Prasoon Joshi says Bollywood cannot adopt a 'victim mindset' over failures: 'There is a need to do some introspection'

Writer and CBFC Chairperson Prasoon Joshi advised Bollywood to not adopt a ‘victim’ mindset over box office failures.

Writer and Censor Board chief Prasoon Joshi, on Saturday, talked about the recent spate of box office disappointments the Hindi film industry has produced. He said that the film industry cannot adopt a ‘victim mindset’ and must instead look for ways to get past this slump. He also spoke about why most Bollywood films are flopping.

Prasoon Joshi spoke about what ails Bollywood at a recent event.

The Hindi film industry, by and large, has not had a very productive 2022. Many big-budget films featuring the top stars have tanked at the box office. This has happened, despite the fact that films from south have done well, sometimes even in the Hindi belt. Many Hindi films have also faced boycott calls in this time. This has led to many speculating that Bollywood is ‘dead’.

Speaking at Sahitya Aaaj Tak 2022 on Saturday, Prasoon said this has happened because the industry and the creators there have lost connect with their roots. “There was a time when Bollywood films had stories taken from literature and mythology. These tales were connected to their roots. Then, at some point, Bollywood became self-congratulatory and went into a bubble. There are mainly only people from Mumbai here. Many have never seen a farmer in real life. But then they try to show farmers in films. They are cut off from their roots.”

He added that some thought now needs to go into how the situation can be improved. “There is a need to do some introspection. It needs to do away with the victim mindset,” he added.

Prasoon Joshi is a writer and poet who has received the National Award for Best Lyrics twice. He has also written scripts, most notably for the 2014 Milkha Singh biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which was a critical and commercial success. In 2017, he replaced Pahlaj Nihalani as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which is responsible for certification of all Indian films.