FOLLOWING THE HERD: A STUDY ON SALIENT TRENDS IN THE CONTEMPORARY HINDI FILM INDUSTRY IN INDIA

From the first feature film ever produced in Hindi cinema to this date, the industry has witnessed a massive evolution. With changes ushering in almost every few years, it has seen its share of highs and lows in its quality and filmmaking standards. Speaking of the 21st century, while changes surely and gradually appeared in several aspects of the Hindi film industry, after 2010, many unprecedented conversions took place that shifted tectonic plates in Hindi cinema.However,there was one notion thatthe industry held on to, i.e. Its tendency to follow trends blindly. As soon as a method or a paradigm gains popularity, a noticeable majority quickly pick the "success formula" and start reproducing products in the exact similar fashion on and on until one day the trend loses its position amongst people, which is then taken over by yet another trend. This paper pursues a mixed methodology of exploratory study method with the assistance of library and secondary data, qualitative interviews with stake holders, cinegoers who extensively analyses the crucial trends followed by the Hindi film industry in the last decade, i.e., 2010-2020. The findings in the research paper provide deep insights into various trending formulas in Hindi cinema.