Audiences have had enough, action movies need an interval

Action and violent films have been on the rise in Indian cinema in the last couple of years. However, not many action films have seen box office success in 2024. Is there an action-film fatigue among the audience?

In Short

• Action films have dominated Indian cinema in the last few years
• Has it caused action fatigue among viewers?
• We spoke to a director, theatre owner, fan and a trade analyst to decode why

Guns. Swords. Machetes. Blood. Gore.

If these words make you squirm and raise your eyebrows, you might be experiencing action fatigue. The last five years in Indian cinema have been dominated by films heavy on action and violence. While 2022 and 2023 saw action films like RRR, Pathaan, Animal, Leo, and Jailer succeed, 2024 has been a contrasting story, with only a few exceptions.

What's causing the action fatigue? There's been a unanimous chatter across the country, with people wanting to watch light-hearted comedy films. This year, movies like Stree 2, Madgaon Express, Aranmanai 4, and Tillu Square, have received rave reviews.

FILMS AND CHANGING TRENDS

Every decade, Indian cinema undergoes a shift where a particular genre is maximised. In Tamil cinema, the 2010s saw a surge of horror comedies, thanks to Raghava Lawrence's Kanchana and Sundar C's Aranmanai films.

In Malayalam cinema, the release of Mohanlal's Drishyam led to a wave of similar films. Following the monumental success of the Kannada film KGF, gangster films have been on the rise. Telugu cinema is known for its mass masala entertainers, which have remained in vogue for decades.

Dhanush and Nithya Menen-starrer Thiruchitrambalam, which released in 2022, won two National Film Awards.

Speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, Tamil director Mithran Jawahar said, "From my experience as a director, the trend keeps changing every decade. When Ajith Kumar's Kadhal Kottai was released in 1996, many romantic films of the same genre found their audience. Similarly, people feel attracted to action, horror and other genres on and off," he said.

The filmmaker said that he was initially sceptical of Thiruchitrambalam, a light-hearted romantic film. "It was the time when films like Yash's KGF and Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise were ruling the roost. While Dhanush and I were confident, there was not much expectation initially. We piqued everyone's curiosity with the trailer. I was worried if people would enjoy a light-hearted film. When I went to Rohini theatre in Chennai on Day 1, I was confused if the audience would like it. Then, I went to Kamala Theatre in Chennai. I understood that we shouldn't underestimate the audience. I felt that the audience felt a respite watching a film that is enjoyed by the family audience," he explained.

Here's the trailer of Thiruchitrambalam:

NEED FOR ACTORS TO REINVENT THEMSELVES

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way people consume films. It widened the horizon for the viewers, by exposing them to world cinema, including Korean and Japanese, among other languages. As we see a shift in the way a product is being consumed, it is imperative that we need to reinvent it.

Ruban Mathivanan, Managing Director of Chennai's GK Cinemas, agreed that people were developing an aversion towards action and violent films.

"After the Covid-19 pandemic, theatres are bombarded with action, thriller and gangster films almost every week. While this genre appeals to the youth population, it also stops the family audience from coming in. We need to have a wide variety," he told India Today Digital.

Trade analyst Ramesh Bala mentioned that the fatigue is more in the North than in the South. "Actors like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham and Tiger Shroff built their entire career doing full-fledged action films. What was once their USP has now become repetitive for the audience. It's high time that these stars think about reinventing themselves," he remarked.

Here's the trailer of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan:

STAR ACTORS AND THE IMAGE THAT COMES WITH THEM

Viewers are so used to seeing actors in certain kinds of roles. Take, for example, Superstar Rajinikanth. When he does mass entertainers, they get overwhelming reviews despite their shortcomings, but when there's a slight deviation from his genre of films, the films are met with mixed reviews. Pa Ranjith's Kabali was one such film. Despite being a box office winner, it failed to meet everyone's expectations.

Director Mithran Jawahar shared his thoughts regarding the same and said, "Apart from Dhanush, I don't think I would have got anyone to agree with Thiruchitrambalam's script. Dhanush believed in me. Since he had known me for years, he expressed his confidence. Sun Pictures, the production house, too believed in me. If Dhanush had said no, I would have been able to do the film with a newcomer, probably."

2024 saw Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sidharth Malhotra's Yodha and several other action films. However, they failed to rake in the moolah.

Ramesh Bala mentioned that this is becoming a problem in Bollywood. "South film industries are pioneers of mass masala entertainers. Here, action and violence are part of a story which is a mix of different genres. However, in Bollywood, these high-octane action films are a separate genre. Since it's become repetitive, they fail to impress the audience," he stated.

Ruban felt that mixing up genres or having an exciting story that stays true to the action genre has high chances of working in theatres.

"In 2024, Thalapathy Vijay's GOAT, which is an action film, is the biggest hit. There are two reasons for this - Vijay's star power and family sentiments in both halves of the film. Similarly, the Hindi film Kill did reasonably well in the South. Malayalam film Manjummel Boys and Dhanush's Raayan stuck to their genres and made a mark for themselves, while Nani's Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a perfectly crafted masala entertainer," he added.

Here's the trailer of GOAT:

Aravind, a doctor by profession and an avid fan of movies, echoes a similar thought. "It's a fast world today. We have too many tensions in our personal and professional lives. Cinema is our escape. When you are exposed to too much of violence, gore and action, it messes up your mind. But that does not take away from the fact that these films, if done with a twist, do give you the joy of watching a great film. Hence, directors and actors should widen their horizons by giving us a variety of concepts. This year, I loved watching Vaazhai, Kill, Premalu and Manjummel Boys. The joy in watching a well-made movie is unparalleled," he explained.

Action or not, good content will always bring viewers to the audience. Films like Vaazhai, Do Aur Do Pyaar, Mathu Vadalara 2, and Madgaon Express, to name a few, stand testament to the statement. It's time that directors and writers whip up more interesting stories than stick to mindless action that's all about blood and gore.