A still from the 2013 Bollywood film, The Lunchbox, directed by Ritesh Batra

Bollywood and the Indian film industry has been in shock over a recent article ‘An insider’s view: why is Bollywood going bust?’ by A Krishna, published on a news website. While the article hardly said anything that the industry was not already aware of, it is an important wake-up call, substantiated by facts and figures, that has provoked re-assessment of the ridiculous way the Bollywood film industry has been making movies. The article observes how a number of big international and Indian studios working in Bollywood, including the Walt Disney Company, Sony, Studio18 and Fox Star Studios India, as well as Reliance Big Pictures and PVR Pictures are either shutting shop in India, floundering or making losses on many films. In one case, the article suggested, Dharma Productions is practically bailing out Fox Star Studios India, the Indian arm of the worldwide conglomerate. In contrast, it noted, individual or traditionally family-owned Indian studios, including Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Sajid Nadiadwala and Firoze Nadiadwala’s banners and the Bhatts’ Vishesh Films, have all survived and are making money.