We love sci-fi movies, especially the superhero ones, don’t we? The way they bash the bad guys and save the world thrills us.

From having the lightning speed to superhuman strength- superheroes have it all. These characters draw inspiration from fiction, fantasy, and mythology.

Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk... one can go on writing the names of superheroes, and the list will end only at infinity.

Hey, wait a minute! Why doesn’t the list have the name of a single Indian superhero? I mean, we have had superhero movies in India too, didn’t we?

Leave aside the superheroes; how many sci-movies have India made since the inception of filmmaking in the country?

From invisibility to time machines, from biological warfare to super-soldiers- several Indian filmmakers have tried their luck in producing the perfect sci-fi movie from India!

But sadly, apart from a few exceptions, most Indian filmmakers either don’t venture into making superhero or sci-fi movies, or they have made craps!

The question is- why? Is there a lack of budget, a lack of will, or does the problem lie somewhere else?

Let us understand why the Indian audience is deprived of decent desi sci-fi and superhero movies.

Lack Of Underdog Story

A superhero with superhuman powers looks cool, but it becomes even more interesting if he has an underdog background.

People love underdog stories, the ones where the character is at his lowest and becomes almost invincible.

But in India, filmmakers portray superheroes as the perfect hero material right from the beginning or even before they realise their superpowers.

Makers show most Indian superheroes as overly righteous humans, an individual who can fight for good no matter what.

But what the Indian filmmakers forget is that people love underdog stories.

Requirement Of Flawed Heroes

Indian superheroes are not flawed characters. They speak and fight for justice every time and at any cost.

However, the popular superheroes from other countries, especially those from the Holywood, are not always righteous even after turning into superheroes.

People like watching flawed superheroes, the ones who make mistakes and fail.

Unflawed superheroes seem unfamiliar to people. Flawed superheroes look relatable to people despite having supernatural powers.

Too Much Focus On The Main Character

Apart from the protagonist and the antagonist, the side characters are also important when it comes to making an engaging film.

These side characters play crucial roles in taking forward the narrative of a story. Hence, these characters should be developed as strongly as the lead characters are developed and they should not be portrayed only as sidekicks.

In Indian sci-fi movies we often see that makers take little or no interests in developing side characters.

There should be a perfect blend between all the characters, which I feel lacks in the Indian science fiction genre. Perhaps this is another reason to not like Indian sci-fi movies.

Sci-Fi Doesn’t Start And Ends With Superheroes

Looking beyond superheroes is one aspect that I feel the Indian filmmakers overlook when they venture into making sci-fi movies. They start and end the genre with and at superheroes. They forget that there is more to the sci-fi genre than superheroes.

There are multiple universes, time travel, space travel and a lot more to explore in this cinema genre. Still, Indian filmmakers mostly focus on superhero stories in sci-fi movies, except for a few notable mentions.

And whatever little sci-fi movies we have had in India are mostly based on time travel.

However, things are changing gradually in India. Filmmakers are making sci-fi movies beyond superheroes.

We have had movies made on space, comets, natural disasters, and zombies.

Let’s hope that the Indian audience will soon watch many more desi science fiction movies having a universal appeal.

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