More thrillers, shorter films, but longing for romance revival

Millennials may not have the Gen Z enthusiasm for Saiyaara as they grew up in an era when romance as a genre was at its peak; though the warm response to movies like Sanam Teri Kasam, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Jab We Met, upon their re-release suggest that Indian audiences, in both generations, are hungry for romance.

But why is that? The shift in Indian cinema away from feel-good love stories and rom-coms toward darker themes like thrillers, horrors, mysteries, and crime dramas in recent years partly explains the recent phenomenon.

An analysis of movies listed on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) shows that romance peaked in the 2000s, cornering 21% of the total share of movies produced in India in that decade. But since then, the genre has had a steep decline and accounted for only a 12% share in the current decade. 

Not just romance, dramas and comedies have also seen a decline. In comparison, action, though still less than the 1980s, arrested its loss of prominence as movies like RRR, K.G.F series, Pathaan and Jawan scripted box-office success.

While all these genres were losing their share, thrillers, mysteries, crime, and horror increased their share to together capture 40% of the Indian cinema output. Thrillers alone made up 20% of total movies produced in India, only behind the overarching genre of drama.

For the analysis, Mint collated the number of “feature films” listed on IMDb by origin country (India and the US) and their categorisation by genre and language for each decade since the 1970s. It is important to note that the analysis is limited to only those films that are listed on IMDb, and genre classifications are dependent on several factors, from editorial judgment to user inputs to algorithmic analysis. Several films are classified under multiple genres.

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Genre game

Despite the recent churn, the Indian film industry hasn’t lost its quintessence: it still has more drama, more romance, and more action, than films produced in the US. Nearly 50% of the movies produced in India are dramas as opposed to 37% in the US. It is the most common genre in both nations. Comedy and thriller are the next biggest genres for both countries, but the US leads in comedy and India in thrillers. When it comes to action and romance, India is ahead of the US.

However, India is still far behind the US in producing horror movies despite the recent increase in their share and attempts to experiment with the genre, evident from the emergence of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe comprising the Stree series, Bhediya, and Munjya.

While Hollywood devoted 18% of its output to horror, only 5% of Hindi films explored this genre. India also lags significantly in offbeat genres like science fiction and animation, with both accounting for 1% or less compared to 6.4% of US movies in the sci-fi and 3.9% in the animation categories.

This genre divide highlights a crucial difference in audience preference and production focus. While Hollywood often invests heavily in special effects and high-concept storytelling for sci-fi and horror, Indian filmmakers continue to put their faith in emotionally resonant narratives. 

The success of RRR, K.G.F series, Pushpa, Jawaan, Gadar 2, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in recent years shows that the “masala mix” brand of movies, with dollops of drama, romance, action and comedy, remains a winning formula.

While the Indian film industry is experimenting with newer forms such as thriller, mystery, and horror, especially while competing with streaming services that can offer more character-driven and engaging content, the romance genre may be due for a powerful comeback.

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Regional flavour and run time

In recent years, regional cinema has found new love at the national level, with each major language bringing its distinct flavour. Drama has remained the predominant genre here as well in the past 25 years. However, looking beyond this provides some interesting insights. 

For instance, Malayalam cinema, known for its experimental bent, has the highest share of comedies: one in four movies produced is of this genre. Telugu is dominated by romance, with 24% romance, but is also closely followed by action (23%). Bengali, too, has a bent towards romance, with an 18% share. Thrillers dominate Hindi and Kannada, with 23% and 18% shares, respectively. Tamil cinema, staying true to its image of offering high-octane and hyper-machismo movies, produces more action movies (20%) than any other genre.

Beyond genre shift, Indian cinema also witnessed a transition in the run time of movies. For decades, three hours was the standard understanding of a movie’s run-time in India’s context, as opposed to Hollywood movies, which were usually in the range of 90-100 minutes. However, now, shorter run time is gaining prominence as the influx of shorter formats on streaming services and quick reels on social media platforms has seemingly shortened the attention span of audiences.

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Nearly half of the movies now have a run time of up to two hours, as opposed to just 16% in the 1990s. However, movies with a run time of 2-3 hours still dominate the overall landscape, comprising 55% of the share. However, this is still significantly less than the 1970s through the 1990s, when cinema was predominantly a silver-screen experience.

Though Indian filmmakers are adapting to modern tastes by experimenting with new genres and movie lengths, the industry’s enduring appeal is still rooted in emotional storytelling, a touch of grandiosity, and the timeless draw of romance.