The cyclical nature of cinema: How cinema keeps on changing trends and needs reinvention

Cinema also keeps on changing as it's where trends come and go, and then come again in different variations. While audience preferences change and methods of storytelling develop, the industry must enthusiastically (or hesitantly) accept the invitation to renew itself if it wants to survive and matter.In an interview, with Galatta Plus, the Tollywood superstar discussed the changing taste of audiences. The superstar spoke about the highs and lows of the Telugu film industry, the shifting preferences of audiences, and the urgent need for reinvention to stay relevant in a rapidly changing cinematic world.While promoting his highly anticipated film 'Kuberaa', which is directed by Sekhar Kammula and stars Dhanush, Rashmika Mandanna, and Jim Sarbh, Nagarjuna, 64, spoke against the prevailing idea that South Indian cinema, namely Tollywood, is currently in better shape than Bollywood.Speaking on this point, he said, "These narratives keep changing", adding that the cycles of filmmaking are inherent. "It’s like an actor or director having four or five years of bad times. Everything cumulative probably happened there, and films didn't work. And then they say the whole film industry is gone", he said.Hitting rock bottom and bouncing backDrawing from his decades-long career, Nagarjuna noted that he has witnessed Tollywood hit rock bottom at least three times, only to bounce back stronger each time.

"In my time, in the Telugu film industry, it has happened four times. And I believe the fourth time will come now, very soon. I'm very sure, it’s my hunch," he added with a mix of caution and optimism."It's all cyclical"The actor's comments come at a time when Tollywood is enjoying an unprecedented golden phase with films like 'RRR', 'Baahubali', and 'Pushpa' receiving global acclaim and expanding the boundaries of Telugu film.

At the same time, Bollywood has faced considerable criticism, with several box office failures sparking a debate about a decline within the Hindi film industry. However, Nagarjuna does not attach that thinking that if one industry is successful the other will not thrive.

"Right now, Bollywood might be going through a low phase, and Tollywood is at its peak. But this won’t last forever. It's all cyclical," he exclaimed.Change audience tastes is a creative wake-up callThis revealed Nagarjuna's awareness and understanding of the transitional state of career paths in the film industry to maintain success; which is a gentle reminder that no industry can remain on top indefinitely. Eventually, it can run out of ideas and audiences' comfort can lead them to boredom, leading them to discover new entertainment formats.Nagarjuna mentioned that audience tastes are changing, and the audience is gravitating toward a broader range of genres like thrillers, action movies, and emotionally compelling stories.

Films like 'Tourist Family' in Tamil, 'Court' in Telugu, and 'Anaganaga' on OTT platforms have captured the minds of audiences."People’s tastes are changing, and we need to keep that in mind. They have to change fast", he said, as he reminded us that ignoring audiences could lead to horrible results. "If we don’t look at the future, things could be pretty bad. I feel that’s what happened in Hindi. Now they’ll change. It can't be fantastic all the time."The 'Mass' actor also responded to producer Naga Vamsi's recent proclamation about a potential "bloodbath" in Tollywood due to evolving audience dynamics and a likely streak of box office failures. While he offered the word "bloodbath" with healthy disagreement, Nagarjuna acknowledged the tough times ahead. "It's not going to be a bloodbath, but you’ll see films that resonate with the new audience tastes working well," he said.

As a producer and the force behind Annapurna Studios, Nagarjuna has a long history of supporting new talent and bold storytelling, which has led to many new directors entering into Telugu cinema under Nagarjuna’s umbrella, including Sekhar Kammula who is directing 'Kuberaa'. Kuberaa is an action packed emotional entertainer supporting Nagarjuna in a different role alongside Dhanush and Rashmika Mandanna. In fact, Nagarjuna's next film Coolie, stars Rajinikanth.

The project is also directed by the same director who is looking to secure a contractual agreement with Nagarjuna to do a negative-shaded role at this stage in his career.The emergence of OTT platforms providing viewers access to global content has exacerbated the demand for Telugu cinema to adapt. Nagarjuna cited the emergence of smaller, content-driven films available on streaming platforms as evidence of this change.