Small southern films dubbed in Hindi make a splash amid Bollywood drought
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At a time when Bollywood has seen a drought of new releases and those that hit the screens failed to make an impact at the box office, some small-scale southern films dubbed in Hindi have struck a chord with the audiences, helped by strong narratives.
The delayed Hindi release of Malayalam action thriller Marco saw it mint over ₹11 crore last month, without promotions or popular faces, similar to how titles like HanuMan, Maharaja, Kantara and Karthikeya 2 had found success earlier. Trade experts say the films arrived at the right time, finding space in theatres and showcasing and growing with word-of-mouth to eventually gain high mindshare and screen count.
Also Read | Frontloaded box-office returns are making theatrical runs shorter Last year, a small-budget Telugu film, HanuMan, had made more than ₹57 crore from its Hindi version. Earlier, the dubbed Hindi version of Kannada film Kantara had earned nearly ₹80 crore, despite it not featuring any familiar faces or investing in exhaustive marketing campaigns, the way big-budget southern films like RRR did.
“These films often fill gaps in the Hindi theatrical space by offering fresh, high-quality content that the Hindi industry sometimes lacks due to its focus on formulaic films or star-driven projects. However, showcasing and distribution remain a challenge.
Most of these films start with limited screenings in select theatres, relying on strong performance and positive word-of-mouth to expand to more screens," Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, said. Also Read | Tricky math tips Indians in favour of annual over monthly OTT subscriptions Recently, Malayalam film Marco, which released in Hindi in December, saw its shows
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