Hindi cinema is going through a lull phase but this churning will, hopefully, lead to something better as creative people always find a way, says actor Manoj Bajpayee. In a year where the box office once again appears to be dominated by blockbusters from the South like `Kalki 2898 AD` and `Pushpa 2: The Rule`, the successful business of `Stree 2`, `Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3`, and `Singham Again` has given some hope to Bollywood. Asked whether Hindi cinema was in "trouble", Bajpayee said that isn`t the case. "... But it is definitely forcing filmmakers to think differently. And there is nothing wrong with it. I think it is a churning, it`s a lull period. I`m hopeful that it will go back to its natural self very soon.

"I don`t see it as a problem because creative people always find a way. It is a jolt, a shock. And, now they are thinking hard and trying to come together to find a solution to it. And they will find a solution," the actor told PTI in an interview during a visit to the news agency`s headquarters. Bajpayee said horror comedy "Stree 2", which earned over Rs 800 crore at the box office, did "remarkable" business. "That means people are somewhere willing to go to theatres but they want something else. And that `something else`, a filmmaker has to really innovate and think hard about... My films these days come onto OTT and they have an even bigger audience. "Last year, my film `Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai` amassed historical views on OTT. If we convert it into rupees (box office collection), then it would be called an all-time blockbuster. The same goes for `Gulmohar`." The National Award winner said mass audience always wants a hero and when theatres shut down during the pandemic, people stopped getting that from Hindi cinema but in south, single screens have thrived. "We always search for a hero in our films. In the changing times, people stopped getting their hero because there were many multiplexes. The south never let the multiplexes flourish and maintained unity.