A small spark of faith burned down Bollywood’s multi-crore ego. There is an uncomfortable question Bollywood should perhaps ask itself. Dhurandhar became a phenomenon. Hanuman Ansh has done the unthinkable for a small, independently mounted spiritual film. Yet around both films, at different stages, there has been a striking question about where the larger fraternity stood.
To be clear, this is not about saying nobody from Bollywood supported these films. Several did. The question is about the conspicuous reluctance of a much larger section of the industry to publicly embrace them with the enthusiasm it routinely displays for films emerging from its established circles.
Why?
Is it because Dhurandhar wears its patriotism so openly? Is it because Hanuman Ansh places faith and Hindu spirituality at the centre of its story? Or are these simply subjects that a section of Bollywood has become uncomfortable being publicly associated with?
There is no evidence to conclusively say that patriotism or spirituality is the reason. But the question is difficult to ignore.
What can be demonstrated is that Dhurandhar faced accusations of propaganda, while sections of the industry debated or defended it. And Hanuman Ansh’s first time director Vishal Chaturvedi has said that he sought help from people in Bollywood before release but received none, only to receive congratulatory calls after the audience had already made the film a success.
That brings us back to Bollywood’s favourite word, fraternity.
Fraternity cannot mean cheering only when the audience has already given you permission to cheer.
Perhaps the real discomfort is not that these films succeeded. Perhaps it is that they succeeded while challenging some of Bollywood’s assumptions about what today’s audience wants to watch.
Dhurandhar showed the appetite for unapologetic patriotism. Hanuman Ansh is showing the appetite for spiritual and culturally rooted storytelling.
The audience has spoken twice. Maybe it is time Bollywood stopped asking why it was not invited to the conversation and started asking why it was so reluctant to join it.
