🎬 Is There Any Hope for Bollywood? Maybe. Bet on the Story and the Craft of Telling
- Sajeev Varghese
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
There’s a quiet storm brewing in Indian cinema — and for once, it’s not coming from the usual suspects in Andheri or Bandra. It’s emerging from filmmakers and producers who are finally tired of worshipping the false idols of box office numbers, manufactured stardom, and paid PR.
Actors like John Abraham, once synonymous with on-screen muscle, are now voicing what audiences have been shouting for years: “We’ve forgotten how to tell stories.” Directors like Shivam Nair are showing flashes of restraint and realism, steering away from the bombast that has long drowned out craft.
And production houses like Maddock Cinema — under Dinesh Vijan’s pragmatic genius — are proving that audiences crave fresh worlds, believable characters, and cultural truth wrapped in cinematic daring.
But here’s the bigger question — can these isolated sparks ignite a new dawn for Bollywood?
Because if there’s one thing clear from the wreckage of recent years, it’s this: Indian cinema doesn’t need louder films; it needs braver filmmakers.
The old Bollywood giants — YRF, Dharma, Red Chillies — built their empires on illusion, scale, and star worship. They’ve forgotten that cinema is not about who shouts the loudest, but who listens the closest — to the audience, to the story, to the times we live in.
If John Abraham, Shivam Nair, and Maddock Films join hands, they can do more than create hits — they can restore faith in Indian storytelling. They can choose risk over repetition, authenticity over algorithms, and story-first cinema over box-office theatrics.
Because the real gamble isn’t financial anymore — it’s moral and creative.
The future belongs to those who bet on truth, not trends.
I. The Context: A Moment of Reckoning
When The Diplomat was released on March 14, 2025, on the day of the festival of Holi, it carried more than a story—it carried the weight of a wounded industry.
Bollywood, still struggling for credibility post-pandemic, needed a film that could signal its creative resurrection. Directed by Shivam Nair and written by Ritesh Shah, the film promised a return to realism: a political thriller inspired by true events that blended national security and human emotion.
But could it truly be the Story-First revival Bollywood needs—or just another star-driven illusion?
II. John Abraham’s Awakening to Story-First Thinking
In a rare moment of honesty, John Abraham said it plainly:
“We aren’t telling good stories. We’re not concentrating on our writing. We’re looking at star quality, Instagram followers, and everything that has nothing to do with the craft.” = John Abraham on Storytelling
That admission is seismic for an actor long branded as a “physicality-first” performer. His reflection shows an understanding of why Bollywood is failing—not because of the audience, but because of arrogance. John’s recognition that storytelling, writing, and craft—not marketing—drive cinematic longevity feels like the first glimmer of genuine awareness among the mainstream elite.
He even admits to struggling as a producer: convincing marketing teams that authenticity—not hype—was the film’s strength. His phrasing, “The audience is king… and when they clap, that’s your biggest reward,” suggests a long-overdue shift from manipulation to respect.
That’s the foundation of Story-First Filmmaking: respect for the audience, discipline for the craft, and humility before the story.
III. The Diplomat (2025): What Worked and What Didn’t
According to reviewer Shan Prasher, The Diplomat succeeds in tone and restraint but falters in rhythm. The story has meat—it’s based on a real diplomatic crisis—but the execution occasionally lapses into exposition-heavy sequences that lack cinematic tension. Still, it stands apart from the mindless spectacles dominating Hindi cinema.
The writing, though uneven, tries to put authenticity before aesthetics. It’s a rare Bollywood film that doesn’t rely on item songs or meme-ready moments. John Abraham underplays instead of overacting, a welcome change. Sadia Khateeb brings quiet conviction to her role. Yet, despite this, the film remains limited in reach.
Why? Because Bollywood hasn’t yet mastered what South Indian and global filmmakers have: craft as culture. The storytelling here is still framed through a formula, not through lived emotion.
IV. The Lessons from “The Diplomat”
The Subject Is Not Enough
Real stories don’t automatically make real cinema. The how of storytelling—structure, conflict, emotional payoff—matters as much as the what.
Marketing Can’t Manufacture Integrity
Bollywood has to stop believing that slick PR can replace sincere performance. The Diplomat was refreshingly under-marketed, but the industry’s ecosystem remains addicted to noise over nuance.
Star Power Must Serve the Story
When John plays a diplomat instead of a muscle-bound hero, it hints at growth. The industry must reward this courage, not just the comfort zone of box-office formulas.
V. The Global Mirror: Hope from Hollywood
Compare The Diplomat to Western political thrillers—say Argo or Bridge of Spies. Both films balance geopolitics and human tension while respecting intelligence. Their protagonists aren’t supermen—they’re flawed, empathetic, and believable.
Bollywood’s challenge isn’t cultural—it’s psychological. It must rediscover the audience’s faith by moving away from condescension and toward complexity. Films like The Diplomat are baby steps in that direction.
VI. The Hope Ahead — If Bollywood Listens
John Abraham’s words echo a truth long ignored:
“Go back to basics. Tell good stories. Be true to your subject.” - John Abraham on Storytelling
That is the Story-First Manifesto in essence. The hope for Bollywood lies not in budgets or banners but in rebuilding trust through craft.
The Diplomat may not be perfect—but it’s evidence that cracks of light are emerging through the noise. If more actors, directors, and producers take this route—humility before hype, story before spectacle—then perhaps, yes, there is hope.
Because hope in cinema isn’t found in fandom. It’s found in storytelling that moves hearts and minds.
Bollywood doesn’t need to chase global cinema—it needs to grow up into it.And that begins with a single conviction:
✊ Story-First isn’t rebellion — it’s restoration.
🎬 The Maddock Breakout — A Minority Report for Bollywood’s Survival
In a moment when many major Bollywood banners seem adrift — gargantuan budgets, stagnant formulas, recycled stars — Maddock Films is charting a different path. With hits like Stree (2018), Bhediya (2022), and Munjya (2024) helmed under Vijan’s banner, Maddock has quietly built a track record rooted in story-first mentality, genre innovation, and audience respect.
Let’s unpack what they’re doing right — and whether that’s enough to save Bollywood.
✅ What Maddock Gets Right
Genre innovation with cultural roots
Maddock’s horror-comedy universe draws from Indian folklore and superstitions, not just Bollywood spectacle. Munjya, for instance, leveraged folklore characters and CGI creatively to produce a ₹132 crore hit on a modest ₹30 crore budget.
By respecting local culture and combining it with accessible storytelling, they’re building something different — and commercially viable.
Audience trust, not manipulation
Unlike many blockbuster launches, Maddock seems less reliant on star worship and more on premise. Their willingness to experiment — as news shows Vijan delaying Stree 3 to avoid creative repetition — tells a story of commitment to craft, not just box-office blitz.
That aligns with the “Story-First” mindset: respect the audience, don’t con them.
Lean economics + credible performance
The business model is smarter: Mid budgets, well-packaged ideas, efficient marketing — allowing profitability without sacrificing originality. For Bollywood at large, the mismatch between cost and content is one of its most serious issues.
⚠️ But Is It Enough for Bollywood?
While Maddock’s success is promising, it doesn’t automatically herald a pan-industry turnaround. Here are key caveats:
Scale vs. mindset
Maddock is strong as a boutique force. Bollywood’s systemic issues — inflated actor fees, formulaic scripts, marketing over craft — remain endemic. One banner cannot fix an industry culture.
Repetition risk
Even strong formulas can wear out. The news that Vijan is deliberately delaying Stree 3 suggests awareness of this danger. But if the rest of Bollywood doubles down on spectacle over substance, audience fatigue will persist.
Talent ecosystem
Maddock may respect craft, but the broader system still rewards stardom, not storytelling. Unless talent pipelines (writers, directors, actors) get elevated, the shift will be partial.
Global reach is still limited
Success at home is one thing; building global resonance is another. The rest of the world expects craft, originality, and emotional depth — the very elements Bollywood has neglected. Maddock is closer to that ideal but not yet setting the global pace.
🔍 The Lesson for Bollywood
Maddock Films offers a blueprint:
• Respect the story, not just the star.
• Build original worlds, not recycled tropes.
• Trust the audience’s intelligence.
If Bollywood wants to survive — and thrive — it must adopt these principles at scale. Revolution isn’t required, but discipline is non-negotiable.
Yes: the tide might be shifting. But the question isn’t whether change is happening — it’s whether Bollywood will embrace it before the audience moves on.
Because in the end, audiences don’t just reward films — they vote with their wallets and attention.
And right now, the audience is asking for story-first cinema more than ever.
If John Abraham, Shivam Nair & Maddock Films Join Forces — Can They Rewrite Bollywood?
1. Why This Alliance Matters
For the first time in decades, Bollywood’s old formulas are cracking.
John Abraham has publicly acknowledged the problem: “We’ve forgotten to tell stories.”
Shivam Nair has demonstrated discipline and subtlety in direction (The Diplomat proves he values realism and restraint).
Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films has shown that smart storytelling, rooted in folklore and emotion (Stree, Bhediya, Munjya), can also be profitable.
Now imagine these three philosophies converging under one banner — a Story-First Syndicate that blends:
John’s production experience and mass reach,
Nair’s grounded direction and narrative patience, and
Maddock’s genre innovation and disciplined economics.
That combination could finally balance commerce and craft, something Bollywood’s echo-chamber giants (YRF, Dharma, Red Chillies) have failed to achieve.
2. The Six Pillars of Story-First Cinema
For this collaboration to truly reset the Indian film industry’s credibility — nationally and globally — every project must pass through these Six Story-First Pillars:
If John, Nair, and Vijan use these six filters before greenlighting a project — not as corporate jargon but as a creative constitution — they’d set a new standard for modern Indian cinema.
3. Strategic Advantages
Creative Integrity + Commercial Viability
Maddock’s lean budgets protect creative freedom; John’s action credibility ensures box-office traction; Nair’s storytelling discipline ensures quality.
Audience Re-education
Their collaboration could reposition the audience from passive consumers to partners in storytelling — proving India’s “educated audience” slogan true.
Global Positioning
By focusing on narrative universality instead of visual excess, they could create India’s first mainstream “Oscar-ready” productions rooted in local soil but told with global craft.
4. What It Could Spark
Such an alliance wouldn’t just produce better films — it could create a new creative ecosystem that:
Revives the respect for screenwriting in India.
Attracts diaspora investment and co-productions.
Builds trust with global distributors who currently see Bollywood as a parody of itself.
Inspires the next generation of actors and filmmakers to prioritize craft over clout.
The Rewrite Starts Here
If John Abraham brings humility, Shivam Nair brings craft, and Dinesh Vijan brings strategic production discipline, Bollywood could finally step out of its illusion factory and into the global spotlight — not for box-office numbers, but for storytelling excellence.
Because in the end:
✨ India doesn’t need bigger movies. It needs better ones.
And the partnership between John Abraham, Shivam Nair, and Maddock Films could be the beginning of that restoration.
The Box Office Delusion — When Numbers Replaced Narratives
For decades, Bollywood has worshipped a false god — the box office number.
Each Friday, the industry behaves less like storytellers and more like accountants, competing to shout the loudest about “₹1000-crore worldwide collections.”
But here’s the irony: no one ever verifies these figures.
Unlike Hollywood, where audited grosses are tracked transparently through Box Office Mojo or The Numbers, India’s data is mostly self-reported. Every producer claims victory; no one checks the math.
And yet, the audience is expected to believe that these numbers equal quality.
Let’s call it what it is — a marketing illusion.
You wouldn’t buy a car based on the manufacturer’s total annual revenue. You’d look at how it performs, how it feels, and whether it delivers value for the price.
A movie is no different — it’s a product with a value proposition that must meet audience needs and wants: emotional connection, intellectual stimulation, relevance, and meaning.
But instead of delivering value, Bollywood sells vanity.
Trailer views are inflated through paid campaigns.
“Critic reviews” are scripted PR.
Box-office records are unverifiable.
And through this illusion, the audience — the very customer who sustains the industry — is disrespected and deceived.
Meanwhile, films from Malayalam cinema, South Korea, and Japan are redefining success through authentic storytelling and long-tail resonance — where people discuss the story, not the spreadsheet.
It’s time Bollywood grows up.
True success isn’t the number of tickets sold in the first weekend.
It’s the number of hearts moved, minds challenged, and conversations sparked long after the credits roll.
Until the Indian film industry replaces box-office metrics with storytelling merit, it will keep mistaking noise for impact and hype for history.
🎥 The Gamble Worth Taking — Betting on Story-First Cinema
The most radical move a filmmaker can make today isn’t to mount a ₹500-crore spectacle.
It’s to tell a story that outlives the weekend.
In an era when algorithms decide what trends and paid PR decides what “succeeds,” the bravest filmmakers are the ones willing to bet on craft over clout. Because the truth is simple yet brutal: Indian cinema’s resurrection won’t come from scale — it will come from substance.
The Six Pillars of Story-First Cinema aren’t just an artistic framework — they are a survival strategy for a film industry gasping for authenticity.
Believability anchors your world in truth.
Emotional Engagement earns empathy, not applause.
Intellectually Compelling gives audiences something to chew on, not just cheer for.
Relevance connects art to the times — making every frame feel necessary.
Meaningfulness turns entertainment into experience — the kind that lingers long after.
Global Gateway ensures your story crosses borders by being deeply, unmistakably human.
For producers like John Abraham, Dinesh Vijan, and directors like Shivam Nair, this is not a creative luxury — it’s an economic imperative. Because films that respect intelligence travel farther, last longer, and build trust in markets that Bollywood has long alienated with its noise and narcissism.
The next wave of Indian cinema won’t be built by those who chase trends.
By those who treat filmmaking not as a numbers game, but as a moral craft.
By those who understand that a film isn’t successful when it sells out theatres — it’s successful when it moves the world.
So yes, the gamble is risky. But it’s also the only one worth taking.
Because the future belongs to the storytellers who dare to bet on truth.
🎬 Story-first isn’t rebellion — it’s restoration.
Indian cinema can either remain trapped in its own echo chamber — or rise as a global storytelling powerhouse.
👉 Are you ready to see your film through the lens of Story-First Intelligence?
🟢 Learn more. Get leveled-up. Join the Rewrite.
📍 Explore The Story-First Workbook
And it starts with you.
The Rewrite Generation begins with you. 🎬🔥