The Great Regression of Manipuri Cinema: When Commercial Success Rewards Mediocrity

Manipuri cinema is facing a creative crisis. While producers celebrate millions of views, trending releases, and commercial profits, the artistic condition of a large section of the industry continues to decline at an alarming rate. The uncomfortable truth is that some of the most commercially successful Manipuri films and web series of recent years have also been among the least ambitious in terms of storytelling, filmmaking, and artistic vision.

This is not a crisis caused by a lack of talent. Manipuri cinema has never lacked talented actors, writers, cinematographers, musicians, or directors. The crisis stems from something far more troubling: the growing normalization of mediocrity.

Films and web series such as Nungshibeine Nungshimanbei, Mami gi Lairembi, Yeknabi, Eigee Sakthibi, Lonthoktabi, Sir Gi Madam Thirusi, My Wife Tomboy (Eigi Nungshibi Ton), Laija Lembi, Emoinu, Thabaton, Eigi Miss Nungshibi, Piktru vs Allergy Boy, and numerous similar productions have become hugely popular among audiences. Yet popularity alone cannot be mistaken for quality.

Many of these productions rely on repetitive storytelling formulas that have become painfully predictable. The same family conflicts, the same misunderstandings, the same exaggerated emotional breakdowns, the same one-dimensional villains, and the same manipulative twists are recycled again and again. Rather than exploring new themes or experimenting with narrative form, these works often feel trapped inside an endless loop of creative repetition.

The writing is frequently the weakest aspect. Characters are often written as stereotypes rather than people. Motivations change according to the demands of the plot. Conflicts emerge not because they make sense but because the story requires another dramatic scene. Logic is sacrificed for melodrama, and emotional depth is replaced by emotional excess.

The treatment of women is particularly disappointing. Many productions continue to rely on outdated portrayals that reduce female characters to victims, villains, rivals, or sacrificial figures. Instead of reflecting the realities of contemporary Manipuri society, they repeatedly recycle social attitudes that belong to another era.

Technically, the situation is equally concerning. Weak cinematography, poor sound recording, inconsistent editing, artificial performances, and unimaginative visual storytelling have become so common that they are often accepted without question. Yet audiences today consume content from across the world. They watch films from India, South Korea, Europe, and Hollywood. They understand what professional filmmaking looks like. Against those standards, much of contemporary commercial Manipuri cinema appears remarkably underdeveloped.

Perhaps the most alarming trend is the increasing dependence on stories adapted from viral YouTube audio dramas. What works as an audio format does not automatically work as cinema. Yet many such adaptations merely transfer dialogue-heavy narratives to the screen without any meaningful cinematic interpretation. Instead of using the camera to tell stories visually, these productions often function as little more than filmed versions of audio plays.

The makers and writers behind many of these problematic productions—including Thoiba Soibam, Binde Chingtham, Michael Huidrom, Ng Ango, Hei Sanjit, Geet Yumnam, Sudhir Kangjam, Bijgupta Laishram, Babycha Asem, Merina Laishangbam, and others in the same creative league—have become emblematic of a larger crisis within contemporary Manipuri cinema. Their work frequently reflects a troubling lack of artistic growth, originality, and cinematic sophistication. For many critics and viewers, these films have come to symbolize the normalization of creative stagnation, where formulaic storytelling repeatedly triumphs over genuine craftsmanship.

If Manipuri cinema is to reclaim its artistic credibility, those shaping its mainstream output must devote greater attention to the fundamentals of filmmaking rather than continuing to recycle the same creative limitations year after year.

The issue is not that these filmmakers have audiences. The issue is that much of the cinema associated with this trend appears satisfied with doing the minimum necessary to remain commercially viable. There is often little evidence of artistic risk, narrative innovation, or a desire to push the medium forward. Formula has become a substitute for creativity. Familiarity has become a substitute for quality.

The tragedy is that Manipuri cinema has already demonstrated what it is capable of achieving.

In recent years, films such as Oneness, Boong, Oitharei, and Sunita have offered a much-needed reminder that meaningful cinema is still possible. These works approached storytelling with sincerity, ambition, and a genuine respect for the intelligence of their audiences. They proved that Manipuri stories can be culturally rooted while remaining artistically sophisticated and socially relevant.

Unfortunately, such films remain exceptions in an ecosystem increasingly dominated by formula-driven entertainment.

Even more ironic is the fact that many of these commercially successful productions compare unfavourably with the very television soap operas that critics often mock. While Hindi television serials on mainstream networks are frequently criticized for melodrama, they generally maintain higher standards in production design, cinematography, editing, sound, and overall technical execution. That a significant portion of contemporary Manipuri cinema invites such comparisons should concern everyone who cares about the future of the industry.

An equally puzzling aspect of this trend is the continued popularity of deeply regressive female characterizations. It raises questions about why talented and widely recognized actors, including Sonia Samjetsabam, continue to appear in roles that often reinforce outdated stereotypes about women. Given her public image as an educated and accomplished performer, some viewers may wonder why contemporary, nuanced, and empowering female characters remain so rare in many mainstream productions. The issue is not the actor herself, but the broader creative ecosystem that repeatedly offers and rewards such limited representations of women.

A healthy film industry requires disagreement, experimentation, and artistic ambition. It requires filmmakers willing to challenge audiences rather than merely feed them familiar formulas. It requires writers capable of creating believable characters rather than stereotypes. Most importantly, it requires a collective refusal to accept mediocrity simply because it is profitable.

Manipuri cinema possesses extraordinary cultural richness and immense storytelling potential. What it lacks is not talent but a widespread commitment to excellence. Until the industry begins rewarding originality, craft, and creative courage over formula and convenience, it will continue to produce works that may succeed commercially while failing artistically.

The greatest threat to Manipuri cinema is not competition from larger industries. It is the growing belief that commercial success alone is enough. The moment an industry stops demanding better from itself is the moment it begins to decline.

And that is the danger confronting Manipuri cinema today.