Karan Johar on Bollywood herd mentality: storytelling over building universes

Karan Johar critiques Bollywood's rush to imitate hits like Chhaava, Stree, and Pushpa, urging filmmakers to prioritize unique storytelling over replicating trends or creating cinematic universes. His perspective challenges the industry's current herd mentality, highlighting the need for originality amid widespread genre copying.

Sources:
NDTV
Updated 47m ago
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Sources: NDTV
Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has openly criticized the industry's prevailing "herd mentality," where filmmakers tend to replicate successful genres rather than innovate. He pointed to films like Chhaava and Stree as examples that triggered widespread imitation in Bollywood, particularly in genres like historicals and horror comedies.

Johar emphasized the importance of unique storytelling over the trend of building cinematic universes, stating, "My universe is cinema itself. I am not here to build universes, I am here to tell stories. In that story if there's a universe, then why not?" This reflects his belief that individual creativity should take precedence over formulaic franchise-building.

Addressing the industry's tendency to follow successful formulas, Johar remarked on the impact of the blockbuster Pushpa, which resonated strongly with tier-2 and tier-3 audiences. He observed, "We see Pushpa running and catering so strongly to the tier-2 and tier-3 audiences, and suddenly, we will see 20 others wanting to do the same." This highlights how commercial success often drives a wave of similar productions, reinforcing the herd mentality.

Johar's critique underscores a call for more originality and individual thought in Bollywood filmmaking, encouraging creators to move beyond imitation and focus on authentic storytelling rather than merely replicating popular trends or building expansive cinematic universes.

Sources: NDTV
Filmmaker Karan Johar criticized Bollywood's herd mentality, highlighting the industry's tendency to imitate successful genres like historicals and horror comedies. He emphasized storytelling over building cinematic universes, stating, "My universe is cinema itself," and noted the trend of replicating hits like "Pushpa" to target tier-2 and tier-3 audiences.
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We all need to have individual thoughts that are unique to ourselves. Someone asked me the other day, 'Do you have a universe?' I was like, 'As in?' They were like, 'A spy universe or a cop universe.' I was like, 'My universe is cinema itself.' I am not here to build universes, I am here to tell stories. In that story if there's a universe, then why not?'
Karan Johar
NDTV
I think it is everybody grappling to do what others are doing. We see Pushpa running and catering so strongly to the tier-2 and tier-3 audiences, and suddenly, we will see 20 others wanting to do the same.
Karan Johar
NDTV
Key Facts
  • Bollywood films like Chhaava and Stree sparked a wave of imitations in the historical and horror-comedy genres.NDTV
  • Karan Johar criticizes Bollywood's herd mentality where filmmakers copy successful genres instead of creating unique stories.NDTV
  • Filmmakers are trying to replicate the success of Pushpa by targeting tier-2 and tier-3 audiences, leading to a surge in similar films.NDTV
  • Karan Johar emphasizes storytelling over building cinematic universes, stating his universe is cinema itself and he focuses on telling stories rather than creating spy or cop universes.NDTV
Key Stats at a Glance
Number of films trying to replicate Pushpa's success
20
NDTV
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