Six trends observed in 2016 that prove Bollywood is evolving and how!

Blockbusters are beyond Khans

No, you do not look up to a Khan for a successful film anymore. Out of the most successful films of 2016, 2 or 3 belonged to the Khan-daan. This is a bright, positive sign! The entertainment industry comes to a halt and productivity becomes stagnant when there are just a handful of performers pulling the crowd. When a youngster like Sushant Singh Rajput earns applauds and crores of money with 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' or 'Kapoor & Sons' with its ensemble cast of fresh faces goes on to win hearts and box office both, you know that the industry is flourishing; and that there will be enough people to carry the batons forward! :)

The growing popularity of biopics

2016 was a year of fantastic biopics. From 'Neerja' to 'Dangal', from 'Sarbjit' to 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', inspiring stories told in a perfect manner hit the right chord of viewers. This was a continuation of the trend which began in earlier years with biopics like 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', 'Mary Kom', 'Chak De! India', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Rang Rasiya' and more. With time, it is visible that true stories turn out to be a thousand times more moving than fictitious ones. This has resulted in filmmakers digging deep and bringing out stories that are worth sharing. More of them coming in 2017!

Content is the king

After last year, everyone knows this. If you have good content, your audience will find you. And most importantly, investing many crores and bringing a superstar aboard does not remain necessary anymore. Comparatively small films like 'Nil Battey Sannata', 'Phobia' with small budget and good performance did wonders. This hopefully will continue to encourage many aspiring artistes.

Substance is what superstars look for

Our choices evolve with time. It's been quite some time since makers of Hindi films are trying to strike a balance between a film's commercial and critical success. However, the efforts were visible last year and actors opted for substantial characters, rather than the ones that would merely match popular taste. Otherwise known as a staunch action hero, Akshay Kumar played a generous man hopelessly in love with his countrymen. Salman Khan who otherwise likes to enjoy major chunk of screen-time in his films, was glad to let Anushka Sharma play a role as important as his, if not more. Or should we say Anushka earned it? One step towards better quality!

Feminism, the right way

It's been long since the female characters in Hindi films made some sense. They were either the awkward, reliant on men, all-about-emotions kind that absolutely typecast the entire community, or the fierce, who-cares type that largest portion of audience of course failed to understand. But 2016 was a good year for films with sensible, feminist approach. From Kareena Kapoor Khan happily living with a 'house husband' (in 'Ki & Ka') to two girls from a small village in Haryana breaking free and fetching golds for the country (in 'Dangal') or contrary to popular perception, a woman becoming a cop (in 'Jai Gangajal'), Bollywood now speaks what feminism truly looks like. At the end, it is about doing, speaking and feeling fearlessly. Looking forward for more!

Thrust towards experiments

We always knew superstars lived with their own prejudices. We have heard of numerous instances wherein actors have let go of lucrative characters just because the screen presence didn't suffice to their demand. 2016 seems to be good on that note. Take 'PINK' for example where Amitabh Bachchan makes space for three fresh faces and they simply create a thunder on screen. Or, why not 'Dear Zindagi' where Shah Rukh Khan appears in a smaller, compact, significant role and wins our hearts? One can heave a sigh of relief because usual stereotypes will hopefully disappear. It's about time actors realised that they're remembered for the depth of their characters, not the length; and Bollywood has taken the baby-step already.