Producer Naga Vamsi’s comments about the South movie industries influencing Hindi cinema have sparked a lively discussion online, and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has also shared his thoughts. Kashyap believes that Bollywood’s failure to recognize its core audience allowed South films and their makers to step in and dominate the market.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Anurag discussed how Bollywood neglected its audience, sharing personal experiences with his own films, Gangs of Wasseypur and Mukkabaaz. According to Kashyap, these films were never properly released in North India due to poor decisions by production studios. He revealed that his films weren’t released in many parts of North India, despite having a strong following there.
“We were collectively ignored,” Kashyap said. “During the Covid period, I discovered that my films weren’t released across North India because the studio decided that my audience was limited to Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad. They completely missed the mark.”
Kashyap recounted a story from a theatre owner in Bihar who had pleaded with the production house, Eros, to release the film in his theatre, but his request was denied. The reason? The cost of creating another Digital Cinema Package (DCP) was deemed unnecessary for that market.
The filmmaker also explained why South films have found success in North India. He pointed to the role of YouTube channel Goldmines, which began acquiring South films at low prices, dubbing them into Hindi, and catering to the growing Hindi-speaking audience. Kashyap noted that this audience has grown so much that the trailer for Pushpa 2 was recently released in Patna.
According to Kashyap, the shift in audience preference has changed the market landscape, with North Indian viewers—traditionally loyal to Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, and Salman Khan—now admiring South Indian stars as well.
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