Strictly Business Daily Variety — 'Saiyaara' Lights Up Bollywood Box Office; 'Superman' Hangs Tough in Week 2
Jul 21, 2025
Naman Ramachandran, an international reporter for Variety covering the UK and South Asia, dives into the hit Bollywood rom-com 'Saiyaara', discussing its remarkable success and its implications for India's evolving film market. He highlights how this film resonates with changing audience expectations. The podcast also touches on 'Superman's' second-week box office performance, noting significant trends in movie attendance, and explores CBS's bold move to cancel 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' amid shifting viewer habits.
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Saiyaara Sparks Bollywood Shift
- Saiyaara's success reveals Bollywood's evolving audience post-COVID with a craving for genuine romantic stories.
- The rise of non-Hindi Indian cinemas influences Bollywood's approach and market share.
Streaming Unites India's Film Markets
- India's largest film markets are now Telugu and Tamil, with Bollywood (Hindi) ranking third.
- Streaming has unified India's diverse linguistic audiences, making cross-language films pan-India hits.
Saiyaara's Quiet Marketing Triumph
- Saiyaara's distributor adopted a "less is more" promotional strategy, focusing on content rather than heavy marketing.
- The lead actors avoided media tours, creating audience curiosity and demand organically.