Getty ImagesWhen Zakia Rafiqi, 26, heard that Laila Majnu, a 2018 Bollywood film, was being re-released in theaters this month, she knew she had to watch it repeatedly.
” In 2018, I was among a handful of people in the theater. This day, there were many more people. A lot of them were laughing and crying”, says Ms Rafiqi, who went with her girlfriend to a theatre in Delhi.
Ms Rafiqi says she has an “emotional connect” with the picture, a tragic love story set in Indian-administered Kashmir, where she is from.
” It’s great to see a bit of home on the big screen. When they are driving through the roads of Kashmir, you feel you are there”, she says.
Imtiaz Ali’s film Laila Majnu, which was written by famous filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, did well at the box office on its second run, but it did poorly on its first. It is one of dozens of American movies, some of which were produced more than 20 years ago, gaining new career as viewers clamor to see them on the big screen.
India’s film industry, like others across the world, has seen ups and downs since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas for months and led many to turn to streaming services. It is yet to return to its former glory.
” This year has been particularly bad for new]Bollywood ] releases”, says trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Bollywood, which is dominated by Hindi-language talent, is presently producing more movies, but it’s common to hear people say they’ll wait for a movie to stream on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video rather than go to the movies.
Some films do break through – Stree 2, a Hindi horror-comedy currently playing in cinemas, has earned close to four billion rupees ($47.6m; £36.1m) domestically so far to become the year’s biggest Bollywood hit. In terms of overall earnings, it is second only to Kalki 2898 AD, a “pan-Indian” film which featured some of the country’s biggest stars. But these are rare bright spots for an industry which has seen highly anticipated films with big stars fare miserably at the box office this year.
The top 10 movies released so far this year include three from Kerala, a state in southern India, where budgets are relatively low, is unquestionably a sign that the country’s video industry is still experiencing a churning as viewing habits change.
So it should n’t surprise me that both movie producers and people are turning to the comfort of the unknown. There is no obvious solution behind the choices, as one can see from the list of movies that are currently being released.
Bollywood re-releases from various disciplines this time. With the release of action thrillers Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Baazigar, much-loved rom-comedies Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Hum Aapke Hain Koun, 1990s seem to be a favorite generation. More recent hits- musical Rockstar ( 2011 ), buddy film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ( 2011 ) and rom-com Jab We Met ( 2007 )- have also brought people back to cinemas.
Analysts say the biggest surprise was the success of Laila Majnu. The film’s makers have said they were particularly happy that viewers in Kashmir could watch it as cinema halls reopened there in 2022 after more than two decades.
According to Mr. Nahta,” The picture has suddenly recovered its price or at least minimized its losses.” He also says that this will encourage others to check whether their movies may benefit from a re-release.
Facebook/MohanlalTaran Adarsh, a Bollywood researcher, says these re-releases are making up for a lack of new pictures and lacklustre box-office shows.
Posters just appear on solution booking websites or go viral on social media during the re-releases, which have little to no promotion. ” It’s driven solely by nostalgia or an audience’s like for a movie that already has a religion following”, says Mr Adarsh.
In Tamil and Telugu, the re-releases have been more star-driven. Followers of Telugu singer Chiranjeevi are seen dancing to a popular song from his 2002 film Indra in new videos. Pawan Kalyan’s Gabbar Singh ( 2012 ) is set to release next week. In Tamil, Vijay’s Ghilli ( 2004 ) ran to packed halls in April.
According to Sreedhar Pillai, an researcher who tracks the southern film companies, “it’s typically the movie of a singer whose celebrity may have just been rising 20 years earlier or a movie that was already a struck.” It must be motivated by memories and a link to an professional who is a household name today.
Devadoothan ( 2000 ) and Manichithrathazhu ( 1993 ), two Malayalam superstars, are currently showing in Kerala’s cinemas. Ironically, both are dread films.
Devadoothan, an strange drama with lovely music which flopped when it first released, has been running to packed theater for more than a fortnight.
Mr Pillai says that Manichithrathazhu, a cult classic which broke box-office records when it first released, is probably the biggest” success story” among re-releases in southern India.
” It’s an classic movie. A huge hit when it was released, and now it’s even getting the younger audience”, he says.
Often, the prospect of a movie does drive interest in the first movie.
Last month, the 2001 movie Gadar: Ek Prem Katha had another powerful run in theaters after its spinoff Gadar 2 became a huge hit, says Mr Nahta.
However, Kamal Haasan’s Indian’s re-release this month did not experience the same level of success, he adds, because its follow-up Indian 2 performed poorly.
Getty ImagesSo why do people pay to watch older movies that are readily accessible on streaming services?
According to Mr. Adarsh, “you merely the n’t examine the experience of watching a movie net with watching it in theaters,” and that is what people are looking for.
Shruti Zende agrees. The 30-year-old from Pune, in Maharashtra status, has seen a few re-releases since last year.
” It becomes a team practice where you’re watching with individuals who really like the movie, where you’re watching for its story,” she says, adding that individuals start reacting before a picture or speech because” they know what’s coming up.”
She is presently anticipating seeing Telugu singer Nagarjuna’s 2004 film Mass this week on the big screen.
However, her final decision regarding re-releases does give hope to besieged filmmakers.
” I may see one or two re-releases a time”, she says. However, I still want to enjoy a fresh movie after that.