The rise of new age Indian cinema

~ The coming of age of independent cinema and filmmakers in this arena has triggered the birth of credible platforms that aim to give them the deserved recognition ~

The complexion of Indian cinema is in the midst of a paradigm shift, and one of the many reasons for this shift is the wave of ‘new age’ films that has engulfed the ever-evolving movie industry. With multiplexes becoming a one-stop destination for cinema, food, and entertainment, the movie-going experience has revolutionized in more ways than one today. However, it is important to point out the growing trend of niche, content-driven films that are making their way to the theaters. What is even more encouraging is that there are audiences out there who are willing to consume these films, and this trend is only set to intensify in 2018.

Promoting and acknowledging content-driven cinema

As a collective industry, how do you give importance to and promote new age cinema? One of the ways is to establish credible platforms that recognize these films, which helps bring the entire fraternity under one roof to appreciate and applaud independent filmmakers and their stories. As one of India’s largest media conglomerates, Network18 has proactively taken the pioneering step, which manifested into the News18 Reel Movie Awards. It was encouraging to see so many talented artists turn out in such large numbers to show their support for the initiative. It was also heartening to see them share their success on social media, as they congratulated each other and stressed the importance of more such platforms to be established. Rajkummar Rao, Dia Mirza, Ratna Pathak Shah, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani, Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Sudhir Mishra, Richa Chadda and many more in attendance showered their praises for the initiative. You can read some of their interesting reactions here.

I genuinely believe that the success of the first-ever News18 Reel Movie Awards sets a positive precedent for more such platforms to be established and promoted across the country. So how do platforms like these benefit new age cinema and film-makers?

Encourages more independent film-makers to tell inspiring stories — Over a period of time, stages like News18 Reel Movie Awards acquire and build their own brand value, becoming aspirational platforms to gain recognition. The credibility and pride associated with being honored at such pedestals will inspire existing and budding talents to convert their real stories into reel stories, sparking more creative story-telling.

Gives independent films the required recognition they deserve — Films like ‘Mukti Bhawan’ and ‘A Death in the Gunj’ are characterized by compelling stories, inspiring performances, and crafty film-making. What they lack are big marketing budgets that make the average cinema watcher aware of them. Apart from not gaining awareness, they also do not receive the appreciation they deserve post their release. News18 Reel Movie Awards and the likes are staged to address the aforementioned issues.

Brings the fraternity under one roof and facilitates networking — I was at the News18 Reel Movie Awards myself and was proud to see filmmakers, producers, and artists from diverse schools of thought congregate and converse under one roof. Initiatives like this bring like-minded talents face to face and facilitate healthy discussions.

Encourages the exchange of ideas and drives discussion of new filmmaking trends — I was honored to moderate an interesting panel discussion at the first-ever News18 Reel Movie Awards, and I was truly humbled to be sharing the stage with some inspiring champions of new age cinema. Such platforms create scope for compelling cross-pollination of ideas that do not often get a stage. It helps decipher and further understand the trends of ‘new age’ content. For example — deliberating about the future of content consumption on various OTT platforms — topics like these and more take center stage and sparks deliberation among influencers within the industry.

How has Indian Cinema changed in the digital age

Earlier, film-making was constricted to a very rigid creative format. A film wouldn’t be guaranteed success unless it had a big star, a couple of dance sequences, and a storyline to hold the attention of audiences for 2 hours 30 min at least. Digital today has democratized film-making in that any individual capable of handling a camera and having a gripping story to tell can release his or her film online. In fact, movies can convey a gripping story with a run-length of 15 minutes as well, as short films become an increasingly consumed format. Digital has brought down the cost of production, encouraged film-makers to widen their creative horizons, and has become a breeding ground for talent discovery. And with audiences becoming more and more open to consuming different kinds of cinema on digital platforms, I foresee the phenomenon of new age cinema to explode in the immediate years to come.

The increasing proliferation of OTT and the likes reinforces the belief in independent filmmakers that there is an audience and channel out there that would ensure that the films they make would be consumed and has the potential to generate revenue. Monetization models of these platforms are taking shape side by side, and sooner rather than later, we would evolve to a stage where we see a healthy balance between theater footfalls and digital footprints. Clearly, Indian cinema is in the middle of a revolutionary phase, the major highlight being the co-existence of commercial blockbusters and independent films, both of which are enjoying their fair share of success thanks to credible platforms that give them the deserved recognition. We at Network18 cannot wait to come back with the next edition of the News18 REEL movie awards. Truly exciting times ahead!