Are Shah Rukh, Aishwarya, Bachhan, Rajkumar and Rajnikanth all symbols of a bygone era? A time where heroes (and heroines) were worshiped. Where was a religion and it hurt as much as it liked?
Judging by the number of stars across the silver screen and the small screen, it seems to be a case of “the end of mass adoration.” Well, all public figures face a natural decline in popularity. But that is not the point here. The popularity of these personalities is or was too magnetic and unquestionable at some point. But with so many people on screen, there has been what I call a “natural personalization” of brand personalities.
Some may say that Sunny Deol is their favorite actor, though he doesn’t stay in the top 3 or 4. The point is this: at least some people have the option of choosing him as their favorite actor. Therefore, Sunny Deol is now customized for that market. The same goes for any other actor or actress. And as we’ve seen with other markets, customizations tend to create niches and spaces, each successive part of which is smaller than the whole, at least initially.
If Bachan commanded, say, 90% of the market, then probably now (let’s assume for illustration’s sake) Bachan 20%, Shahrukh 20%, Hrithik 10%, Abhishek 10%, Amir 15% and others take over the rest. . There are still people who are at the top but with less market share.
This is complicated by the fact that new actors and actresses appear all the time. With barriers to entry being removed every day, the influx of new actors and actresses is increasing. FilmFare Awards was once so revered. It still is, but now it shares TRPs (TV Rating Points) with Zee Cine Awards, Star Screen Awards, National Awards (from the Government of India) and each comes up with its own list of Best Hero, Best Film and others.
Movies like Iqbaal and Bheja Fry did very well when the Goliaths around her collapsed. The film market is becoming fragmented due to huge creativity flowing from non-Mumbai cities while also getting enough cash for partners in the value chain.
Too many brand personalities vying for the same space makes for a case of Bollywood industry Sliced and Served. There will soon be a time when we may not have Badshahs and Dream girls of the industry. But there will still be Heroes and Heroines. UNCROWNED though!
