The era of the superstar is not over in Bollywood?

People on this forum like to say age of the superstar is over but I think that's completely wrong. Bollywood is structured in such a way that this will never happen.

Every generation has its superstars. The current superstars are Ranbir, Ranveer, Alia, and Deepika. Ayushmann and Varun and Shraddha are big stars as well. Consider the kind of hype and excitement when any trailer of their film comes out. I'm not even mentioning the Khans, Akshay Kumar, and Hrithik as they are in a league of their own. Yesterday a really cool teaser came out of Haseen Dilruba but it got very few views. Compare this to Radhe which reached 8 million views in a few hours only.

Content is NOT the primary thing in Bollywood, though good films are appreciated but people would rather watch them on OTT and not in the theatres. And OTT stardom is not real stardom.

Unless you are willing to go to the theatre, shed out money and buy tickets to watch someone performing on the big screen, that is the kind of stardom I'm talking abt.

COVID has not taken away the stardom of the big stars. They are still there lurking in the margins, and if social media is an indicator, people are still going gaga over them.

So I really don't think age of the superstar is over in Bollywood. The craze, the excitements the irrational frenzy is very much there.

There's still a hierarchy of stars, like it or not.

Thoughts/opinions?

We have stars yes, but no superstars. There is no one in the current gen who is capable of comparison with the Khans.

Originally posted by: Sharpener

We have stars yes, but no superstars. There is no one in the current gen who is capable of comparison with the Khans.

see, so long as the Khans are still active (especially Salman and Aamir) they are still superstars. As for the current gen, I believe Ranbir, Ranveer, Alia and Deepika are superstars because they get audiences into theatres and have been part of some huge hits. There may be some difference in the degree of superstardom, but they are superstars, nevertheless,

But but....current generation or not, the era of the superstar is not yet over.

Superstars are already on their way out . People have lot more option in their hands so it’s lot more harder to be a household name .

Originally posted by: mintyblue

But but....current generation or not, the era of the superstar is not yet over.

There is a cultural shift in the movie industry and it's definitely diluting the superstar culture along the way, which is a good thing in my opinion. I understand disliking celebrities based on their offscreen persona, etc. but I cannot for the life of me understand some people's obsession with actors to the point where they regard them as infallible entities. That can't be healthy on a societal level on the whole and I'm glad people are starting to appreciate cinema for what it has to offer instead of getting hung up on one or two "superstars," completely overlooking everything else.

Alia, Deepika, Ranveer, Ranbir, etc. are actors and that's about it ...and with a lot of shortcomings at that. Not a single one of those names pack a good enough deal that appeal to the masses in an undeniable way, like, say, Hrithik, who became an overnight sensation after KNPH.

Originally posted by: mintyblue

see, so long as the Khans are still active (especially Salman and Aamir) they are still superstars. As for the current gen, I believe Ranbir, Ranveer, Alia and Deepika are superstars because they get audiences into theatres and have been part of some huge hits. There may be some difference in the degree of superstardom, but they are superstars, nevertheless,

But but....current generation or not, the era of the superstar is not yet over.

Audiences are always gonna flock to the theatres regardless. Ranveer Ranbir Tapsee Alia etc are stars but no one flocks to the theatres if their movies are even average, these stars need to have amazing scripts with amazing songs to get people into the theatres.

Unlike the Khans where even an average script rakes in millions of rupees.

Originally posted by: SmittenKitten

There is a cultural shift in the movie industry and it's definitely diluting the superstar culture along the way, which is a good thing in my opinion. I understand disliking celebrities based on their offscreen persona, etc. but I cannot for the life of me understand some people's obsession with actors to the point where they regard them as infallible entities. That can't be healthy on a societal level on the whole and I'm glad people are starting to appreciate cinema for what it has to offer instead of getting hung up on one or two "superstars," completely overlooking everything else.

Alia, Deepika, Ranveer, Ranbir, etc. are actors and that's about it ...and with a lot of shortcomings at that. Not a single one of those names pack a good enough deal that appeal to the masses in an undeniable way, like, say, Hrithik, who became an overnight sensation after KNPH.

Hrithik's debut is an sensation,that may never again be repeated in the BW history.

I have no idea how the khans became superstars, I used to like the songs or movie or dialogues more than the actors