Anupam Kher on Bollywood vs South films debate: ‘South cinema is relevant because they are not aping Hollywood’

Anupam Kher, whose movie The Kashmir Files, became one of the highest grossing Hindi films this year, recently weighed in on the South films vs Bollywood debate, stating why he believes that Hindi films have struggled to beat their counterparts at the box office.

The actor was also part of Nikhil Siddhartha’s Telugu movie Karthikeya 2, which dethroned Laal Singh Chaddha and Dobaaraa at the Hindi box office this month. In a recent interview with ETimes, the actor claimed that Bollywood cinema’s emphasis on stars have worked against it, while South movies concentrate on content.

"I think over there, I’m not differentiating between the two but I think (their) cinema is relevant because they are not aping Hollywood. They are telling stories, over here we are selling stars,” he said.

The actor also supported the stance of Nikhil, who was also part of the interview, to gauge the pulse of the audience while making a movie. “You make things for consumers. (Problem starts) the day you start looking down on consumers, that, ‘We're doing you a favour by making a great film. Now you are watching a great film.’ Greatness is achieved by a collective effort and that I have learnt by doing films in Telugu...I just did another film in Telugu, I did a film in the Tamil language, I’m going to do a Malayalam film,” said Kher.

Karthikeya 2 is the sequel of the 2014 film Karthikeya and is written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. The story revolves around Dr Karthikeya, played by Nikhil, who is searching for Lord Krishna's misplaced anklet. Anupam, who plays a supporting part in this movie, expressed his happiness over its achievement in a post on his Instagram handle earlier, stating, "The Kashmir Files ke baad meri Karthikeya 2 film bhi blockbuster hai!! (After The Kashmir Files, my film Karthikeya 2 is also a blockbuster.)"