Jio Studios President of Media and Content Business Jyoti Deshpande recently spoke about the changing dynamics of Bollywood, superstardom, and audience expectations during an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama. While discussing the future of Indian cinema, Deshpande pointed out how storytelling has now become more important than merely relying on star power.

EXCLUSIVE: Jio Studios’ Jyoti Deshpande says strong stories matter more than stardom: “A film like Stree can still do great business”

Speaking about whether the era of superstardom is fading away, Jyoti Deshpande used Stree as an example to explain how a strong concept can drive massive box office success even without conventional superstar backing at the time of release.

“I would want to answer it as such that if a story is great and it doesn’t have a star, it can still do great business like a Stree. If a story has a star, but if the story is not executed well, it can fail, as we have seen in the past. So, people are not as benevolent just because it’s a star,” she said.

Released in 2018, Stree emerged as one of Bollywood’s most successful surprise hits and later became the foundation of Maddock Films’ growing horror-comedy universe. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the film starred Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, and Pankaj Tripathi. While Shraddha Kapoor was already a recognised Bollywood actress at the time, the franchise’s phenomenal success significantly elevated her box office standing and fan following over the years.

The sequel, Stree 2, released in 2024 and turned out to be an even bigger blockbuster, further cementing the success of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. The expanding universe is also expected to feature Akshay Kumar in future installments.

However, Deshpande clarified that stars still hold tremendous value when combined with compelling storytelling. “But if a star comes in a fantastic story, I think it has the best chance of smashing all records because it’s the perfect star. You have the stardom, people want their stars to succeed. So, that fandom with a great story can create magic,” she added.

She also reflected on how social media has transformed celebrity culture and reduced the aura that once surrounded film stars.

“I think social media has made it difficult because it’s a duel at sword. Earlier the stars had a charisma, they were not out there. If you catch a glimpse of a star, it was a big deal. Now they’re everywhere. So, how do you create that desire and that scarcity?” she said.

Jyoti Deshpande’s comments arrive at a time when Bollywood continues to witness a shift toward content-driven cinema, where audiences are increasingly prioritising strong narratives and theatrical experiences over star-led marketing alone.

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