Mumbai is the city of dreams for millions of aspiring actors, but not many make it big in Bollywood. After endless auditions, most dreamers crash-land into the overflowing, super-competitive pool of talent and settle for whatever comes their way.

But things have begun to change in the last decade. Not all big-budget movies featuring established actors have made money. New-age Bollywood filmmakers have begun to find funding to tell stories of contemporary India with both commercial success and critical acclaim using actors scouted from small towns — far away from mainstream Bollywood’s dazzling glamour and mega superstars .

For many, the desire to be part of and seek validation from the exclusive club of Bollywood elite who control the mainstream movie business remains strong.

“We don’t need your films, but why don’t you acknowledge what we do?” Ranaut said in her Instagram video.

At the heart of this bitter debate lie money and profits, the fuel that drives movie-making machines everywhere in the world.

“Everything depends on what the audience wants, who they are willing to pay to see on screen,” said film director Sonam Nair. “The studios, as well as the independent producers, they all just want to get people in the seats at the end of the day.”

“In Hollywood too we see actors attaching themselves to blockbuster franchises made by the bigger studios, so they can reach a much larger audience than they would otherwise,” she said. “It’s about the films’ commerce and reach, and not personal preferences or agenda.”