Exclusive| Anurag Kashyap on Bandar,Main Vaapas Aaunga: Theatres don’t allow word of mouth to build now; it’s cut throat

The ongoing battle for survival at the domestic box office has ignited an intense discussion about screen allocation, with iconic filmmaker Anurag Kashyap coming out strongly against the current operational tactics of multiplex owners. In an exclusive conversation, the veteran director voiced his deep frustration over how independent and mid-budget domestic movies are systematically starved of proper show times, completely destroying their ability to grow organically through positive viewer recommendations. Reflecting on the parallel box office struggles of his own critically acclaimed film Bandar and director Imtiaz Ali’s romantic drama Main Vaapas Aaunga, Kashyap highlighted that the theatrical environment has turned incredibly cut-throat. He pointed out that exhibitors are instantly pushing home-grown content to inconvenient, early morning slots to heavily favor massive international Hollywood hits like the psychological horror sensation Obsession, which continues to enjoy prime evening time slots across major cities.

According to Kashyap, the primary flaw in the modern exhibition ecosystem is that theatre chains are no longer willing to give unique, story-driven cinema the necessary time to capture public interest. He noted that when a movie is only given a single screening at an odd hour like nine in the morning, it acts as a token release that actively discourages general moviegoers from taking the effort to visit theatres. This premature restriction causes audiences to completely give up on the cinematic experience, adjusting to the idea of waiting for the film to eventually arrive on popular over-the-top streaming platforms instead. The director emphasized that while Hollywood imports like Obsession are undeniably pulling in large crowds and massive revenue, they could easily survive and remain highly profitable even with fewer total daily screenings. By allocating up to seven prime shows exclusively to a single international blockbuster, theatres are completely starving local projects like Governor, Sing Geetham, and Main Vaapas Aaunga of a fair theatrical window.

The consequences of this narrow financial mindset extend far beyond the immediate losses of individual creators, posing a long-term threat to the diversity of Indian cinema as a whole. Kashyap explained that by prioritizing immediate box office returns over patient audience engagement, multiplexes are conditioning the public to only visit theatres for massive, star-driven spectacle films. This reliance on high-budget event movies creates a highly unstable market, given that the historical success ratio for massive productions is incredibly unpredictable, meaning that for every record-breaking hit like Dhurandhar, a handful of multi-crore spectacles will inevitably face severe financial failure. The filmmaker also highlighted a unique structural challenge faced by Hindi cinema compared to thriving regional industries like Malayalam, Telugu, or Kannada, where regional pride and strict state regulations guarantee local movies a healthy, multi-week run in optimal prime-time slots. Without similar protective systems and a willingness from exhibitors to nurture word-of-mouth publicity, smaller Hindi films that rely heavily on urban, intellectually curious audiences will continue to face a highly unequal battle on their very own home turf.