Bollywood’s Spooktacular Comeback: A Tale of Ghouls and Grit
Hold onto your popcorn, folks! This year, Bollywood is dusting off the cobwebs and reintroducing us to its favorite friends: malevolent spirits, spooky zombies, and those notoriously vengeful witches. Who knew horror movies could actually scare up some serious cash? The BBC is here to enlighten us about these modest-budget gems raking in impressive sums—because clearly, the price of fear has never been higher.
Earlier this month, Bollywood staged a dramatic showdown reminiscent of a schoolyard brawl between the popular kids and the underdogs. On one end, we had the star-studded, extravagantly budgeted action flick Singham Again, and on the other, the delightfully cheeky Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, the latest from a mid-budget horror-comedy series that’s as beloved as a forgotten family heirloom.
Singham Again boasted not one, not two, but a whole boatload of Bollywood royalty, featuring heavyweights like Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Ranveer Singh. With such a star-studded lineup, you’d expect it to set the box office ablaze—and it did, earning a staggering 1.86 billion rupees ($22.05 million) in the first four days, according to the ever-reliable Sacnilk.
But lo and behold, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, featuring the sprightly newcomer Kartik Aryan, managed to rake in a mere 1.63 billion rupees. You might think that’s a little less cash in the bank, but remember, its budget was so small that it practically wore last year’s jeans to the party.
Our protagonist, Aryan, returns as a conman-exorcist concocted in some caffeine-fueled writer’s room, hired by a royal family to cleanse their dank castle of a pesky evil spirit. It’s gripping, it’s hilarious, and let’s face it: it’s probably more fun than your average dentist appointment.
The success of these films shines a spotlight on Bollywood’s creepy renaissance, where once-maligned horror and comedy flicks have clawed their way back from the cinematic depths, commandeering box office dominance. It all kicked off with the psychological horror offering Shaitaan, which garnered over $25 million, proving that even low budgets can lead to high drama—if you’re willing to gloss over the plot holes, of course.
Following this terrifying trend, Munjya and the smash hit Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank catapulted the genre into the spotlight, even clinching the title for the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, with over $103 million in ticket sales. The film, set in the fictional town of Chanderi, features the elusive Stree who has shifted her focus from patriarchal men to more pressing issues like a monster snatching away free-thinking women. Because, naturally, that’s how you make a statement these days.
Interestingly enough, while these horror flicks are spooking up the box office, reviews haven’t exactly been glowing—critics have dragged them down, pointing fingers at their “lousy” plots. Yet, it seems audiences are happily attending these fright-fests in droves, giving Bollywood a much-needed genre makeover. Who knew a little terror could ignite such joy?
