The superhero genre is totally satiated in Hollywood to a great extent as audiences are getting fed up with the perpetual onslaught of superheroes. The line-up for “Ant-Man: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” could not do well either, which reflects a shift in audience tastes.
Viewers are now increasingly opting for video game adaptations to experience something new. Movies like “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Detective Pikachu,” “Warcraft,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Werewolves Within” are crossing the threshold somehow.
India is brewing a similar phenomenon. The theatres are being flooded with two major genre films-these are not only mythological and political dramas but both have such a rich and cultural heritage within Indian cinema that it is an interesting question-which one would exhaust audiences more first?
Mythology have been an essential part of Indian cinema for many years. They hold always a special place in India, drawing from the rich tapestry of epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Recent successes such as “Brahmāstra” and “Kantara” show that audiences are not averse to being entertained by the grand narratives. But not every mythological film was a treasure: even with sky-high expectations, “Adipurush” could not strike a chord. Poor CGI and poor storytelling by the film left most of its target audience sorely disappointed.
This clearly means that mythological themes require quite refreshing and engaging narratives in order to enjoy popularity. People start thinking they see the same story repeated over again with different actors and the settings slightly changed.
On the other hand, political dramas are on the rise, reflecting today’s socio-political scenario. However, all this overtly politically charged content does get a bit too heavy. “Asur” Season 2, promising in its intent, went completely off the rails with most of the fans panning it owing to its incoherent mess of a plot and some boring new angles.
Similarly, “The Kerala Story” fell under the same criticism of being sensationalistic and half-baked execution and could never reach the pinnacles of “The Kashmir Files”.
The Kashmir Files” got widespread critical acclaim for quite uncultured narration of history elaborated with a powerful plot. The Kerala Story, on the other hand, failed to include such sensibilities that are required to create an engaging political drama, rather it lacks depth.
Political dramas fatigue easily due to the high level of polarization in them. In the same country where political discourses dominate every sphere of life, this focus can be mentally overwhelming.
On the other hand, mythological films, though repetitive, offer a cultural retreat to another era; this brings a respite from the new reality of today.
While both genres are full of their merits, political dramas might bore the audience quicker. Bollywood will have to think of some new and varied content in order to get rid of the monotonousness.
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