Can zombies and witches save Bollywood from its troubles?
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Hey guys, I'm Maura Morrison and this is What In The World from the BBC World Service. Bollywood films are known for their epic love stories, energetic dance numbers and big shot actors. But now there's a new era emerging, Bollywood horror and horror comedy. It's filled with zombies, witches and spirits.

Although there's been horror in Bollywood before, it's re-emerged with a more family-friendly approach and has had huge successes. But it's not all glitz and shine for Bollywood right now. Like many film industries, it took a hit during the pandemic and is still working its way back up.

So in this episode, you're going to hear a conversation Hannah had with two Bollywood fans as we ask, can zombies and witches save Bollywood from its troubles? And just a note before we start, we recorded this interview in December. So when we reference this year, we mean 2024. We hope you enjoy.

Here in the studio with me is Yasser Usman, an Indian journalist and film critic. And we're also speaking to Aina Mehta, a Bollywood influencer. Hello to you both. Lovely to be here. So happy to be here, Aina. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you both for joining me on the podcast. And I'm speaking to you guys because you both have a shared love of Bollywood. So starting with you, Yasser, what are some of your favourite Bollywood films?

It's so difficult, you know, for someone who has been obsessed with Bollywood, because I always use the word obsessed, since at least last three decades after I became a film journalist, I have watched every Hindi film, every Bollywood film that has been released. So there is a movie for every mood, which is my favorite. So difficult to...

Difficult to pin it down. Pin it down to one movie out of my obsession. Obsessed. Obsessed is what I'm hearing. Aina, what about you? I think for me, I have romanticized a lot of things from Bollywood and I have grown up watching them right from love stories to probably comedy. And, you know, it's just been such a huge form of entertainment and

not only in my life, but I think all of us at home. You know, I've grown up watching Shah Rukh Khan so much in my entire childhood. I've been a 90s baby. So all those iconic songs, all those iconic love stories, eventually to now seeing how much content has grown, I think it's been a journey. But I think it's beautiful to just see how romantic

Everything they show in Bollywood, right from the chiffon saris that girls don in beautiful songs and boys playing a nice guitar instrument. I think it's just lovely to see. Yes. Was it the love and romance that won you over too? Definitely. And Aina was talking about the entire romantic vibe of Bollywood. I think they are inherent and essential part of our growing up.

Back in India, the films were identified with their songs and dance. By the time you go to watch the film in theatres, you already knew all the songs by heart. I have realised that watching movies in Indian theatres is a strangely unique experience, a vibrant experience. It is a community viewing and it's a completely different experience. People cheer, people whistle, people clap, people even dance together.

No way. The songs in theatre, inside theatres and it's for big stars and for popular stars. It's a common sighting. There have been a couple of horror films this year leading the box office. It's not like the usual romance and action and the kind of films that you described that both of you fell in love with. What is it about

it about these horror films that are doing so well? You know, the zombies, the witches. I think the horror films this year have done massively when it comes to box office. We've seen a major shift in how the audience is so

So tilted towards films like Bhool Bhulaya 2, Bhool Bhulaya 3, Stree. So we had a film this year which was a horror comedy genre with a completely newbie as the main lead. It was his first main lead theatrical release. His name was Abhay Verma and the actress's name was Sharvari Vaag.

So, of course, you have your stars doing major Bollywood comedy sort of, you know, films. But we're also seeing fresh and newcomers try out this genre and still succeed in it. You know, balancing out with comedy just makes the entire atmosphere a little lighter. So you get your thrill, but at the same time, you get your laughs as well. So the year 2024 kicked off with this film called Shaitan, Shaitan.

It was a huge hit and it was followed by Munjia, like Aina told us. Munjia was a small budget horror comedy with new actors and it worked phenomenally well. It was followed by Sthri Tu.

And I'll talk about why these films are working because I spoke to all the filmmakers and 3-2 became the biggest hit of this year, is about of which, and it became the biggest hit till Pushpa 2 broke its record. But 3-2, a horror film. There is one more thing happened. There was this 2018, 2018 cult horror film called Tumbaad, which had done average business when it got released originally. They re-released it in 2024.

It surpassed its original earnings and earned 50% more at its re-release. So it's a clear trend.

Why are they working? The thing is, traditionally in India, since 1980s, when they started making horror films, horror films were supposed to be B and C grade stuff with bad makeup, ghosts and witches with bad makeup, tacky special effects, sound effects, and even titillating scenes, which were not supposed to be family viewings.

They have changed the entire concept of horror. It is all horror films have now become family friendly, which has never happened anywhere else. So you go to watch a horror film with your family and you know that, OK, it's a scary scene and you shriek. And then you also know that within within five minutes or 10 minutes, a joke is going to land.

So they have mixed it properly. It's clean family entertainment. So Yasser, is the success of these films, a couple of horror films, enough to save Bollywood? I hate to say this. I hate to be pessimistic about it. But the threat is real. Threat of people not buying tickets or going to theatres.

Thank you very much.

Last year was good. 2024 has not been as good as the last year. Still, there are saving graces like these horror films. But I think everyone, all the filmmakers in Bollywood have to pull up their socks post-COVID. Like more than 1,000 single screen theatres have been shut down. The threat is real. It's there in Hollywood also. But I think Hollywood in comparison to Bollywood is producing better content, I think, than

content is the key and if anyone a lover of Bollywood like me or even normal audiences who go to watch films in theatres once a month they are not going to watch if they realise okay it's average stuff and we are going to see it on OTT within a few weeks so the content has to be very strong a few horror films

a few trends that we talked about today or just one. Pushpa is not going to save these massive film industries in India, which produces like more than 1,000 films per year. Yasser and Aina, thank you so much both for coming on the podcast. Thank you so much, Henai. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

And that's it for today. If you want to hear more of our episodes on cinema and entertainment, we've talked about cinema more generally. From Hollywood to Nollywood, we asked, are cinemas bouncing back after COVID? We've also had some great conversations about things like how to get a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and why YouTubers are hitting burnout.

Have a listen to those wherever you get your BBC podcasts or come join us on the BBC World Service's YouTube channel to watch us chatting away in the studio. I'm Maura Morrison and this is What In The World from the BBC World Service. We'll see you next time. Bye!

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