Aishwarya Rai was asked to share her thoughts on the debate surrounding north vs south films recently. The actress, who was busy promoting her upcoming film Ponniyin Selvan: I said that right now was an “amazing time” for Indian cinema as audiences want to see films “from every part”. Many South Indian films like RRR, Pushpa: The Rise and KGF Chapter 2 have become pan-Indian hits in recent times. Aishwarya said it was “obvious” that people are mocking cinema from across the country. Read also: Ponniyin Selvan I might be doing the biggest opening ever for a Mani Ratnam film
Aishwarya said that the language barriers between films and film industries were now broken and films from everywhere were being watched by everyone now. In recent months, many non-Hindi films have turned out to be box office hits across India. In recent months, the number of Hindi films emerging as hits has been less than non-Hindi films. Films like SS Rajamouli’s RRR starring Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn were shot in Telugu and dubbed and released in other languages.
At an event to promote Ponniyin Selvan: Me in Delhi, Aishwarya Rai spoke about films from south India that have a successful run in theaters across the country. “It’s an amazing time right now where we have to break away from the typical way we see artists and film. I think it’s a great time right now, where all those barriers have fallen. People know our cinema at the national level. In fact, they want to see cinema from every place,” Aishwarya was quoted as saying in a Pinkvilla report.
The actor added, “I think it’s finally the perfect time where it’s become nationally accessible through so many platforms. Everyone can watch cinema as it is, across India. So I think we need to break out of that conventional way of thinking and help our viewers, our audience and our readers also not slip into that standard way of viewing. Art has always been there, found an audience and was appreciated. so, have the artists. But the roads were limited. Today is a wonderful time that has become accessible to everyone. And the proof of the pudding is in the eating, right? It’s so obvious that people are embracing and making fun of cinema from all over the country.”
Aishwarya, who made her acting debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar, returns to Tamil films with her upcoming period drama Ponniyin Selvan: I. The Mani Ratnam-directed, based on the Tamil novel of the same name Kalki Krishnamurthy, too. Starring Jayam Ravi, Vikram, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan and Sobhita Dhulipala. The AR Rahman musical is set to hit theaters on September 30 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
