Actor Manoj Bajpayee is the most recent star from the Hindi film business to admit how the success of films from the South film industries has influenced those in Bollywood.
The success of films such as 'KGF: Chapter 2,' 'RRR,' and 'Pushpa: The Rise,' according to the actor, has "sent a shiver down the spine" of Bollywood directors. The actor also discussed why these films are more successful than their Bollywood equivalents.
It was actor Allu Arjun's Telugu film 'Pushpa: The Rise' that started the trend of south films conquering the Hindi belt in the post-pandemic period. The Hindi-dubbed version of the film grossed Rs106 crore.
Post that SS Rajamouli's 'RRR' and Yash's Kannada film 'KGF: Chapter 2' broke new boundaries. Both films have generated above 300 crore in India and are still playing in theatres. Many, including filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, have stated that this has bugged several people in Bollywood.
In an interview with Times Of India, talking about the triumph of these south films, Bajpayee said, "Itni blockbuster ho rahi hai (there are so many blockbusters)... forget about Manoj Bajpayee and the likes of me for a minute, it has sent a shiver down the spine of all the mainstream filmmakers from the Mumbai film industry. They really don’t know where to look."
Bajpayee went on to explain why a film like 'KGF 2' or 'RRR' dubbed in Hindi can gross more than 300 crore but big budget Hindi films like 'Sooryavanshi' struggle to gross even 200 crore in India. The actor stated that the success of these films teaches Bollywood a lesson that they must learn quickly.
He said, "They are unapologetic, they are passionate, and every shot they take as if they are taking the best shot in the world…They shoot a film as they have envisioned it, they don’t dumb it down for the audience because they hold their audience in the highest regard and their passion is supreme. If you see Pushpa or RRR or KGF, the making of it – it is immaculate."
"Each and every frame is actually shot in a manner as if it were a life and death situation. This is what we lack. We started thinking about mainstream films only in terms of money and box office. We can’t criticise ourselves. So we differentiate them by calling them ‘alag’ (different). But it’s a lesson. This is a lesson for Mumbai industry mainstream filmmakers on how to make mainstream cinema," he added.
Bajpayee was recently seen in the ZEE5 feature 'Dial 100,' as well as the Amazon Prime Video series 'The Family Man,' both of which were released last year. Currently, Bajpayee is working on two projects, 'Despatch' and 'Gulmohar,' as well as the third season of 'The Family Man.'
