ET NEWS

Mumbai: Men with dad bodies, crow feet and grey hair around balding pates are barrelling the cinema box office with gravitas, character and depth. They are also charging hefty premiums while crashing the youngsters' rave in cinema halls and OTT platforms. Films starring mature actors aged 50-70 have recorded impressive box-office collections across Hindi and southern cinema reflecting audiences' growing preference for acting skills and character depth over stardom hype and social media gimmicks, leading producers and distributors told ET. The "second innings" of these actors have turned the match.In recent years, mature actors such as Sunny Deol (68), Chiranjeevi (70), Nandamuri Balakrishna (65), Venkatesh (65) and Akshaye Khanna (50) have either delivered solo hits or contribute meaningfully to noteworthy hits, giving a run for the money to younger peers.Notably, these mature actors today are charging fees in the ₹15-50 crore range, considerably higher than ₹2-10 crore they charged at the prime of their careers, trade analysts said.127917560Films such as Border 2 (India collection: ₹335.7 crore), Dhurandhar (India collection: ₹1,004 crore), Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (India collection: ₹245 crore), Daaku Maharaaj (India collection: ₹108 crore) and Sankranthiki Vasthunam (India collection: ₹225 crore) are prominent successes of these mature actors. "It is impressive that films of mature actors are recording above ₹100 crore at the box office almost consistently. After Gadar 2 and Jaat, Sunny Deol delivered another winner in Border 2 at the age of 68 in today's highly unpredictable times," explained Shaaminder Malik, film distributor and trade analyst.Producers attribute the captivating charisma of these long-established stars as a fundamental reason for their success."Across languages, actors in their 50s and above are delivering extraordinary performances. Films today demand larger-than-life, deeply rooted Indian characters. These mature actors who have distinct personalities are showcasing these elements with conviction and gravitas. Audiences are returning to theatres because these actors bring in certain authenticity," said Sunil Bohra, co-founder, Bohra Bros. These actors have long-established connections with multiple generations of audiences, which works for them."These stars attract a wide and multi-generational audience. In a time when younger actors are over-exposed across platforms, the familiarity, trust and legacy of these mature stars work in their favour," shared Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films.He said that today's audiences are less focused on actors' age. They value depth of talent, presence, nuances, and suitability for roles.Producers said that the emergence of credible larger-than-life stories such as Dhurandhar have worked in favour of these stars. "The wave seems to have shifted from south to Hindi film industry. Directors in Hindi film industry are making credible larger-than-life films. These films are working as audiences are responding to them. These mature actors are talented. Today, the difference is they are getting the right roles which exploit their talent," explained producer Rajesh R Nair. These stars' flexibility in accepting roles which are beyond their 'set image', opportunities from streaming platforms, and almost constant social media buzz around them have worked for these stars, producers said.

New Delhi: More than 10.4 lakh passengers were affected by flight cancellations in December, with over 93 per cent of the total passengers getting impacted by IndiGo cancellations.Latest data shared by aviation regulator DGCA also showed that scheduled domestic airlines shelled out over Rs 24.27 crore towards compensation and facilities for flight cancellations that affected more than 10.46 lakh passengers in December. Out of them, flight cancellations by IndiGo impacted 9.82 lakh passengers in December and the airline spent Rs 22.74 crore towards facilitation.The overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines was 6.92 per cent in December, and that of IndiGo was 9.65 per cent.IndiGo, the country's largest airline, faced massive flight disruptions in early December and during that month, its market share fell to 59.6 per cent from 63.6 per cent in November.During December, a total of 29,212 passenger-related complaints had been received by the scheduled domestic airlines and the number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried was at around 20.41, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).According to the DGCA data, flight delays impacted 8.34 lakh passengers and airlines spent Rs 4.50 crore towards facilitation in December. In December, as many as 2,050 passengers were denied boarding by the airlines, which shelled out Rs 2.08 crore towards compensation and facilitation in this regard."Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-December 2025 were 1,669.46 lakh as against 1,613.31 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering an annual growth of 3.48 per cent and a monthly negative growth of 4.14 per cent," the DGCA said in its report for December. In December, the market share of Air India Group and Akasa Air rose to 29.6 per cent and 5.2 per cent, respectively. The two airlines' market share stood at 26.7 per cent and 4.7 per cent, respectively. SpiceJet also saw its market share rise to 4.3 per cent in December from 3.7 per cent in November 2025. State-owned Alliance Air's market share remained unchanged at 0.4 per cent in December.