B-town’s Sci-Fi Search Goes On

Everybody loves to watch a good Science-Fiction (sci-fi) movie about good versus evil, darkness and light, utopian versus dystopian times, and the world of superheroes and demons. In the wake of the Deepika Padukone-Prabhas-starrer Kalki 2898 AD, lauded by critics and audiences alike, many feel Bollywood remains distant from achieving its own cinematic epics akin to Avengers, Avatar, or even Back to the Future.

Despite the allure and potential of the sci-fi movies, Bollywood and Tollywood have had an awkward tango with the sci-fi genre. Perhaps this comparison is a disservice but the industry didn’t witness commercially viable, well-made, and practical films. Rudraksha (2004), Love Story 2050 (2008), Brahmastra (2022), or even the latest Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024)

did not go down well beyond the hullabaloo of meme culture.

Anubhav Sinha, filmmaker cum screenwriter known for films like Ra.One, Thappad and Article 15 talks about the challenges one faces while making a sci-fi film. “Films need to be backed by an infrastructure of institutional financing, distribution, marketing, and merchandising. We are still in our nascent stages, 30 years behind the West. Tickets in India are cheaper by international standards and yet very high for our income standards. The potential of our theatrical revenues is far lower than the West.”

Talking about the oversimplification, comedic gags, and forced romantic tropes, Sinha says, “Money likes precedents and trends. Art is rebellious.” When films have a high cost, money has a considerable say in vital decisions. Sinha adds that a film will not be a big hit without some tried and tested ingredients. “It is easier to get more creative independence when the cost is low,” he explains. Sinha, however, envisions a bright future with a promise of contributions of his own to the genre after Ra.One.

He says, “As the financing of films gets institutionalised, sci-fi breakthroughs will not be very rare. We are only just starting.” Tanul Thakur, an independent journalist and the youngest recipient of the National Film Award for Best Film Critic quips, “Science fiction, I mean let’s just break it out into two words. They (filmmakers) are interested in fiction, but not in science. They have no scientific curiosity.” Thakur elaborates on the “condescending approach” of some filmmakers toward the audience. “Some think we are idiots,” he says.

However, Bollywood has had its fair share of well-received sci-fi movies in the past like Chaand Par Chadaye (1967) starring Dara Singh, and Mr. X in Bombay (1964) starring Kishore Kumar. Mr India (1987), Koi.. Mil Gaya (2003) and the Krrish franchise nailed the sci-fi genre and basked in the laurels. The future of sci-fi from where Thakur stands, “doesn’t look too bright.” He says, “But with Kalki and the box office numbers, we can expect a shift. We can expect others to take the Kalki route, one that could translate into a franchise.”

We are still in our nascent stages, 30 years behind the West.” — Anubhav Sinha, filmmaker cum screenwriter