The boundary between 'regional' and 'mainstream' has officially collapsed. In 2025-26, the biggest box-office earners in North India didn't necessarily come from Mumbai, but from Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi.
The Death of the Remake
For decades, Bollywood relied on remaking South Indian hits. Today, the audience prefers the original with subtitles or high-quality dubbing. This has forced creators to focus on original storytelling and rootedness. The more local a story is, the more global its appeal seems to be.
OTT as a Catalyst
Streaming platforms have democratized access. A viewer in Lucknow can now binge a Malayalam thriller as easily as a Hollywood series. This has elevated the technical standards across the board, with regional directors now having the budgets to rival international productions.