the past few months], we alienated our mass pockets. Our actors became metro-centric. Those choices don’t get you numbers.”

On Dhanush’s crossover appeal, Adarsh dismisses old industry binaries. “Calling him a ‘Tamil superstar working in the North’— these are compartments we’ve created. The audience doesn’t care. They want a good story. And Dhanush delivers.”

He credits the film’s opening momentum to the trailer. “The trailer did the trick. People instantly connected with a man who falls in love, loses it and the tone felt raw. And importantly, it’s not a dubbed film. That authenticity matters.”

Adarsh also believes the cult following of Raanjhanaa has directly transferred to Tere Ishk Mein. “There’s a comfort the audience has with the Dhanush–Aanand L. Rai pairing. You can feel it in the film.”

What elevates the performance, he says, is Dhanush’s restraint. “A hallmark of a fine actor is that he doesn’t need to show off. Someone else from Bollywood might have gone louder. Dhanush keeps quiet, promotes less, and lets the work speak.”

He also uses the film’s reception to critique Bollywood’s recent approach. “Tere Ishk Mein is proof that when you give people a story with emotional heft, they turn up. Even the music broke internal trade assumptions. They saved a song like ‘Aawara Angara’ for later and now post-film, that's all over our social media."

Mumbai: At a time when big-budget Hindi films are increasingly failing at the box office, the unexpected success of three mid-budget films - Saiyaara, Mahavatar Narsimha and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat - gives a solid indication of changing tastes and preferences of Indian cine goers.

Saiyaara, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, and Mahavtar Narsimha, which were made on modest budgets of Rs. 10-Rs. 30 crore each, have collected Rs. 80-Rs. 400 crore at the domestic box office.

According to producers and industry experts, these films resonated with Generation Z and tier-2 and tier-3 audiences with high affinity to themes observed in South Korean content and old-school Bollywood template films.

"For a long time, Gen-Z and audiences beyond metros who have a strong affinity towards South Korean content and old school Bollywood template films were deprived of films which appealed to their sensibilities. Saiyaara and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat contain similar themes and tropes found in South Korean content and old school Bollywood template films. Hence, these audiences lapped up these two romances," said Ameya Naik, producer and founder, Fantasy Films, an event management company.

Agreeing with Naik, film business strategist and producer Vaibhav Garg explained, "The success of Saiyaara and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not manufactured. It is real resonance meeting perfect timing, which is reflected in their collections."

Increasingly, producers pointed out today audiences are not swayed by scale or stars of films but prefer experiences. They pointed out that audiences have begun to prefer films which warrant family viewing and provide factual entertainment or infotainment experiences.

"Today, audiences are not chasing budgets. They are chasing experiences. They want sincerity - whether it is emotional truth, devotional depth or a topical narrative that sparks conversation. They are rewarding clarity of intent of the makers," said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder & director, Karmic Films. 

"The extraordinary success of Mahavatar Narsimha is a proof that a strong idea and honest storytelling in a mid-budget film can help it beat a big-budget film in terms of box office collections," explained Wadhwa.

Music is another factor which has worked for these films, said producers.

"These films are fresh takes on themes seen in old Bollywood films. But what really worked for these films is their music. The music in these films resonated with audiences who have been deprived of the traditional Hindi film music for a long time," shared Vicky Bahri, producer and founder & CEO of KLIP, a micro-drama app.

Lastly, producers are also of the view that there is an increasing appeal among audiences for stories which trigger debates and polarized points of view.

"In recent years, there is a conscious effort among makers to write films in such a way that it provokes debates and extreme and divided reactions among audiences. Characters and motivations behind their actions are tied logically well. But audiences realize that characters' actions do not match, complement, justify or represent what they say or feel in films. In this way, a film piques the audience's interest and sparks hot debates which in turn compel audiences to come to theatres," explained Naik of Fantasy Films.

Actors Aneet Padda (23) and Ahaan Panday’s (27) onscreen chemistry in the romantic drama Saiyaara was widely praised, with fans swooning over their pairing. This led to speculations that they might be dating in real life as well. However, Ahaan has now set the record straight, saying that they do not share a romantic relationship.

“Aneet is my best friend. The whole internet thinks we’re together, but we’re not. Chemistry isn’t always romantic; it’s about comfort, safety, and being seen. We’ve both made each other feel that,” said Ahaan in an interview with GQ India.

He added, “But I’ll never have a bond like I have with Aneet. Before Saiyaara, we both loved this quote by [novelist] Paulo Coelho: ‘It’s the possibility of a dream coming true that makes life interesting.’ We dreamed this together, and it came true. What we’ve shared is so special.”

The actor also confirmed that he is currently single.