Star-driven and franchise films in India are currently under intense scrutiny from both the public and critics, with commercial ambitions often overtaking the narrative and genre purity that once inspired loyalty among cinephiles. This shift is transforming India’s film industry—from release strategies to audience engagement, and even box office dominance. Here’s a comprehensive article analyzing this phenomenon, drawing from the latest trends and successes in 2025.
The Rise of the Franchise Formula
The Indian film landscape in 2025 is dominated by franchise and star-driven films. Whether it’s multi-part entries like ‘War 2’ or high-profile sequels like ‘Housefull 5’, the presence of established names and familiar plotlines ensures guaranteed initial footfalls at the box office. Top-grossers this year such as ‘Chhaava’, ‘Saiyaara’, ‘Coolie’, and ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ have showcased how franchise power and superstar clout can decisively tilt commercial fortunes.
- ‘Chhaava’, led by stars and produced with blockbuster aspirations, soared to ₹809 crore, making it the year’s top earner so far.
- ‘Saiyaara’, from the house of Yash Raj Films, mirrored that success with ₹579 crore, fueled by a marketing blitz and audience familiarity with the cast and brand.
- Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’, crossing ₹514 crore, exemplifies how a star’s reputation alone can drive numbers, regardless of the genre or narrative experimentation.
Commercial Strategies: Maximizing Reach, Minimizing Risk
The commercial strategies shaping Indian franchise and star-driven films in 2025 are marked by a systematic calibration of market demand, risk management, and brand expansion, often at the cost of storytelling originality. The merging of major media and OTT platforms has amplified marketing and distribution muscle, granting producers unprecedented reach and revenue streams. For example, the merger of Jio and Hotstar has enabled Bollywood studios to access vast digital audiences, compelling filmmakers to prioritize content that performs well across theatrical and digital windows, sometimes sidelining nuanced storytelling in favor of broad appeal and commercial viability.
Franchise films increasingly embrace pan-Indian and even global release strategies, ensuring maximum box office potential. The formula is straightforward: invest heavily in star casting, high-quality production values, and aggressive pre-release hype to create must-watch events for audiences. This approach, seen in blockbuster sequels like ‘Raid 2’ and ‘War 2,’ ensures a strong opening weekend that often compensates for mid-tier script quality or predictable plotlines
Producers and studios have radically refocused their commercial strategies:
- Heavy investment in pre-release marketing and digital campaigns, ensuring films trend weeks before actual release dates.
- Launching massive merchandise tie-ins and partnerships, as seen with ‘War 2’ and ‘Saiyaara’.
- Pan-Indian releases that cut across language barriers, expanding the potential audience pool while homogenizing storytelling for broader appeal.
These approaches have helped films rake in colossal revenues but have occasionally diluted the individuality that comes with unique storytelling or genre innovation.
Genre and Narrative Purity: Collateral Damage?
Franchise titles and star-driven vehicles are increasingly formulaic:
- Action-comedy hybrids dominate the charts, exemplifying a safe genre mix with guaranteed audience numbers.
- Sequels and reboots tend to prioritize spectacle and brand recall over character depth or layered storytelling.
- Directors often find themselves tailoring scripts to suit market research rather than creative instincts, resulting in films designed for mass consumption, not critical acclaim.
There’s a growing sense among critics that narrative purity—genre-defining elements and nuanced character arcs—are sidelined in favor of plot points that maximize box office returns.
Audience Reception: Are Viewers Complicit?
Interestingly, audiences remain drawn to star-centric spectacles, preserving the commercial reign of franchise films. The fan culture surrounding figures like Rajinikanth, Salman Khan, or Prabhas means even average scripts can become blockbusters with a strategic release.
- ‘Housefull 5’, with a tried-and-tested comic formula, earned between ₹242-289 crore by leveraging the ensemble’s comedic history.
- ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’, a regional hit, effectively capitalized on local fan loyalty while embedding franchise potential for future installments.
However, there’s also a quiet but growing segment of the viewership advocating for originality. Mid-budget and indie projects, though less frequent on top box office charts, are often lauded for taking creative risks—signaling a counter-trend to mass franchising.
Critical Observation: The Pushback
Film critics and scholarly voices have raised questions about the sustainability of this commercial-first approach:
- Reviews of blockbusters often note predictable arcs, over-reliance on brand nostalgia, and a formulaic screenplay structure.
- Acclaimed directors lament the shrinking space for experimental genres within mainstream exhibition circuits. For example, despite its box office success, ‘Coolie’ received mixed reviews on script innovation, with critics emphasizing Rajinikanth’s presence as the major selling point.
- ‘War 2’ drew attention for its spectacle but less for plot, prompting conversations about what ‘franchise fatigue’ might mean in the coming years.
Franchises vs. Original Content: Changing Dynamics
The competition between star-driven franchises and original cinema is at its peak:
The Global Challenge: Overseas Revenue Uncertainty
2025 has brought fresh challenges for franchise films from international markets. The US administration’s proposed 100% tax on Indian movies threatens to choke a key overseas revenue stream, forcing commercial strategists to reconsider distribution plans and target new geographies.
Conclusion: Towards a Balanced Future?
The current dominance of star-driven franchise cinema is unlikely to fade soon, but signs suggest a possible recalibration:
- Audiences and critics alike are calling for a return to narrative depth and genre innovation.
- Standalone mid-budget films and regional experiments could rise if franchise fatigue sets in for mass audiences.
- Producers may need to find a new balance between the pull of stars and recurring brands and the push for creative storytelling.
Without a doubt, the evolution of India’s film industry in 2025 serves as a case study in the complex interplay between commercial ambition and artistic integrity. The ongoing scrutiny suggests the story is far from over—and the year ahead may see new genre champions emerging from the shadows of franchises.
