Mumbai: Producers Boney Kapoor and Naga Vamsi recently engaged in a spirited war of words on the transformative impact of South Indian cinema on Bollywood.
Addressing the Galatta Plus Mega Pan-India Producers' Round Table 2024, Vamsi argued that South Indian cinema had revolutionised Bollywood's storytelling, masala entertainment and mass appeal. "For a long time, Bollywood focused on making films for specific areas like Bandra and Juhu," Vamsi commented.
"However, with movies such as RRR, Baahubali, Animal, and Jawan, the landscape has shifted," he said. He further noted that after Mughal-E-Azam, it was only South Indian films like Baahubali and RRR that were mentioned in the same breath, emphasising that no Hindi film had been given similar recognition since', according to a report by Pinkvilla.
Boney Kapoor, nevertheless, dismissed the notion that Bollywood had ceded its cultural dominance. "In Russia, Raj Kapoor is still remembered, while in Egypt, people primarily talk about Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. In Morocco, Big B remains a prominent figure, with the King of Morocco honouring both him and Khan", he argued.
Kapoor also drew attention to the unique markets cultivated by regional industries. "Telugu cinema has a notable presence in the US, and Tamil films dominate in Singapore and Malaysia. The Gulf region is a cosmopolitan market for films". To this, Vamsi added that Malayalam films have carved out a niche in the Gulf.
The debate intensified when Kapoor stated, "Pushpa 2 star Allu Arjun is a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan" and added "it is not the language barrier. Audiences are receptive to what they consider quality, regardless of whether it’s Telugu, Tamil, or Hindi cinema." He also mentioned that even Marathi films are now grossing 100 crores.
