While the release lineup of any single year might not provide a comprehensive insight into an entire film industry or its current state of creativity, the cinematic landscape of 2023 unfolded a stark narrative: Bollywood, with its penchant for high stakes, proved unyielding and resurgent despite past hurdles and challenges.
The previous year, 2022, was unquestionably stamped by directors hailing from the South. With Telugu’s sensation RRR and the sweeping success of Kannada’s KGF: Chapter 2 raking in substantial profits, they dominated the scene. Amidst them, Bollywood made its distinctive mark with Gangubai Kathiawadi.
2023, however, witnessed an unprecedented revitalization of the action genre. A significant contributor to this resurgence was the South Indian film industry’s crossover success across the national cinematic audience. The march towards prominence began pre-pandemic but truly manifested when key South Indian films graced major streaming platforms and captivated the masses. This uptrend continued in theaters, especially after RRR and KGF: Chapter 2 displayed the enchanting power of CGI-enabled spectacles. The latter amassed an enviable ₹1,200 crore in global box office earnings.
Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s ubiquitous star, played a pivotal role in redefining the year with movies like Pathaan and Jawan. Film analyst from Mumbai, Komal Nahata, offers his view on this phenomenon, recognizing 2023 as a trailblazer for action blockbusters in Hindi cinema such as Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2, and Animal. Nahata dismisses past assumptions that action-oriented productions falter in multiplexes and anticipates a burgeoning wave of such films based on the industry’s tendency to follow established trends.
The cumulative box office impact of these mentioned films is staggering, cashing in close to ₹3,400 crore. Jawan, featuring Shah Rukh Khan at the helm, led the charge with a formidable ₹1,160 crore worldwide collection. Despite criticism over controversial tones within Animal, the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer performed impressively, inviting audiences to theaters repeatedly for its intense action sequences.
Pathaan, released in January, revived the relatable hero trope, reminiscent of Amitabh Bachchan’s famed roles from the ’70s, sans the employment of CGI. Rajinikanth’s Jailer also reverberated across cinemas, amassing ₹340 crore at the box office, infusing the screen with vehemence and violence that captivated viewers.
For South Indian cinema, action has been a genre woven deeply into its narrative fabric. Bharadwaj Rangan, film critic and author of Conversations with Mani Ratnam, elucidates that the freshness which the Hindi film audience finds in Shah Rukh Khan’s movies is routine down South. The Malayalam action movie RDX and Vijay’s Leo were among his highlights for the year, noted for their innovative and well-orchestrated action scenes.
Action films from Kerala, like Mammootty’s Kannur Squad and the intrigue-riddled Kasargold, also featured prominently, boasting highly stylized sequences that captivated viewers. The Southern action formula took the entire nation by storm, notably with Atlee’s Jawan, further cementing Shah Rukh Khan’s vigilantism and fostering his on-screen social crusader persona.
This year’s action-cinema appeal extended beyond mere financial turnarounds, touch on sentiments of national pride and societal perceptions of fairness. Professor Rachel Dwyer of SOAS, University of London, explores the themes of vigilantism in conjunction with rising disparities and struggles faced by the society.
Furthermore, psychological perspectives, as conveyed by social psychologist Jeffrey Zacks in his book Flicker, elucidate the cognitive experiences we undergo when engaged with action flicks. The thrill of the action genre remains not only as entertainment but as narratives that address the collective consciousness of audiences through the lens of hope, heroism, and social justice.
In summary, 2023 solidified itself as a year where high-octane action transcended mere genre boundaries to become a cultural phenomenon, resonating with audiences nationwide, reinforcing the idea that the allure of the action hero is here to stay.
