Prasoon Joshi on content overload: Audience these days have content indigestion

Prasoon Joshi asserts, how today's abundance of content has led to a 'content indigestion,' making it harder for audiences to engage with new stories

At a time when audiences can access films, shows and short-form content across multiple platforms, Prasoon Joshi believes the abundance of entertainment has changed the way people consume stories. He describes the phenomenon as “content indigestion”, saying that audiences are constantly consuming content without necessarily having the appetite to sit through something new.

Prasoon Joshi on content overload: Audience these days have content indigestion

Asked whether it has become harder for the film industry to return to authenticity when box-office collections and profitability influence what gets made, Joshi points to the consequences of simply following what is already working. “By following the herd mentality, what are you getting? Losses. You are getting losses, yeah? So, what is the option? I think the writing is on the wall,” he says.

He argues that even when filmmakers are concerned about taking a different route, repeating an existing formula does not necessarily protect them from failure. “At least, if you feel that by being authentic, I’m going to make losses, I think you will be more aware of that loss, that copy loss, that I didn’t do anything new for myself, and I made losses,” he says. “So, if you are going to make losses, you have to move forward.”

For Joshi, authenticity is not another formula that the industry can collectively adopt. “I believe in authentic, means truly authentic. Authentic does not mean that, you know, everyone has their own stories, everyone wants to tell it in their own way,” he says.

He believes the challenge today is fundamentally different from what audiences faced when he was growing up. “When we were growing up, Friday was like a waiting day. It doesn’t matter what will come. Whatever film came, we sat there. It was a privilege to see something new. Now people have so many options,” he says.

Joshi compares the way audiences consume content today with constantly snacking on food. “Mother used to tell her son, son, come home early from office, I’m making your favourite chole. Okay, come home early. I’ll make chole. Today, when he comes home, he has indigestion,” he says.

The analogy, he explains, extends directly to entertainment. “Food is so accessible, and people are snacking all day. The same thing is happening in content. People have content indigestion,” he says. “So it’s very difficult to actually make people watch something because they are not that hungry. They have been snacking on content the whole day.”

With audiences having so many choices, Joshi believes authenticity becomes even more important for filmmakers trying to make their work stand out. “So it is very challenging, and it’s a lot more important that we stay authentic,” he ends.