When Allu Arjun revealed 'what's wrong with Bollywood'
Bollywood now struggles to capture the attention of even native Hindi speakers in North India. In stark contrast, movies from the southern states, especially featuring stars like Telugu superstar Allu Arjun, have captivated audiences nationwide.
Allu Arjun in Pushpa 2
The Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, is going through a massive crisis of confidence. It's no longer the big brother in Indian cinema when it comes to its expertise in churning out movies for mass consumption. Bollywood movies now even struggle to get the attention of native Hindi speakers in North Indian states, while movies from the South have caught the imagination of the audiences there.
People never knew the kind of fan-following Telugu superstar Allu Arjun enjoyed in the Hindi states until the release of Pushpa: The Rise. Today, he has achieved the status of a "pan-India" star, with his upcoming movie Pushpa 2 being highly anticipated in the Hindi-speaking belt.
The success of Pushpa especially in single-screen theatres was a rude wake-up call to filmmakers in Bollywood. It reminded them that they had forgotten about a huge reserve of audiences who play an instrumental role in making or breaking cinema.
Bollywood filmmaker Nikkhil Advani revealed a conversation he had with Allu Arjun, who correctly diagnosed what's causing the disconnect between the audiences and Hindi movies. “I met Allu Arjun and we were talking about doing a film, and he looked at me and he said, ‘You know what’s wrong with Bollywood? You all have forgotten how to be heroes,’” Nikkhil Advani recalled in an interview with Galatta Plus.
Nikkhil has helmed a historical web series, Freedom At Midnight, which is set to debut on SonyLIV soon. He has also helmed an action movie, Vedaa, starring John Abraham and Sharvari in the lead roles. He suggested that he studied South Indian action movies and designed Vedaa accordingly.
“Everyone thinks about South cinema as mythology and everything, but they take the core emotion. Like water irrigation, let’s make a film about it and now they have packaged that with incredible action, and incredible moments of heroism. Shah Rukh’s character in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa had more heroism than most heroes today," he added.
Updated: July 31, 2024 07:09 PM IST
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