The year 2024 saw Payal Kapadia and her All We Imagine As Light making headlines internationally, Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies winning hearts with its simplicity and subtle social commentary, and Imtiaz Ali-Diljit Dosanjh-AR Rahman combo introducing a new generation of audience to the tale and music of Amar Singh Chamkila.
However, this year also saw Ali’s 2018 Laila Majnu becoming a sleeper hit, cine-goers reliving nostalgia with successful re-runs of Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Jab We Met (2007), and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), and Rahi Anil Barve’s 2018 folk horror Tumbbad finally getting the credit it deserved.
While the re-release of old classics is nothing new, it hadn’t seen such a resurgence as to become a major trend, when audiences not only got a chance to rewatch their favourite films on the big screen but many films that received lukewarm reception during their initial release became surprising hits.
Two films, Laila Majnu and Tumbbad, both 2018 releases that received lukewarm reception during their initial run, stand out. While the Avinash Tiwary and Triptii Dimri-starrer, which told the tale of two star-crossed lovers, outdid its 2018 collection of Rs 2.18 crore in just three days, the Sohum Shah-produced period horror Tumbbad made four times the money it did in its original theatrical release in 2018. Both the sleeper hits were joined by Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar, which earned over Rs 10 crore during its re-run in May, as among the most successful re-releases of 2024.
Interestingly, the films chosen to be re-released comprised an eclectic mix, which included Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar (1963), cult-classic Sholay (1975), Shah Rukh-Salman Khan-starrer Karan Arjun (1995), Subhash Ghai’s dance-musical Taal (1999), revenge drama Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), among several others.
Regional films, too, witnessed a similar trend with films such as Mohanlal-Shobana blockbuster Manichitrathazhu (1993), which was remade in Hindi as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Devadoothan, and Vijay’s 2004 superhit Ghilli performing especially well.
So what drove audiences to theatres to watch the films already available on OTT?
Notably, several much-anticipated and big-budget films, such as Fighter, Maidaan, Bade Miya Chote Miya, and Khel Khel Mein, failed to perform well. At the same time, lower ticketing costs, ranging from just Rs 99 to Rs 150, offered audiences the theatre experience at a much lower cost. While nostalgia, too, is attributed to have steered the trend, the films ensured a guaranteed ‘paisa wasool’ time.
Reports suggest that over 50 old films were re-released in 2024.
And stepping into 2025, the trend appears to stay with films like Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi's Hitler (1997), Ram Gopal Varma’s classic Satya (1998), and coming-of-age rom-com Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) set to return on the big screen in January.
