

Post-pandemic change: Hindi film viewers now seek diverse content, not just action and spectacle
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Genre diversity turned out to be a key feature of the top 10 Hindi language films of 2025 and experts and theatre owners acknowledge that hit movies are no longer driven entirely by action or VFX spectacles, as was the case soon after the pandemic. As many as 15 original Hindi films grossed more than ₹100 crore each last year compared with six in 2024.
Action-drama Dhurandhar ( ₹894.45 crore) was the highest grosser of the year, followed by period drama Chhaava ( ₹600.1 crore), romantic film Saiyaara ( ₹337.8 crore) and the dubbed Hindi versions of mythological epics Kantara: A Legend–Chapter 1 ( ₹224.39 crore) and Mahavatar Narsimha ( ₹182.8 crore). According to experts, this proves that audiences are receptive to good content and innovative marketing in general, and not just specific genres or faces. Music, too, played a key role in the box office successes last year.
Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinépolis India, noted that 2025 was a significant year for genre diversity, especially in Hindi cinema. “Action and drama continue to lead the box office – that fundamental audience preference hasn’t changed. What has changed is that other genres are now finding commercial success alongside tentpoles, not in isolation," Sampat said.
He referred to this trend not as a replacement of what works but an expansion of what can work. The immediate post-pandemic years were defined by audience caution, Sampat pointed out. People returned to theatres selectively, gravitating toward spectacle and proven franchises.
“In 2023, that translated into near-unilateral dominance of action and mass entertainers. That concentration has eased. Audiences remain drawn to event cinema, but they’re also
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