The South Indian Film Industry is currently ruling the Indian Cinematic Scenario and emerging as being defined as the new pan-India films. The films from South are being embraced by the people of northern states, thanks to the Hindi dubbing available. The films have showcased huge potential and possibilities and now we see the Bollywood films (that are supposed to be the mainstream pan-Indian films to have become less relatable to a wider array of audience).
In the South Indian Film Festival, producer Allu Aravind, father of superstar Allu Arjun, when asked how the new definition of a pan-India film is taking shape said that the South has been producing films that have appealed to the audience of whole India lately. The films have been relatable to people of the North as well. This makes the movies from South as the new pan-Indian films.
The Bollywood films have lost their hold to the Hindi speaking audience due to their restricted viewpoints. The makers are only focusing on the culture, language, people present in the Bandra-Juhu belt of Mumbai. Aravind also noted this fact. He said, “I respect Bombay filmmakers and their level of thinking. It’s too good. But at the same time, they are somewhere locked between Bandra and Juhu! They are brought up in Bandra and Juhu, and their culture and vision are like that.”
This limited perspective of the makers makes a film that becomes unrelatable for most of the audience of India. Aravind implies that the Bollywood films are something that is unrelatable for a large Hindi speaking community from states like UP and Bihar. This leads into the film being restricted to a limited number of audiences. Aravind also stated, once the makers realise this issue and start making films appeasing the whole Indian audience, again it will come into the mainstream. And soon as this happens, the national popularity of South Films will also fade away. This has been seen in some films like 12th Fail and Stree 2.
So, Bollywood’s way towards success will be to create films that portray culture, characters and stories that will resonate all of India and not just a particular section.