Post “Baahubali” and “RRR”, many so-called “pan-India” movies have been released, but how many of them truly generated the same level of hysteria as these two? Very few names come to mind. It seems the term “pan-India” is getting diluted with every new release.
Originally, the term was used when filmmakers made equal efforts to promote their movies in both the North and South markets. These films had widespread appeal across India. For example, “Baahubali” featured mostly South Indian actors, but Karan Johar took responsibility for its Hindi distribution, which helped generate nationwide buzz. Similarly, in the case of “RRR”, the involvement of Hindi actors like Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt amplified its hype in the North.
However, filmmakers soon started using the “pan-India” tag as a marketing tool, primarily for their own commercial benefit. Bollywood filmmakers, in particular, adopted this strategy. In the case of “Adipurush”, minimal marketing was done in the South, and the movie relied heavily on Prabhas’s stardom. The same could be said for Salman Khan’s “Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan”. Now, it has become a trend for South Indian filmmakers to include one or two North actors, and vice versa, to label a movie as “pan-India.”
Take “Devara”, which just released today. The makers have done minimal marketing in North India, and simply casting Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor won’t create the same kind of hype in the Hindi-speaking belt. As a result, the “pan-India” label seems ineffective in the case of “Devara”.
That said, this strategy hasn’t always failed. The “pan-India” approach has worked wonders for films like “Animal” and “Jawan”, where the teams put equal effort into marketing across both regions.
With so many projects being promoted as pan-India films, it seems that the impact of the term has diminished. What are your thoughts on this trend?