In a recent exclusive interview with Bollywood Life, Kapur laid out his views quite openly about the evolution of Indian cinema. Along with that, he answered a range of questions regarding the industry and the films, one of which was “Why is South Indian cinema dominating Bollywood increasingly?”
Bollywood was once the only representative of the whole country when it came to cinema. The tide, however, has changed today quite obviously. The Hindi film industry looks like it has lost its grip in the last few years, while the South Indian film industry has come up and is not only occupying the box office but also the hearts of people in India all over. Consequently, even the biggest stars from Bollywood are now facing unanticipated battles. However, the question remains why this turn of events occurred.
This very question has already been answered by a senior director, Shekhar Kapur. In a recent exclusive interview with Bollywood Life, Kapur laid out his views quite openly about the evolution of Indian cinema. Along with that, he was given a range of questions regarding the industry and the films, one of which was “Why is South Indian cinema dominating Bollywood increasingly?”
Kapur’s answer was a mixture of enlightenment and provocation—one that is likely to bring the most experienced people in Bollywood to a halt and make them think.
Why is South Cinema overtaking Bollywood?
In fact, while answering this question, renowned filmmaker and director Shekhar Kapur pointed out a mistake Bollywood has been making for years, and because of this, South Indian cinema seems to be dominating Hindi cinema today. Shekhar Kapur said, “South Indian directors are still connected to their culture, so whether they make big films or very big ones, they remain connected to their culture. But Hindi film directors, in their pursuit of copying Hollywood films, have become disconnected from their own audience.”
What did Shekhar Kapur say about…?
He continued, “All Bollywood directors have gotten used to making films like Hollywood. While the technique may be familiar, the story you tell must be unique. Taking something from here, something from there, and making a film out of it won’t work. We don’t live in Hollywood; that’s not our culture, and Bollywood has become accustomed to that.”
What did he say about Dhurandhar?
During this, he also talked about the success of Aditya Dhar’s film Dhurandhar. The senior director said, “These days, a film called ‘Dhurandhar’ has become a huge hit because the director has understood that our culture is a Hindi film. It’s not that only South Indian films are successful again and again. ‘Dhurandhar’ is also doing well. I’m curious to see what’s in it. Before ‘Dhurandhar’, there was a period when South Indian films were mostly successful. That’s because they stay more rooted in their culture. This is less common in Bollywood now.”
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