#2022Recap: 9 Trends of 2022 we are FED UP of and don’t want to see in 2023

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

December 29, 2022 - 8:25 PM IST

The cinema business finally came on track to a great extent in 2022 as the world (hopefully) is preparing to bid farewell to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this special feature, Bollywood Hungama lists 8 trends that we are fed up with and would not like to see again in 2023.

#2022Recap: 9 Trends of 2022 we are FED UP of and don’t want to see in 2023

1. YRF delivering flops
There was a time when Yash Raj Films (YRF) was known for churning out hit after hit. In 2022, all its movies flopped, be it Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Samrat Prithviraj or Shamshera. We hope they bounce back in 2023 with Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback film Pathaan followed by Salman Khan-starrer Tiger 3.

2. The ‘boycott’ movement
It became clear way back in 2020 that the so-called boycott movement is not going to work. Yet, the faction continued dominating social media to persuade people to stop watching films. As expected, their plea fell on deaf ears. The super-success of Brahmastra is a classic example of how their efforts went down the drain.

3. Skyhigh fees of actors
It was common to see actors charging insane amounts as fees, with a few of them even taking Rs. 100 crores as their remuneration. Shockingly, the lifetime of their films was not even half of it! What’s astonishing is that they don’t want to change the fee structure, though many of them have reluctantly decided to slash their fees.

4. Films being treated as projects
Rakesh Roshan in a Bollywood Hungama exclusive interview remarked “The filmmakers, instead of devoting more time to good scripts, are focusing more on mathematics”. It is believed that earlier, the filmmakers ensured the quality was upto the mark as they had to recover a major chunk of revenue from cinemas. Nowadays, when so many filmmakers can make a profit just through the sales of digital and TV rights, they don’t feel the need to struggle over quality just like the older generation.

5. Poor music score
There was a time when it would be difficult to list out the favourite songs of the year as there would be so many of them. But now, one can count the memorable songs on their fingers. Most films do have songs but are barely remembered days or even hours after exiting the theatre.

6. Films getting a token release in cinemas due to OTT deal
Several films like Toolsidas Junior, Tara vs Bilal, Hurdang, Operation Romeo, Sherdil, Jahaan Chaar Yaar etc got a token release in cinemas. It means that the producers were keen to release it directly on OTT. But since the streaming giants refused to do so, they had no choice but to release them first in theatres. As a result, many of these films were hardly promoted or got a poor release in cinemas.

7. Distributors fighting over shows
In 2022, several films clashed on the same day or came a week after the other. It led to a bloodbath as distributors started fighting over show-sharing. Many of them compelled exhibitors to choose between the two films. The poor theatre owner, who doesn’t want to antagonize either of the party, didn’t know what to do. Many industry and trade experts feel that such fights should stop as the film that will do well would eventually get better show timings a day or two later.

8. Bad films being made in the name of mass cinema
While South films released some fine mass entertainers, the Hindi film industry churned out poorly made films like Bachchhan Paandey, Heropanti 2, Dhaakad, Rashtra Kavach Om, Raksha Bandhan, Khuda Haafiz Chapter 2 – Agni Pariksha, Shamshera etc. The idea to sell off a substandard product in the name of mass cinema is not working, as seen by the box office numbers, and should stop.

9. Kangana Ranaut's rants
The actress continued to make poisonous statements against the industry. She predicted that Gangubai Kathiawadi would bomb and even made fun of lead actress Alia Bhatt. She had to eat humble pie when this film emerged as a huge hit. Later, she got massively trolled when her own film Dhaakad emerged as one of the biggest flops ever. We hope she stops her rants and concentrates on what she’s best at – delivering memorable performances.

Also Read: From Brahmastra to Laal Singh Chaddha: Here’s why we can’t overlook south’s impact on Bollywood films in 2022