Films like Loveyapa starring Junaid Khan, son of Aamir Khan, and Khushi Kapoor, daughter of the late Sridevi, and Azaad featuring Rasha Thadani, daughter of Raveena Tandon, and Aaman Devgn, nephew of Ajay Devgn, may not have been box-office hits or streaming breakouts, but make business sense given the easy sale to OTT platforms because of the marketing buzz around them. These films also keep the production machinery going at low cost and with manageable risks.

Trade experts also emphasize it is important to push mid and small-scale films given that the chasm between big-ticket and smaller films is becoming a permanent feature of the Indian box office in the post-pandemic era. 

According to media consulting firm Ormax, of the ₹11,833 crore gross box office in 2024, 41% came from the top 10 films of the year. Box office trends from the past three years indicate that big-ticket films will continue to become bigger, while smaller films across languages will face increasing challenges in attracting theatrical audiences, according to the Ormax report.

“The box office is witnessing challenging times right now with few films doing well. But star kids not only come with hype and backing that translate into marketing buzz, but filmmakers also want to push out projects that are less dependent on stars and their high remuneration,” film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said.

Big-budget blues push smaller films

Over the past few months, Bollywood studios have halted a bunch of fresh projects amid steep star fees and unpredictable box office, as the industry struggles to find a way forward after multiple big-budget films bit the dust.

Actor fees, which jumped by 20% following the pandemic outbreak, remain elevated despite thinning theatres, according to industry executives. Many stars are not keen on revenue-sharing models proposed by filmmakers. At the same time, few films have found favour with audiences in cinemas or streaming platforms, and bets on big stars have not always worked out.

Among other examples, The Bull, an action film starring Salman Khan, has been stalled indefinitely, while Ranveer Singh exited a movie titled Rakshas, which was to be directed by Prashant Varma of Telugu hit HanuMan. The sequel to Tiger Shroff’s Ganapath and another action film of his, Rambo, too have made no progress. In such a scenario, if the economics fit right, trade experts say it makes sense to push smaller films aided by the curiosity around star kids.

“These are soft, low-risk launches. Plus, everyone in the business has to take some chances, even though misfires happen everyday. Ultimately, the product has to be packaged right because the audience has turned very smart and is rejecting what may appear as mere proposals,” film producer Yusuf Shaikh said.

Loveyapa, for example, is the remake of a successful Tamil film Love Today, and backed by the team known for hits such as Ghajini. Similarly, Azaad came with a certain brand equity given the presence of Ajay Devgn who also featured in the film and director Abhishek Kapoor, who is known for hits like Kedarnath and Kai Po Che. This may have facilitated their sale to distributors and streaming platforms, trade experts say.

To be sure, while star kid debuts such as Dhadak and Kedarnath had sailed through at the box office before the pandemic, thanks to tight budgets, trade experts say the landscape has changed and audiences are looking for value for money even if there is curiosity around these new faces because of their pedigree and existing presence on social media.

“There is a certain brand value attached to their debuts and it makes more sense to put money on them than other newcomers. But they can no longer afford to be average performers, because there is no tolerance among audiences for mediocrity anymore,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said.