Vasan Bala, Om Raut to Jasmeet K Reen: Filmmakers Who Are Shaping Bollywood Cinema

Gone are the days when Bollywood was churning out predictable rom-coms and action dramas that were larger than life, making them unbelievable. Recently, a fresh wave of filmmakers has brought a new perspective to filmmaking, giving their voice to social conflicts, mythological dramas, domestic stories with a twist of comedy, technology, and playful suspense. Take a look:

Jasmeet K Reen: Jasmeet K Reen created a bold directorial film, Darlings. This domestic narrative, with a blend of dark comedy, carried social undertones that reflected reality. Her vision towards the domestic hurdles carries humour, wit, and trauma, making her a standout director in Indian cinema.

Vasan Bala: Psycho, Monica O My Darling, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, and the recent release, Jigra, are films that shine light on Vasan Bala’s creative filmmaking, something that makes reality look unbelievable, but not through the director’s lens. Particularly in O My Darling, he fused neo-noir mystery with vintage Bollywood aesthetics. Additionally, he also paid homage to pulp fiction with his quirky characters and playful suspension, and seamlessly shattered the wall of formulaic storytelling.

Om Raut: Om Raut established himself as a visionary filmmaker through Adipurush, a one-of-a-kind film that blended mythology with technology. He marked a bold shift in filmmaking by visualising epic tales through motion capture. Through Adipurush, he undertook the risk of fusing digital innovation into the epic tale of Ramayana, delivering a film that connected with audiences across age groups. During the recently held WAVES Summit, he also spoke about how the film reached a mass audience, covering South and North.

Vivek Agnihotri: Speak about drawing mass attention through credible and real stories! Vivek Agnihotri created waves with The Kashmir Files and The Vaccine War, bringing lesser-known narratives to the mainstream cinema. Despite the fate of his films, Vivek Agnihotri sparked opinions and thoughts about trauma, politics, and truth in cinema.

Jaspal Singh Sandhu: Jaspal Singh Sandhu stepped into the shoes of a co-director for Vadh and created a powerful thriller that focused on raw emotions and moral conflicts. His vision proved that relatable and substantial cinema can dominate larger-than-life spectacles.

What sets these filmmakers apart is how they are ditching predictability and are serving novelty through their creative vision, making the future of Indian Cinema.