Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Independent producers, boutique studios, turn in the direction of the local cinema for big profits Lata Jha 2 min Read May 29, 2025, 02:55 AM IST Regional Cinema translated into reasonable investment and predictable returns at the box office compared to Bollywood. (X) Summary producers find lower deaths and robust audiences in Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi films, leading to higher returns compared to Bollywood. Small and medium-scale boutique studios and independent film producers who mainly chased low budget Hindi films are now turning to regional languages for larger profits. Producers Anand Pandit and Vinod Bhanushali and Yoodlee films in Saregama are one of those who bet on Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi films, where the dying is lower and the film culture is strong. Actor John Abraham, who produces the marathi film Savita Damodar Paranjpe, expressed interest in supporting more films in regional languages. This means more reasonable investments and predictable returns at the box office than in Bollywood, which first typed many of these names. “Regional teams manage their time and resources in general very well. There is accuracy and also meaningful spending where needed. Because production budgets and marketing spending are cost-effective, the ROI (return on investment) is also higher,” Pandit said. Read also | Bollywood Fables: Hindi filmmakers take an edge to folklore for mass contact with audiences. He recently supported three Gujarati films – Tron Ekka, Fact Mahilao Mates and Fact Purushho Mates – all of which managed a ROI of over 400%, which is uncharged in Hindi Cinema. Pandit referred to the rooted, first approach to filmmaking of the local theater. Franchises such as Baahubali, Pushpa and KGF have been bipping, not because of their great budgets, but their storytelling. “Of course, this model makes more business sense,” Pandit said, adding that he also works with Punjabi and Kannada talent. Hindi films had a 40% share of India’s box office collections in 2024, followed by Telugu films at 20%, according to a report by Ormax Media Pvt Ltd. experts, including Pandit, pointed out that there were different scents and characteristic styles and found each language. Streaming platforms reported audiences in the Hindi-speaking belt and look at Malayales, Marathi, Bengali and other language content with captions or Dubs over the pandemic. Global potential, while the challenge of telling stories corresponding to diverse demographics, the more locally the content is, the more worldwide it can be. On the other hand, the Hindi film industry remains loaded with uncertainty. Even Big Star films like Salman Khan star Sikandar find limited attraction. Streaming platforms experience pressure on profitability, affecting their bullishness and spending in the country, which led to a slowdown in the entry of the content. Read also | The rise of the Hollywood-style film universe in southern films on the music front, a decline in listening on sound current platforms and falling income for Hindi films has led to hard negotiations between producers and music labels. All this while the local theater is limited in the scale, but strongly in return. “More filmmakers realize that the mass market theater is big business and that the regional language audiences are more loyal compared to Bollywood, which is mainly focused on Multiplex cinema,” says Yusuf Shaikh, chief operating officer of play films at Production and Distribution Firm Percept Pictures. Shaikh was quickly pointing out that streaming platforms are not as eager to obtain films in regional languages such as Punjabi and Marathi to their theater exemption. ‘Many smaller studios and producers try to bind some films together, including regional titles, to offer a larger bouquet to streaming platforms. While some only plunge their toes to test how regional films sail, it is a strategy that is sustainable, despite the low cost and need for experimentation, ‘said film producer Shariq Patel. Read also | Southern Stars turns to OTT, as medium profits are strength that catches operating news, bank news and updates on live mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #ott #enttaining Read Next Story
Independent producers embrace the local film amid uncertainties in Bollywood
