🔥What’s Killing Indian Cinema? One Workbook Might Just Save It
- Sajeev Varghese
- Jul 31
- 10 min read
Updated: Aug 3
🎬 India doesn’t lack stories. It lacks the courage—and craft—to tell them right.
And in a world where the audience has seen Top Gun: Maverick, Parasite, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, mediocrity doesn’t just disappoint—it disappears.
Big budgets can’t save a bad story.
Burj Khalifa projections can’t fix broken character arcs.
Star power fades.
But story power?
That lives forever.
✨ The Good News? We’re not doomed. We’re just overdue.
For every filmmaker stuck rewriting briefs from clueless financiers—For every actor told to “just perform” without backstory—For every writer whose script was mangled by a spectacle-obsessed industry—You are not the problem.
The system is.
And here’s the twist:
You don’t need to wait for a savior.
You just need a better starting point.
A new story.
Built the right way.
This isn’t the end of your filmmaking dream.🎥 It’s your Rewrite.
And it begins with something Indian cinema has ignored for far too long:
Story. First.
🎬 A Crisis of Story — Not of Ambition
Let’s be clear: Indian cinema is not struggling because of a shortage of talent or passion. It’s struggling because the fundamentals of storytelling have been eroded, bypassed, or flat-out ignored.
Too many films chase box office formulas instead of emotional arcs.
Too many screenplays hit plot points like checkboxes, without investing in the why.
Too many characters talk, cry, laugh, or dance — but never live.
The result? Forgettable films. Weak scripts. Viral flops.
In a recent pan-India analysis of filmmaker frustrations, the pain points were clear:
“I can’t find honest feedback on my story.”
“No one teaches storytelling with both emotional and cultural depth.”
“Producers want shortcuts. I want quality.”
“I learned how to shoot, edit, and light. But no one taught me how to build a real story.”
And maybe the most heartbreaking one:
“I have something to say. I just don’t know how to say it in a way that lands.”
💥 The Turning Point: What If We Started with Story?
Indian filmmakers often skip to production before building the foundation. But what if we flipped the model? What if, instead of racing toward casting, financing, or locations — we slowed down and started with the story?
Here’s how that changes everything:
✅ 1. Tell stories that are believable, emotionally resonant, intellectually compelling, and culturally grounded
The Story-First Workbook gives you a framework for stories that do more than just "work"—they matter.
Think of The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). It’s not about poverty. It’s about human dignity and persistence. The believability doesn’t come from big production but from Chris Gardner’s relatable journey. His story engages your heart and your mind.
Or Roma (2018), which transported us to 1970s Mexico — yet audiences from Seoul to Stockholm wept. Why? Because the emotional core — loyalty, loss, and love — is universal, while the storytelling remained deeply cultural.
The Workbook helps you tap into that power: to create films that are local in soul, but global in spirit.
✅ 2. Craft characters that feel alive — not stock clichés
Great characters don’t pose. They pulse.
Consider Good Will Hunting (1997). Will isn’t a genius for show — he’s a young man terrified of abandonment, hiding behind intellect. The film’s emotional grip comes from the story behind the smarts.
Or Parasite (2019): every character—from the Park family to the Kims—isn’t “good” or “evil.” They’re layered, complex, human. Even the house is a character.
In the Workbook, our Character Spark and Story Engine tools help you go beyond archetypes. Because a story-first film doesn’t just have a hero. It has a soul.
✅ 3. Use structure as a transformation engine, not a straightjacket
Structure doesn’t limit creativity. It liberates it.
Watch Finding Nemo (2003). Beat by beat, it's textbook storytelling — but you never feel the template. Why? Because every plot point is an emotional escalation. Marlin isn’t just swimming — he’s learning to let go.
Or Erin Brockovich (2000), where Act 2 isn’t just "conflict" — it's where Erin learns the cost of fighting for justice. Each turning point deepens her internal change.
The Workbook’s version of Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet isn’t about formulas. It’s about emotional milestones that guide your audience through a transformation — and your protagonist with them.
✅ 4. Pitch ideas that stand out in rooms full of noise
You don’t get 5 minutes to explain your story. You get 5 seconds to make them care.
Look at the Whiplash (2014) pitch: “A young drummer’s pursuit of greatness turns into psychological warfare with his music teacher.” That’s stakes, psychology, and world—all in one line.
Or Get Out (2017): “A young Black man visits his white girlfriend’s family — and uncovers a chilling secret.” Boom. You're in.
The Workbook’s Pitching Masterclass and Logline Ladder help you sharpen your message so your story doesn’t just sound good — it sticks.
✅ 5. Build films that travel across borders and languages — without losing their soul
Great stories don’t need subtitles to be felt.
Remember Life Is Beautiful (1997)? A Holocaust film that used humor, heartbreak, and hope — and moved millions. Or Minari (2020), told in Korean, but rooted in a universal truth: What does it mean to belong?
The Workbook’s Universal Gateway Test helps you answer: Will your story move a stranger in Kyoto as much as it does your neighbor in Kochi?
Because cinema isn’t built for regions. It’s built for resonance.
📘 This is what it means to be a story-first filmmaker.
And this is exactly what the Story-First Workbook is built to help you become.
🎬 Case-In-Point: What Went Wrong with Pathaan?
And how the Story-First Workbook could have rewritten its destiny.
Pathaan (2023) was marketed as the resurrection of Bollywood’s action spectacle. Explosive set pieces, international locations, and the comeback of Shah Rukh Khan promised cinematic fireworks.
And the box office delivered… at least on paper.
But ask audiences a few weeks later:
Did it stay with you?
Did it move you?
Would you watch it again, not just for nostalgia, but for meaning?
More often than not, the answer was no.
Let’s dissect why.
Then explore how the Story-First Workbook could have changed the game.
❌ 1. The Plot Was a Checklist, Not a Journey
What happened: Pathaan raced from one location to another, one twist to another, but without earned progression. Every reveal felt manufactured, not motivated. The story advanced, but the character didn’t evolve.
Story-First Fix: The Workbook reframes plot points as emotional milestones, not just turning events. Through the Beat Sheet: Retold for India, we ask:
“What does this event cost the character emotionally?”
“How does it change their internal state?”
In Pathaan, had we followed that structure, the script would’ve earned the character’s choices instead of announcing them.
❌ 2. Pathaan Himself Had No Inner Conflict
What happened: SRK did the heavy lifting. But the character? He was emotionally flat. We knew he was a patriot. But what was he struggling with? What was his ghost? His lie? What did he need to heal?
Story-First Fix: The Workbook’s Character Spark, Wound & Want Map, and Sankalp to Siddhi Test are designed to layer your protagonist. We teach you to build characters whose internal arc powers the external story.
Imagine if Pathaan wasn’t just trying to save India —What if he was also trying to redeem a personal failure, or break free from guilt, or atone for betrayal?
Suddenly, it’s not just espionage.
It’s drama.
It’s soul.
❌ 3. The Villain Had Stakes, But No Depth
What happened: Jim (John Abraham) had a motive — betrayal by the state. But it was told, not felt. His journey lacked moral complexity. He wasn’t a mirror to the hero; he was just an obstacle.
Story-First Fix: The Workbook teaches you that your antagonist is your protagonist’s shadow. Through the Story Engine and Emotional Conflict Grid, we show you how to align your villain’s journey to the hero’s unhealed wound.
A great villain isn’t just a threat. He’s a reflection.
Had Jim been Pathaan’s former brother-in-arms—sharing a tragic past, a common wound, a split ideology—the final fight would’ve been heart-wrenching, not just muscle-flexing.
❌ 4. The Story Didn't Say Anything New
What happened: Patriotism. Revenge. High-stakes terrorism. All familiar tropes—reheated, repackaged, and digitally re-skinned. No fresh philosophical dilemma. No new emotional territory.
Story-First Fix: The Workbook introduces the Genre Compass — a tool to elevate your story beyond category and into emotional identity. We help you identify your story’s core promise to the audience.
What if Pathaan were a “Ghost Reborn” story — a man erased by his country, finding his way back through moral courage rather than bullets?
Now that is worth watching.
❌ 5. It Looked Global — But Didn't Feel Universal
What happened: Helicopters. Ice chases. Snow leopards. But beyond the flash, there was no emotional export value. It was rooted in local politics, but not in human truths. So it didn’t travel.
Story-First Fix: Our Universal Gateway Test helps you ask the most important
question:
“Will someone in Buenos Aires, Budapest, or Bangalore feel this story — even if they don’t understand every detail?”
If not, we help you find what’s universal inside your local story.
Redemption. Sacrifice. Loss. Legacy.
Pathaan had the potential.
The Workbook gives you the tools to unleash it.
🚀 Final Take:
Pathaan didn’t fail commercially. But it failed culturally.
It didn’t birth new fan fiction.
It didn’t echo in everyday life.
It wasn’t quoted, memed, or mythologized the way true cultural moments are.
Why?
Because it skipped the foundation.
It skipped the story.
🎯 Why Top Gun: Maverick Soared — And Pathaan Crash-Landed
In early 2023, Pathaan burst onto screens with the swagger of a global blockbuster. Shah Rukh Khan returned to the big screen with the self-anointed aura of "India’s Tom Cruise." There were stunts. Explosions. Helicopters. Muscles. Even a trailer was launched on the Burj Khalifa.
But here’s the plot twist: audiences saw through the spectacle.
Because Pathaan, despite its budget, bombast, and brand-building, missed the one thing Top Gun: Maverick never forgot — the story.
Let’s break this down, Story-First style:
🧱 1. Believability
Top Gun: Maverick: From the first scene, Maverick’s world is grounded in emotional logic. Yes, he’s flying supersonic jets, but every beat — from his guilt over Goose’s death to his bond with Rooster — feels real. There’s texture, history, and consequence.
Pathaan: The plot is an incoherent rush of double-crosses, impossible stunts, and illogical conveniences. Characters teleport across continents, switch sides without motivation, and survive things that defy physics, emotion, and human nature. Even SRK’s charm can’t mask the absurdity.
Story-First Verdict: ✈️ Maverick lands on truth.💣 Pathaan explodes in disbelief.
💔 2. Emotional Engagement
Top Gun: Maverick: It’s not just a sequel — it’s a reckoning. Maverick isn’t just saving the day; he’s trying to forgive himself. Every look between Maverick and Rooster, every echo of “Talk to Me, Goose,” strikes the heart. Even side characters like Hangman and Penny are emotionally alive.
Pathaan: Emotional stakes? Thin. Pathaan’s backstory is brushed aside. Deepika’s Rubina has no interior life. The emotional climax is another punch-fest. We’re told things matter — but we never feel they do.
Story-First Verdict: ❤️ Maverick earns your tears.😶 Pathaan shrugs off feeling.
🧠 3. Intellectually Compelling
Top Gun: Maverick: The mission is explained in detail. We understand the risks, the flight paths, and the time pressure. There’s a chess match at play — and Maverick must outthink not just the enemy, but the system itself.
Pathaan: The central plot (a rogue agent, a virus, a superweapon) is stitched together from action clichés. The “exposition” is lazy, and intelligence agencies seem staffed by stock characters who exist to explain away plot holes.
Story-First Verdict: 🧩 Maverick respects your brain.🫥 Pathaan rewrites logic.
🌍 4. Cultural Relevance
Top Gun: Maverick: It’s more than nostalgia. It interrogates legacy, technology, ageism, and personal redemption. It reflects a changing world while honoring old-school values — all without preaching.
Pathaan: Tries to be “global,” but ends up generic. Despite referencing Indo-Pak tensions and espionage, the film avoids meaningful commentary. It borrows tone from the West, but forgets to ground it in context.
Story-First Verdict: 🌐 Maverick is specific yet universal.🎭 Pathaan is loud but hollow.
✨ 5. Meaningfulness
Top Gun: Maverick: At its core, it’s about second chances — with yourself, your past, and your people. It asks: What is a legacy worth? The answer is in every act of courage, humility, and connection.
Pathaan: What does it stand for? Patriotism? Star worship? A franchise attempt? It’s a cocktail of flash with no clear thematic spine. The character’s journey lacks inner change — and thus, meaning.
Story-First Verdict: 🕊️ Maverick leaves something with you.🎆 Pathaan leaves only echoes of noise.
🛠️ What Could’ve Helped Pathaan?
👉 The Story-First Workbook.
A Sankalp-to-Siddhi Test would’ve forced clarity on Pathaan’s actual purpose.
The Genre Compass would’ve warned that “Action-Thriller” is not a substitute for character growth.
Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet would’ve ensured an emotionally earned midpoint and climax — not a collage of explosions.
Most importantly, the Story-First Certification Badges would’ve flagged the shallow character arcs and hollow story spine before the trailer dropped.
🤔 Think...
You can’t project a story onto the Burj Khalifa and expect it to fly.
Cinema isn’t built on iconography. It’s built on truth.
Top Gun: Maverick understood that.
Pathaan forgot it.
If Indian cinema wants to compete globally — it must stop emulating Tom Cruise’s brand and start emulating his storytelling discipline.
And that journey begins with one question:
👉 What is your story really about?
The Story-First Workbook can help you answer that.
🎯 So, Why Do Most Indian Stories Fail?
Because no one taught us that plot isn’t story and spectacle isn’t soul.
Because we mistook trailer views for impact—and forgot what it means to be moved.
Because too many scripts chase what’s trending, not what’s true.
Because we stopped listening to the story—and started shouting at the audience.
And yet...
🎬 A well-told story still has the power to change everything.
It can uplift a career. Resurrect an industry. And rewrite a nation’s cultural identity.
📘 What You Can Do About It
Pre-order the Story-First Workbook—your field guide to craft cinema that matters.
Inside, you'll find:
✅ A reimagined Save the Cat Beat Sheet—retold for Indian emotions and audience rhythms
✅ The Genre Compass—to help you name and frame your story’s true soul
✅ The Sankalp to Siddhi Test—to check if your idea is purpose-driven or just performative
✅ A revolutionary Story-First Certification System—that benchmarks story quality, not celebrity
✅ And a masterclass on how to pitch your story—so it actually lands
This isn’t some abstract theory.
It’s the practical, culturally relevant storytelling edge you’ve been looking for—whether you’re writing your first short, producing your next feature, or mentoring the next generation of screenwriters.
🔥 This is the Rewrite Generation.
A movement of filmmakers who believe India deserves better stories. Told better. Together.
💥 This isn’t just a workbook.
It’s your rebellion against mediocrity.
Your creative passport.
Your call to craft.
And let’s stop chasing the next Pathaan—and start creating the next Maverick.
🎬 Let’s build a new cinema—one unforgettable story at a time.
Comments