While big-ticket releases have shied away from theatres, it is the smaller films that have been placing their bets on cinemas. Soon after Seema Pahwa’s directorial debut Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi — featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sensharma, and Vikrant Massey — hit the marquee on January 1, trade circles dubbed it a “commercial disaster”. The director is hurt that films continue to be judged by their box-office performance, especially at a time when movie halls are operating at 50 per cent capacity. Manoj Bajpayee, whose Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari hit screens post-pandemic, too questioned the practice.  

“For a film to release in current times and survive is a challenge in itself. How can box-office be the yardstick of a film’s success when theatres are functioning at half the capacity? Samay ka dosh hai, meri film ka nahin,” asserts Pahwa, whose little gem about a joint family’s interpersonal dynamics has won glowing reviews. “When people ask me why shows like Hum Log aren’t made anymore, I tell them that these days, filmmakers make commodities for profits instead of making films that give a message. There’s such an atmosphere of fear that directors and writers have to compromise on their subjects.”