Since the beginning of Hindi cinema, the audience has seen actors as larger than life personalities and the stardom of Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and the three Khans is proof of this. Whether it’s the Tragedy King or the Angry Young Man, fans have admired the powerful characters who bravely fight against wrong. But, I believe that in modern Bollywood films these characters are more vulnerable.
There are more realistic and relatable characters that present a new side of cinema that has impressed fans. I think they represent the evolution of cinema. However, there is a growing void among Bollywood fans as they miss the great heroes who once defined the industry.
Be it the magnetic presence of Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s or the dominance of Sunny Deol, Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt in the 1990s, fans always remember looking in awe at those big screen heroes. Unlike the Western film industry, on-screen heroes in the past were not just relatable; He was an untouchable icon, and fans are not getting that much of him today, which explains his distance from many important Hindi films.
From Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha to Salman Khan’s Tubelight or Shahrukh’s Zero, this was a key reason why Khan’s big budget films failed at the box office. Yet, the same stars were loved when Aamir did Ghajini, Salman did Danbang, Bodyguard or Wanted and Shahrukh Khan mesmerized us as Pathan.
Today, this absence has left audiences looking for such characters elsewhere, and many are turning to Tamil and Telugu films like Pushpa: The Rise and Baahubali, which have delivered exactly what Bollywood no longer offers . Their box office collections in North Indian, where they had no market in the past, have encouraged more filmmakers in the South to follow this path.
The collection figures of these films testify that they are not just South Indian hits; They are pan-Indian sentiments. The success of these films is a clear reflection of the audience’s demand for larger-than-life heroes.
Many Bollywood stars have echoed this sentiment. Recently, Vivek Oberoi in an interview with MensXP explained what many fans are feeling. He said, “Tell me, who is the next Sunny Deol? There is no one. Who is the next Ajay Devgan? There is no one. Who is the next Sanjay Dutt? There is no one who can just walk in and own the room.”
His words express audiences’ growing frustration with dominant men in films. Fans don’t just want actors – they want personalities who command respect and who are automatically praised. In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, Ajay Devgan also spoke on this issue and said that excessive exposure on social media is also one of the reasons.
Amidst the stresses of life, cinema has always been about escapism. So, I believe audiences find their inner need for power and the victory of good over evil reflected in these characters, and they yearn for that aura and mystery once again. When they see these extraordinary characters fighting the most fearsome villains with powerful dialogues, they fulfill their personal need of inspiration. But this is something that Bollywood rarely offers today.
It is not that filmmakers are unaware of this aspect as films like Kabir Singh and Animal have tried to portray lead male characters. However, when these characters were considered complex, their toxic behavior became a major point of debate. This resulted in a huge backlash and filmmakers are now more cautious. They know audiences don’t appreciate stories that normalize harmful actions, despite good numbers.
Another reason for the decline in larger than life characters is that new age filmmakers and independent filmmakers are appealing more to a certain section of the urban audience. They share their views on social media and become an important source of validation. On the other hand, those who are liking the impactful characters will show their recognition later when they leave the initial uncertainty and come to the theaters to watch Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2 or Salman Khan’s Tiger series.
I agree that the shift towards realism and boy-next-door roles in Bollywood has its value, but taking away the larger-than-life heroes that once lured audiences to the theater has left a void. Has created. The audience is eager to see an exciting chase and an unforgettable victory which is something Bollywood needs to consider.
Also read: Opinion: Will cinematic universes like detective, cop and supernatural change the way audiences approach entertainment?
