#BoycottBollywood: Independent filmmakers decode the trend’s causes and impact

"Boycott calls are not new. Films in the 90s or perhaps even before that, too faced them. Today, the ease of accessibility via social media amplifies it. Be it religious or otherwise social media discourse work in a way that one gets polarised and opinionated," says Mumbai-based filmmaker Pratik Kothari commenting on the recent calls to boycott bollywood films and top actors.

For filmmaker Ziba Bhagwagar, who is also the co-founder of Zero Rules production house, these calls are a result of a much coordinated and unchecked hate speech on social media arising out of the prevalent divide in the community along religious lines; which is now a regular discourse of national concern. Recent releases like Raksha Bandhan, Shamshera and Laal Singh Chaddha, all of which performed poorly at the box office, faced the wrath of a section of social media users before their releases, a trend which gave rise to hashtags like #BoycottBollywood and many others boycotting top actors like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Taapsee Pannu and latest in the row, Ranbir Kapoor.

Whether it is religious divide or nepotism or to avenge the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, Twitter has been raging over Hindi film industry actors for days. Even then, it is hard to say that such social media campaigns completely define the success or failure of a movie as there have been instances in the past wherein such bans have in turn, worked in favour of the film, such as Padmavat, PK, Dangal or even My name is Khan.

However, in a post-pandemic, OTT-oriented world, filmmakers say it does act as a catalyst in upsetting viewers over issues that they might have not paid attention to otherwise; ultimately hurting the film's revenues and of every individual associated with the making of the film. While actors like Pannu, Arjun Kapoor and Vijay Varma have spoken up against such boycott calls terming it as a part of cancel culture, experts say it's a wake-up call for the industry too.

Cancel culture or unaddressed concerns?

"Firstly, cancel culture started as a method of protest for the marginalised communities to hold figures of authority accountable. This culture has been completely usurped by the majoritarian voice. Let's call it for what it is. It is a boycott culture. If you notice which filmmakers and actors are being boycotted, the trend is very clear," says Bhagwagar.

According to media reports, all the films which are currently being boycotted have reportedly "hurt Hindu sentiments" of the boycotters. Moreover, in line with Bhagwagar's observation, in addition to the hate campaigns against the three Khans of the Bollywood, there is specific targeting of actors who have spoken against rising intolerance in the country in the past, be it director Anurag Kashyap or writer Kanika Dhillion.

In addition to religious hate speech, as Rahul Bhatnagar, filmmaker and founder of Natak Pictures, highlights, today, people's choice of cinema is not about "star power" alone and in many ways people are becoming flag bearers of quality content.

"Today, the audience is no longer just a passive entity and has become selective about its content choices unlike before. Over time, Bollywood has inclined more towards remakes of other films. Hence, the lack of originality in content is one of the key factors as to why this is happening," says Bhatnagar.

Kothari seconds this adding that there is a tendency among audiences to compare the remakes, which are made under exceptionally higher budgets, with experiences of the originals, many a times leading to a failure of the entire process, especially the economics of it.

In a post-Covid era, wherein people are still recovering from the financial wounds of the pandemic, going to a theatre is an expensive affair and the increasing access to entertainment and global content via OTT platforms has further discouraged people from spending at multiplexes.

Impact on creative process of filmmakers

"Art is not always meant to entertain. Art should make you think, make you question, and at times, make you uncomfortable. Right now they want us to think in only one way and not question anything or anyone at all," says Bhagwagar, stressing on the impact of boycott culture on the creative process of artists and creators involved in the filmmaking process.

The subsequent hate campaigns arising out of rising intolerance or entrenched prejudices against certain subjects in a film or a movie have led writers and makers to resort to self-censorship. As Bhagwagar observes, the impact has already started with writers self-censoring and being extremely cautious about names, religion and professions of their characters. With fears of FIRs being filed against films, movies and series, leading to legal action, there is also a tendency of modifying scenes, titles or parts in question according to the suitability of the protestors.

Additionally, Kothari notes that the biggest danger occurs when instead of serving the story earnestly, there is an urge to appease people from the critics or audiences and cater to social media trends. When it comes to the Hindi film industry, experts believe there is a need for top actors and directors to introspect on the content they would like to present to an audience, who now has access to a wide-range of movies and series from different parts of the country and world with subtitles on their screens at the comfort of their home.

While the expectations of Indian audiences may have grown due to access to cinematic experiences from across the world, Bhagwagar states, the regressive boycott culture does more harm than good in encouraging Indian filmmakers to create such global-level content. "I hope that the Indian audience thinks for themselves and watches a film purely on the merit of the film. Because, the fallout of boycott culture is going to hit every single person who works for this industry as well as have an economic and cultural toll," she adds.

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