When cinema takes a backseat, is cricket to blame? Some say yes, others beg to differ. While the cricket World Cup may keep some audiences away from movie theatres (don’t forget that India is, after all, out of the World Cup now) will cricket fever really be intense enough to put a spanner in the works for Bollywood?

No doubt, the year has begun dismally for the Hindi film industry. The situation appears all the more stark when compared to 2006, which happened to be a great year for cinema. The industry saw a number of films go down well with the masses. Everything, from social commentaries such as Rang De Basanti to comic efforts such as Lage Raho Munnabhai, or even the adrenalin-boosting Dhoom and Krrish, found takers in cine-going circles, giving the film industry a much needed boost.

Unfortunately, the trend didn’t spill over into 2007. The bombing of big budget, multi-star films such as Eklavya and Salaam-e-Ishq was but a premonition of things to come. Black Friday, the much-awaited celluloid take on the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, failed to click with the audiences. Madhur Bhandarkar, who revelled in the success of Page 3 in 2005, admits that the performance of his recent film Traffic Signal at the box office left a lot to be desired. “It is a panicky situation for the film industry in general,” says the director. “There are big promos, big canvases but there aren’t any big hits. Things are very shaky and uncertain at the moment,” he adds.

Some of the films scheduled for release in the latter part of 2007 are Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariyaa, Abbas-Mastan’s Mr Fraud and Yash Chopra’s Tara Rum Pum. Industrywallahs hope that these films will bring the bad spell to an end.

But the blame game, meanwhile, has already begun. Some think that the cricket season is keeping viewers away from cinema halls. “The World Cup will make it a very difficult year for us,” says producer Yusuf Lakdawala. “The first six months are going to be hard. We will have to wait and watch if there are going to be any good movies in the second half of the year.”

But distributor Shyam Shroff believes that cricket is no threat to cinema. “If your movie is good, I don’t think the World Cup or anything else would be a problem. If your movie is weak, even a Ranji Trophy repeat telecast could be an opposition,” he says.

However, to cash in on the cricket wave, Milan Luthria released Hatrick, a film that revolves around cricket and five sets of people and their passion for the sport. Cricket-oriented films such as Lagaan and Iqbal have done well in the past.

This year the biggest drawback of most ventures was perhaps their weak storylines. “There is no substance in storylines these days. Everyone wants to make quick money,” feels Lakdawala.

On the other hand, Lakdawala agrees that stronger storylines such as that of Nishabd, where an old man falls in love with a teenager, isn’t the way to go either. “The Indian mindset will not accept it,” he says.

The answer lies in the middle path, where strong storylines accompany quality content and a good music score. “We need good movies with good music and entertainment that the masses can relate to. Big budget films flop because they lack in these areas,” asserts Manoj Desai, who owns the theatres G-7 and Maratha Mandir in Mumbai. And contrary to popular belief, “too much skin show and sleaze” puts audiences off instead of luring them to theatres, he thinks.

“There is no soul in movies these days,” stresses actor Jackie Shroff. “The content is weak. There is hope only if this situation changes,” he says.

Historically, strong scripts and good music have boosted Bollywood time and again. Past blockbusters such as Hum Apke Hain Kaun, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai had well-rounded plots and great music, something that appealed to crowds across social tiers.

But most movies made these days only appeal to the elite urban crowd, says director Suneel Darshan. “We are neglecting the masses. We have to make more movies that people can relate to,” says Darshan, whose film Shakalaka Boom Boom is slated for release soon.

Several other factors are hitting the industry hard. Movie piracy and videos available through the Internet is one such. Besides, March isn’t exactly the best time for releases, since school and college examinations tend to get underway, and films are pushed to the backburner. “Besides, the pre-Holi period deters families from venturing out,” observes Shyam Shroff.

Spring is hence a fallow period when only B and C grade films, better known as ‘skin flicks,’ are released. Not that the trend stops some filmmakers from taking a risk. Films such as Water, 1971, Sarhad Paar, and Namastey London have all been released this season.

Jackie Shroff, however, sees the lull as just another bad period. “Business is like the sea. Sometimes there are high tides and sometimes there are low tides,” he philosophises. “As in all businesses, the film industry also has its ups and downs. It is a phase. And there isn’t much one can do about it.”