Bollywood star Salman Khan has complained about the low theatrical crowd for Hindi movies in the southern states, even as South Indian heroes are highly popular in the Hindi belt.
Even as heroes such as Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Suriya, and Ram Charan have been consistently raking in audiences in North India, Salman feels that Bollywood movies are not able to repeat the same kind of success in the South.
“When my film releases there, it doesn’t get the same numbers because their stars have a very strong fan-following. If I’m on the streets, they will recognize me and call me ‘Bhai,’ but they won’t go to the theatres to watch my movies,” Salman said during a media interaction.
He accepted that Bollywood has welcomed South Indian actors and their movies, which resulted in blockbuster performances in the Hindi market. But the reciprocation is limited. "We welcome them here, and their movies fare well because we go and see them. But their audience does not do the same for us," he further added.
Still acting with south Indian directors at 59, Salman has worked with Prabhu Deva in the past and is now getting along with A.R. Murugadoss for his next Eid release, Sikandar. His next with Atlee, which was slated after Sikandar, has been pushed back because of budget issues.
“He has written a massive action film. But right after Sikandar, I’m doing another big action movie with my elder brother in the industry, Sanju—Sanjay Dutt. It will have a more rustic action style,” he revealed.
The Rise of Pan-India Films
When asked about the increasing trend of pan-India films featuring actors from both Bollywood and South cinema, Salman pointed out the financial challenges.
"Money is the problem. Both industries charge high rates, so it's a tremendous responsibility. In a movie like Ramayana, you can hire stars from both industries. I've had plenty of South Indian actors, directors, and technicians working with me. Had we had 20,000 to 30,000 theaters in India, we would have dominated Hollywood," he said.
Bollywood's Problems and Emerging Trends
Salman blamed Bollywood's problems on ill intention behind movie-making.
My father (veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan) opines that movies today are being produced for the wrong reasons—because an actor has free dates, or a heroine is getting married, or someone has money. That's not the way films should be produced. We should produce a movie only when we have the best script," he stated.
He also condemned the trend change in filmmaking. "Those who have made serious films earlier are today concentrating on action and comedy because that is what is happening today. But where we go wrong is our budget. If we can manage that, things will get better."
Salman's opinion is that writers and directors who study abroad never seem to bring in the depth needed to make Indian audiences emotional.
"Audiences want emotion, action, and romance—the whole package in one. Audiences watch for two-and-a-half hours in theatres and want all those things. Today, however, filmmakers are scripting for themselves and not for the audience. Filmmakers are competing with one another, rather than making a film for people," he reasoned.
He further pointed out to the short attention span of people.
"Folks grab their phones while watching informative conversations in films. The span of attention has decreased. So, we have to create films that are accessible to all, rather than presume people will not get it. You can't feed them with a spoon as well, since they have already watched so much content on Netflix. Nevertheless, films—good or bad—are still the most-watched entertainment medium," he stated.
Box Office Hits and Ticket Pricing
Salman attributed the huge box office success of movies such as Chhaava, Jawan, and Animal to good word-of-mouth.
He admitted that expensive ticket rates keep people away but contended that reducing the same might not be an easy option.
"Ticket prices need not be sky-high. But cutting them isn't always going to help either. Moneyed people go see movies in the first three days. Theatre owners have expenses—rent, power, wages—it's a significant investment," he clarified.
Sikandar and His Age-Gap Criticism Opinion
Salman is hopeful about Sikandar, starring alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Sathyaraj, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sharman Joshi, and directed by A.R. Murugadoss, with Sajid Nadiadwala producing it. The movie is set to be released on March 30 during Eid.
"The narrative is about a king-like character, who may be from any region of the country. It's essentially about a good man, and a good man is good anywhere in the world," he added.
Touching on criticism regarding the difference in age between actors and actresses, Salman was not bothered.
"I would love to work with Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, and others, but people make a hue and cry about the age difference. But I will keep working with them," he revealed.
As Sikandar is ready for release, Salman is hoping for a good box office run while still venturing new collaborations within the industry.
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