Anurag Kashyap, who is executive producer on the independently made children’s film Little Thomas, said on Tuesday that a wave of devotional and patriotic films has won favour in Hindi cinema and is squeezing out other genres, making it harder for filmmakers to get their projects greenlit.
‘Film banana hi difficult hai’
Speaking about his role on Little Thomas — directed by Kaushal Oza and starring Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal — Kashyap described himself as an enabler who keeps creative teams motivated and helps projects reach completion and release. He said the present climate has narrowed choices for producers and filmmakers.
“It is just about faith and upping somebody’s morale. I see myself as someone who keeps morale high and helps them complete and release a film,”
He added, in Hindi, that making films is difficult today — whether for children or adults — and recounted a conversation with a producer who told him, in effect, that the safe options were limited. According to Kashyap, the producer said they felt they could only make a patriotic or a devotional film because little else was being approved.
Box‑office trend and openings for smaller films
Kashyap pointed to the commercial landscape in 2026, noting that several of the year’s biggest hits belong to the patriotic/devotional bracket. He listed titles that fit this pattern and suggested the dominance of those genres has influenced commissioning choices across the industry.
At the same time, he argued that the current environment could open a window for different kinds of storytelling — including slice‑of‑life and independently produced films such as Little Thomas — which might "sneak in" amid the major trend because they offer something distinct.
- Little Thomas — an independent children’s film backed by Kashyap; directed by Kaushal Oza; cast includes Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal.
- Commercial success of recent patriotic/devotional titles has shaped producer decisions on what to greenlight.
- Kashyap described his role as boosting morale and enabling completion and release of indie projects.
Three of four big hits fit the template
The filmmaker referenced the year’s top performers to underline his point: according to the reporting, three of the four biggest hits from Bollywood this year fall under the patriotic or devotional category. Those titles include Dhurandhar 2, Hanuman Ansh and Border 2. Several more projects in similar veins have been announced since their success.
| Title | Genre |
|---|---|
| Dhurandhar 2 | Patriotic/Devotional (as reported) |
| Hanuman Ansh | Patriotic/Devotional (as reported) |
| Border 2 | Patriotic/Devotional (as reported) |
Kashyap warned that such clustering of successful films can have a chilling effect on the kinds of projects studios and financiers are willing to back. His comments reflect a wider anxiety among filmmakers when market signals converge around a few commercially dominant genres.
Context for independent cinema
As an executive producer, Kashyap said his contribution is less about creative control and more about enabling filmmakers to see a project through — raising morale, helping complete the film and moving it toward release. He hopes that distinctive independent projects — including those featuring children as protagonists but not necessarily crafted as conventional kids’ films — will find a place in theatres despite the prevailing trend.
The debate over the balance between commercial certainty and creative diversity is not new, but Kashyap’s remarks underscore the current moment in Hindi cinema, where the success of a handful of films appears to be shaping what gets financed and distributed. For now, he framed his involvement in Little Thomas as part of an effort to keep alternate voices alive during a period of narrower industry tastes.
Reporting for this story is based on an interview published by Hindustan Times, which documented Kashyap’s remarks and the films he cited in describing the present course of Hindi cinema.
