Small-scale films rely on star kids as Bollywood faces box office struggles

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Filmmakers are rolling out low-budget movies featuring new star kids, hoping to cash in on the novelty factor and family legacy, at a time when small-scale projects in general are struggling at the box office and being cold-shouldered by streaming platforms, trade experts said.

Films like Loveyapa starring Junaid Khan, son of Aamir Khan, and Khushi Kapoor, daughter of the late Sridevi, and Azaad featuring Rasha Thadani, daughter of Raveena Tandon, and Aaman Devgn, nephew of Ajay Devgn, may not have been box-office hits or streaming breakouts, but make business sense given the easy sale to OTT platforms because of the marketing buzz around them. These films also keep the production machinery going at low cost and with manageable risks.

Trade experts also emphasize it is important to push mid and small-scale films given that the chasm between big-ticket and smaller films is becoming a permanent feature of the Indian box office in the post-pandemic era. According to media consulting firm Ormax, of the ₹11,833 crore gross box office in 2024, 41% came from the top 10 films of the year.

Box office trends from the past three years indicate that big-ticket films will continue to become bigger, while smaller films across languages will face increasing challenges in attracting theatrical audiences, according to the Ormax report. “The box office is witnessing challenging times right now with few films doing well.

But star kids not only come with hype and backing that translate into marketing buzz, but filmmakers also want to push out projects that are less dependent on stars and their high remuneration," film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said. Over the past few months,