Bollywood: horror films resurface to win wide audiences in India

The horror genre was long overlooked in the film industry. Bollywoodin India, but reinvented itself with a mix of comedy, mythology and the presence of big stars that boosted its success at the box office.

“There are new stories, fresh talent, and all of this leads to a resurgence,” commented director Deepak Ramsay, from a renowned family of filmmakers who have created around 30 horror films in recent decades. “Films that were once seen as niche films are now box office hits,” he added.

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“There is a huge audience waiting to see these films,” said director Aditya Sarpotdar, whose film ‘Thamma’, considered India’s first vampire film, releases this October.

This “bloody love story” stars popular actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna, and mixes traditional Bollywood dances and songs with werewolves and sharp fangs.

Before, a horror film was made with around 25 thousand dollars (133.7 thousand reais at current prices), whereas now “the budget is 9 million dollars (48 million reais at current prices)”, said Ramsay.

“After the scare”

Due to the low budget of horror films, “none of the big stars were interested,” Ramsay explained. Furthermore, horror cinema is limited to adult audiences, which left “almost 50% of viewers out”, he noted. In the early 2000s, the scenario slowly started changing when Ajay Devgn appeared in ‘Bhoot’ (Phantom), a 2003 hit.

In 2018, ‘Tumbbad’ was the first Indian work to open the Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival. Filmmakers began to increasingly mix genres. “There is a very fine line between horror and comedy,” Ram Gopal Varma, director of ‘Bhoot’, told AFP. “When you get scared, the first reaction after being scared is to laugh,” he said.

In search of a star

Sarpotdar considers that the lighter approach increased public interest. “When you’re aiming for a massive audience, humor becomes key,” he said. His 2024 hit ‘Munhya’, about a vengeful spirit who wants to get married, became a family film.

However, Sarpotdar feels that Indian cinema still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. His current aspiration is to see one of Bollywood’s biggest stars acting in this genre of film. “I would love to see Shah Rukh Khan do horror,” commented the director.