Hindi
Seven in ten urban Indians claim their frequency of going to the cinema has decreased: YouGuv
Mumbai: New YouGov data reveals where people are watching new films and how the shift to streaming platforms may affect cinema attendance in a post-covid world.
When asked about the change in their cinema viewing habits since the pandemic, nearly seven in ten urban Indians (69 per cent) agreed with the statement, “My frequency of going to the cinema/theatre has decreased.”
According to data, 44 per cent of people stop visiting the cinema hall because of streaming films online, followed by 42 per cent of people’s preference to watch films at home. Nearly a third think going to a cinema is expensive or feel there aren’t any films worth going to the cinema are 32 per cent each. North Indians were more likely to say they do not go to cinemas because of the flexibility of streaming films online. Similarly, the 40+ group prefers to watch films at home.
When asked about the medium they have used most often to watch newly released films in the past six months, OTT platforms emerged as the most popular choice for nearly half of urban Indians. A fifth (22 per cent) said they watched new movies on TV and only 16 per cent went to the cinema or theatre to watch films during this period.
Looking at the data by age, 57 per cent between age group of 18-29 years were most likely to watch new films on OTT/streaming platforms in the past six months, while 40+ adults than others were more likely to watch them on TV (26 per cent) or in theatres (19 per cent). Notably, residents in South India were more likely to say they watched newly released films in theatres as compared to residents of other regions (22 per cent).
Even though OTT has gained precedence, not all hope is lost for theatres. YouGov data shows a quarter of urban Indians (26 per cent) said their frequency of visiting theatres has increased since the pandemic, with young adults between 18 and 29 years old echoing this sentiment most strongly.
An overview of people’s cinema viewing habits shows one in six urban Indians (15 per cent) said they go to a theatre to watch a film at least once a week, while eight per cent do so once a fortnight. Just under a quarter visit a theatre at least once a month (23 per cent), and nearly half visit it once every two-three months or longer than that. This behaviour is similar across all age groups.
Past behaviour shows cinema outings in the last 12 months have mostly been with friends or family. At 61 per cent, Bollywood films emerged as the most popular kind of cinema among people, followed by Hollywood or regional South Indian films at 45 per cent each.
When it comes to film genres, urban Indians prefer comedy (67 per cent), followed by action (54 per cent), and thrillers (51 per cent). Specifically, thinking about how they like to watch these genres, a majority (55 per cent) said they enjoy watching comedy films on OTT or streaming platforms. 19 per cent prefer watching them in a theatre, and 26 per cent prefer both the options. The higher preference for OTT platforms is uniform across genres, except for action films, where people were more likely to say they liked watching these films in theatres than on OTT platforms.
Commenting on the research, YouGov India GM Deepa Bhatia said, “After two years of the pandemic, theatres in India finally opened to full capacity this year. However, the rising popularity of streaming platforms remains a challenge, discouraging people to step out of their homes.”
“While cost and home viewing habits keep many people away from the movies, it should be remembered that people go to the cinema to enjoy the experience. It is important for brands to understand the changing cinema habits and behaviours of urban Indians to re-imagine their marketing strategies and prepare themselves for this ever evolving relationship between films and consumers,” added Bhatia.
Data was collected online among 1,004 urban Indian respondents in September 2022 by YouGov’s Omnibus using its panel of over 20 million people worldwide.
In a music industry that often rewards speed, spectacle, and instant recall, Navjot Ahuja’s journey feels refreshingly different. His story is not built on noise. It is built on patience, discipline, emotional honesty, and a quiet commitment to becoming better with every passing year. After 14 years of struggle, learning, performing, and writing, Navjot stands today as an artist whose success has not changed his centre. If anything, it has only made his purpose clearer.
For Navjot, music has never been about chasing fame alone. It has always been about expression. It is about writing more truthfully, singing more skillfully, understanding himself more deeply, and becoming a kinder human being in the process. That rare clarity is what gives his journey its beauty.
Where It All Began: A Writer Before a Singer
Indian singer and songwriter Navjot Ahuja’s musical journey began in the most familiar of places: school assemblies. But even then, what was growing inside him was not only the desire to sing. It was the need to write.
Long before he saw himself as a performer, he had already discovered the emotional release that writing offered him. For Navjot, words became the first true channel for feeling. Songwriting came before singing because writing was the only way he could let emotions flow through him fully. That inner pull shaped his artistic identity early on.
Like many young musicians, he sharpened his craft by creating renditions of popular songs.
Those experiments became his training ground. But the turning point came in 2012, when he wrote his first original song. That moment did not just mark the beginning of songwriting. It marked the beginning of self-definition.
A Calling He Did Not Chase, But Accepted
What makes the latest Indian singer-songwriter Navjot’s story especially compelling is the way he describes his relationship with music. He does not frame it as a career he aggressively pursued. In his own understanding, music was not something he chose. It was something that chose him.
There was a time when he imagined a very different future for himself. He wanted to become a successful engineer, like many young people shaped by ambition and conventional expectations. But life had a different script waiting for him. During his college years, around 2021, music entered his life professionally and began taking a firmer shape.
That shift was not driven by image-building or industry ambition. It came from acceptance. Navjot embraced the fact that music had claimed him in a way no other path could. That sense of surrender continues to define the artist he is today.
An Artist Guided by Instinct, Not Influence
Unlike many singers who speak openly about idols, icons, and musical role models, Navjot’s creative world is built differently. He does not believe his music comes from imitation or inherited influence. He listens inward.
He has never considered himself shaped by ideals in the traditional sense. In fact, he admits that he does not particularly enjoy listening to songs, especially his own. His decisions as a songwriter and singer come from instinct. He writes what feels right. He trusts what his inner voice tells him. He positions his music according to what he honestly believes in, not what trends demand.
That creative independence gives his work a distinct emotional sincerity. His songs do not feel calculated. They feel alive.
The Long Years of Invisible Struggle
Every artist carries a chapter of struggle, and Navjot’s was long, demanding, and deeply formative. One of the biggest challenges he faced was building continuity as the best new indian singer songwriter in an era where musical collaboration is increasingly fluid.
For emerging singers, especially those trying to build with a band, consistency can be difficult. Instrumentalists today have more opportunities than ever to freelance and perform with multiple artists. While that growth is positive and well deserved, it can make things harder for singers who are still trying to establish a steady team and sound around their work.
For Navjot, one of the most difficult phases came during 2021 and 2022, when he was doing club shows almost every day. It was a period of relentless performance, but not always personal fulfillment. He was largely singing covers because clubs were not open to original songs that audiences did not yet know.
For a new Indian singer and songwriter, that can be a painful compromise. To perform constantly and still not have the freedom to share your own voice requires not just resilience, but restraint.
“Khat” and the Grace of Staying Unchanged
After 14 years of effort, Navjot’s new love song Khat became a defining milestone. Professionally, he acknowledges that the song changed how society viewed him as a musician. It strengthened his place in the public eye and altered his standing in meaningful ways.
Yet personally, he remains unchanged.
That is perhaps the most striking part of his story. Navjot says his routine is still the same. His calm is still the same. His writing process is still the same. He does not want success or failure to interfere with the purity of his art. For him, emotional detachment from public outcomes is essential because the moment an artist becomes too attached to validation, the writing begins to shift.
His joy comes not from numbers, but from the attempt. If he has tried to improve his skill today, if he has written his heart out more honestly than before, then he is at peace.
Growth, Not Glory, Remains the Real Goal
Even now, Navjot is not consumed by labels such as singles artist, performer, or digital success story. His focus remains deeply personal. He wants to sing better. He wants to play instruments better. He wants to understand himself more. And he wants to become a kinder person.
That is what makes Navjot Ahuja’s journey so moving. It is not simply the story of a musician finding recognition. It is the story of an artist who continues to grow inward, even as the world begins to look outward at him. In an age obsessed with applause, Navjot reminds us that the most meaningful success often begins in silence, honesty, and the courage to remain true to oneself.
