The year 2021 marked a significant turning point for Indian cinema, with actors like Akshay Kumar and Sanya Malhotra leading the charge in both theaters and on OTT platforms. Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, Kumar’s bold decision to release BellBottom in August set a precedent for Hindi cinema’s return to theaters, even amidst varying occupancy restrictions across states. The film grossed Rs 32 crore, signaling a tentative yet hopeful revival.

In the South, Tamil superstar Vijay’s Master kickstarted the year with a monumental Rs 162.5 crore collection predominantly from Tamil Nadu. This success paved the way for a resurgence in regional cinemas, buoyed by hits like Krack, Jathi Ratnalu, Uppena, and Vakeel Saab. However, the devastating second wave of Covid-19 halted this momentum, particularly affecting Hindi-speaking regions.

Salman Khan’s Eid release Radhe opted for a digital release, met with mixed reviews, while Sidharth Malhotra’s Shershaah emerged as a surprise hit on Prime Video. Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s long-awaited Sooryavanshi, which was postponed several times, finally released in November and crossed the Rs 100 crore mark within a week, revitalizing cinema halls nationwide.

Malhotra hasn’t had to worry about numbers since last year when she also had two direct-to-digital releases in Shakuntala Devi and Ludo. “I’ve got the right kind of audience and the appreciation I was looking for through OTT,” she says. In a career spanning just about six years, the 29-year-old has taken a rather unconventional route thus far. It began with Dangal, which taught her “to focus on what you can provide to the script with your performance than worry about the screen time”. It’s also about the different shades of women she chooses to essay, be it a lonely widow discovering an inconvenient truth about her husband (Pagglait) or a bride negotiating distance in an arranged-come-love marriage (Meenakshi Sundareshwar). “Unconsciously, your values do reflect in the characters you do,” she says. “Not every character is relatable. But you need to convince yourself first, only then can you convince the audience.”
Going by Netflix data, Malhotra has pulled it off. Pagglait was in the top 10 in India for a few weeks while Meenakshi Sundareshwar figured in the top 10 film titles for six weeks, with an appearance in the top 10 global films list for three consecutive weeks. On social media, her fans make Instagram reels imitating her steps to ‘Ittar Bittar’, a playful track from Meenakshi…, while critics and award shows acknowledged her work in Pagglait. As Malhotra looks ahead to 2022, she is conscious about not becoming complacent. “I am always thinking, how can I learn something new about acting and experiment with the work?” she says. “I am scared of repeating my characters. It is an unattainable goal, I know, but I perform better when I am putting pressure on myself.