Box office hits without Bollywood’s A-listers: The changing dynamics of star power |

Indian Film Industry For a long time, this notion has been synonymous with glitz and glamour, where a film’s fate often depends on the star power of its lead actors. However, in recent years, this long-held notion has started to change.
At a time when films like Nag Ashwin’s ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, starring star actors like Prabhas, Deepika Padukone And Amitabh Bachchan While Bollywood is ruling the box office, a parallel branch of cinema is emerging, where films without major celebrities or inflated budgets are making significant progress at the box office.
Devoid of celebrity influence, ‘Missing Ladies’,’Hanuman‘, ‘Manjummel Boys’ and ‘Munjya’ have not just grabbed the attention of the audiences but have also become blockbuster hits. This changing dynamic inspires a deeper examination of the ever-evolving value of stars, their influence and the changing equations that make a film a blockbuster in today’s cinematic landscape.
The Biggest Office Hits of 2024 Non-Superstar Movies

Here is a graph showing the biggest box office hits of non-superstar films in 2024. The graph compares the budget and box office collections of ‘Crew’, ‘Missing Ladies’, ‘Hanu Man’, ‘Manjummel Boys’ and ‘Munjya’.
Crew: Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu and Kriti Sanon, the film was made on a budget of Rs 75 crore and had a total box office collection of Rs 157 crore.
Lapata Ladies: Starring Nitanshi Goyal, Pratibha Ranta and Sparsh Srivastava, the film was made on a budget of Rs 5 crore and grossed Rs 23 crore at the box office.
Hanu Mann: A The Telugu language superhero film starring Teja Sajja was made on a budget of around Rs 40 crore and became one of the biggest box office hits, grossing over Rs 300 crore.
Manjummel Boys: Based on a true incident, this Telugu film stars Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese and Ganapathi S Poduval in lead roles. The film was made on a budget of Rs 15 crore. The film grossed Rs 241 crore at the box office.
Munjya: Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, starring Abhay Varma and Sharvari, the film grossed an estimated Rs 100 crore at the box office.
This graph visually demonstrates how these non-superstar films have achieved remarkable success despite their modest budgets, and highlights the changing dynamics in Bollywood’s star value.
Fading star power

While Bollywood grapples with this surprising turn of non-celebrity films becoming blockbuster hits, the phenomenon has prompted a re-evaluation of what really draws audiences to theatres.
Renowned film producer Mukesh Bhatt accepts this change and says, “No, star value still exists. But now people are demanding something different than star value. This was an old box office formula for Bollywood. People are fed up with it.”
This sentiment is also expressed by film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, who highlights the recent successes of films such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s “12th Fail”. Aamir KhanFilms like ‘Laapata Ladies’ and Dinesh Vijan’s ‘Manjaya’ have also received rave reviews from the audience. Rathi says, “The star of these films were their stories and storytellers and I truly think a star is just a booster but the ship that moves forward is ultimately the one with the best storytelling. I think the audience has given us many such instances where they came to hear a great story and didn’t come despite the presence of a star in the film. This is something we as an industry should take cognizance of.”
Actress Nitanshi Goyal worked in the box office hit ‘Laapata Ladies’ and also in Ajay Devgn’s Rs 100 crore film ‘Maidaan’, which failed to make a mark at the ticket windows. Reflecting on the changing tastes of moviegoers and the success of the horror-comedy ‘Munjya’, she says, “Munjya is doing exceptionally well. Abhay Verma and I have often discussed how important this is for us. We always dreamt that our films would be loved by the audience and we would be recognised as leading actors. Also, it seems that now people are more interested in characters than stars.”

winning formula

There is no denying that 2024 has seen a remarkable trend in which small-budget films are achieving unprecedented success at the box office. Although these films do not have the glitz of high-profile stars, they have grabbed the attention of the audience with their strong storylines. When asked why these modest productions have impressed the audience so much, Nitanshi said the answer lies in the quality of the content, while veteran producer Mukesh prefers to wait and watch.
Reflecting on the success of her film ‘Laapata Ladies’, Nitanshi emphasised, “Content comes first. If the content is made well, the audience can’t resist loving it. Beautiful stories and lovable characters are opening doors for newcomers like us and I finally feel like we can do well and become the next generation of Bollywood actors.”

On the other hand, Bhatt drew a parallel between the unexpected success of ‘Munjya’ and the iconic ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’, a film that turned out to be a hit amidst a long list of its sequels that failed at the box office. “Why it became a success, nobody knows, not even Anil Sharma who made it. That’s the beauty of this business. You don’t know what the audience wants. You think they will like it, but you don’t know. The film industry is in the business of making flops. Sometimes the producer is lucky to get a hit. You can never plan a hit, but you can cut your losses.”
Exhibitor and distributor Raj Bansal says, “Every year 2-3 small budget films do record business, but these are just a few out of more than 100 films. Examples include ‘The Kashmir Files’, ‘The Kerala Story’, ‘Article 370’, ‘Missing Ladies’ and the recent ‘Munjya’. Many Hindi films these days fail because of the very high fees of the lead actors. The actors’ fees should be in proportion to the success or failure of the film. We should focus on creating quality music and scripts to ensure overall success.”
The OTT Factor

It is impossible to ignore the role that OTT plays in reshaping viewing habits and redefining the basic framework of cinematic storytelling. These streaming platforms are silently influencing audience tastes and perceptions of films, ultimately setting new standards for engaging entertainment.
Highlighting how OTT platforms have disrupted this status quo by offering a diverse range of content previously inaccessible through mainstream channels, B said, “The new generation has come, and they are demanding more. OTT has exposed them to a variety of content.”
He further added, “I am not saying OTT is the answer, but it has shown them content that was not available in TV serials and films. That is why OTT evolved – because of human beings’ need for some kind of variety.”
Think Small
Explaining the success and appeal of small films, Nitanshi says that the biggest attraction is the appeal of ‘simple, relatable’ stories. However, Bhatt, on the other hand, believes that practicality and financial discipline are the main factors.
The actress added, “I think the audience always wants such simple, relatable stories and when they watch it, they instantly give it a lot of love.”
Getting into the numbers game, Bhatt said, “They spend where they have to. That’s all. You have to spend only on what you can see on the screen. Anything you spend outside the screen is a waste of money.”
Economics of the film industry

The contemporary Indian filmmaking landscape is shaped by the complex interplay of economics, creativity and evolving audience dynamics. Amid rising fees, inflated budgets and rising production costs, there is growing concern over the effectiveness of star-driven strategies that remain indifferent to a film’s success or failure, leading many to question the sustainability of this model. Bhatt, reflecting on these challenges, advocates pragmatic changes to the profit-sharing mechanism of 2015, before the disruptive impact of OTT platforms. He argues, “If the film hits, share in the profit. Let the film earn. You also get the reputation that you have delivered a successful film. It also works for the director, the producer and everyone else. It’s a simple thing, but people don’t want to go down. It doesn’t suit them.”
Criticising the agencies handling stars who are hell-bent on maximising their earnings, he said, “The agencies which are running the stars are very corrupt. Because they are only interested in their 10% (cut).”

In contrast, film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi emphasises the crucial role of novelty in storytelling and audience engagement in achieving substantial box office success. He argues, “To earn Rs 200, 300, 400 crore at the box office we need stars to drive these vehicles, but ultimately there has to be some novelty and uniqueness, excitement and storytelling ability. Only if we can do it with a certain consistency in a way that it captures the imagination and appeals to the widest possible audience of not just the urban class but the common man, will we be able to achieve huge success.”

road ahead
As the industry evolves and learns to adapt to changing audience tastes and economic realities, Bhatt suggests an urgent need to re-evaluate financial demands for stars and industry professionals, which he claims has led to systemic corruption, threatening the sustainability of film projects. Bhatt says, “There has to be reform. Any star who doesn’t understand that times have changed will perish. By stars I mean any technician, director, writer or even cameraman, the whole system has become corrupt. You need to have a real understanding of the actual cost of a film, not inflated, low-budget films. They are going to fail.”