Abhishek Bachchan discusses the phrase “pan-Indian films,” which became popular after Pushpa The Rise, RRR, and KGF 2 swept the box office throughout the nation.
What constitutes a film pan-Indian? The phrase du jour at the moment refers to film that transcends geographies and languages to delight a nation as varied as India. For a long time, Hindi language film was deemed mainstream, with the rest of the industries — Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, and so on — labeled as regional cinema.’
If Baahubali’s huge popularity altered everything, Pushpa The Rise, RRR, and KGF 2 have recently established the term. People are voting with their feet, as seen by the big box office receipts. This has also sparked criticism from both performers and spectators, with many claiming that Hindi films need to step up their game. Actor Abhishek Bachchan, on the other hand, would like to avoid such categorizations, calling it a “great moment for the cinema industry.”
“I have never been the one to categorize films in that respect,” Abhishek remarked of the South’s success, adding, “A good picture works, a terrible film doesn’t.” That’s all there is to it.”
According to Abhishek, engaging material is created across all businesses. “Unfortunately, you overlooked Gangubai Kathiawadi and Sooryavanshi, which performed well,” he says. “At the end of the day, you know, are you able to engage and amuse the audience?” “All they want is to be entertained,” Abhishek said.
When asked whether the popularity of these films is bringing back the period of larger-than-life heroes and spectacle movies, the actor said, “I’m not sure if it’s a resurgence of a specific sort of cinema or not.” But, as I have said, excellent films work and terrible ones do not. I’m overjoyed that these films are performing so well. I’m glad to see that the cinemas are filling up. It’s an exciting time in the film business.”
Abhishek Bachchan went on to say that he had no idea what the word “pan-India” implies. “I’m not a believer in this word. What exactly does it mean? Is this used in any other industry? No, not at all. We have a huge cinema-going populace and we like going to the movies. It has never mattered in whatever language it was created,” Abhishek said.
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He also rejects the allegation that Bollywood lacks substance, citing the many south remakes produced by the Hindi film industry. “Certainly not. Why would you say such a thing? Are you saying that Hindi films aren’t remade in the South? That is an unjust question because no matter what you respond to, the response is defensive. We are all involved in the Indian film business. We may work in various languages, but we are all in the same business. We all cater to the same demographic. Labeling any film business is not accurate. Remakes of Hindi or other language films have always occurred. It is not a new occurrence. There has always been a constant interchange (of material). “There’s nothing wrong about it,” Abhishek added. He went on to say that recreating movies is “a decision.”
“We must recognize that it is a creative decision made by a creator or an actor.” “It doesn’t mean there aren’t ideas,” Abhishek stated, adding that he feels “ruffled when these issues are posed.”
“I see why you may ask since these films (KGF 2, Pushpa, and RRR) are now performing so well.” They have, nevertheless, always performed well. Our films have performed well in the South. It is not a new occurrence. We come from a huge family. As a result, the content interchange is unavoidable. The trade does not occur because ideas are scarce in a particular sector. It is a decision we make as creators. “As a result, I disagree,” Abhishek concluded.
