Hansal Mehta feels film industry is going through curve, says pan-India film bubble has burst

After his feature film Faraaz released this February, filmmaker Hansal Mehta is gearing up for his next, the web series Scoop on Netflix. Faraaz was released on less than 100 screens with most screenings occurring during the night. The director opened up about the state of the film industry and said it was not dire, but in a learning curve. He also believe that the bubble of the pan-India had burst during the last few months. (Also read: Scoop trailer: Karishma Tanna plays a crime journalist who herself becomes the story in Hansal Mehta’s gripping drama)

Bollywood box office in 2023

While films like Pathaan, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Bholaa have done well at the box office, smaller films have not managed to connect with audiences in theatres. They are discovering them later once it has a digital premiere, like Faraaz did on Netflix. The only exception to this has been with The Kerala Story which has already crossed ₹200 crore.

Hansal feels Bollywood is going through a curve

Speaking with Puja Talwar on her YouTube channel, Hansal explained the current scenario in the film industry, “Ultimately, every industry goes through a curve. A curve of success, of failure. A curve of learning, unlearning, starting afresh. So we are going through a curve. I mean, it’s not bad. We had Pathaan. We had a couple of successes in the past few months.

He continued, “At the same time, this narrative of the whole pan-India film, that bubble has sort of burst in the past few months. All this is just kind of stereotyping again. I believe it is the work of mediocre minds. We as creators have to rise above that. We have to just keep creating, you will find an audience.”

Hansal’s next project, Scoop

In Scoop, Karishma Tanna plays a journalist named Jagruti Pathak, who is accused of ordering a hit on another journalist through the underworld. She is put behind bars and has to prove her innocence to society. The series also stars Prosenjit Chatterjee as the slain scribe Jaideb Sen, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja and Tannishtha Chatterjee. It premieres on Netflix on June 2, 2023.

Hansal is also executive producer on the series Scam 2003 for SonyLIV. His next film tentatively titled The Buckingham Murders stars Kareena Kapoor as a detective. It was filmed in the UK.