In 2024, South cinema nearly outperformed the Hindi movies industry at the box office, once again reigniting the South vs. Bollywood debate.
Recently, the famous actor-director Rakesh Roshan expressed his views on this matter in an interview in which he stated that while South cinema has progressed technically, it continues to focus on old-school storytelling.
Rakesh Roshan remarked that South films remain grounded and stick to the old-school format of song-action-dialogue-emotions. He criticized their storytelling approach, saying, “Technically, they are progressing, but storytelling-wise, they’re sticking to the same formulas that work. They’re successful because they’re not breaking any path.”
Rakesh Roshan Creates Controversy, Says South Cinema Doesn’t Take Risks further argued that Bollywood takes creative risks compared to South cinema’s safer approach. He said, “We are breaking paths. After I made Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, I didn’t want to make romantic films again. Then I did Koi… Mil Gaya. After that, I made Rohit (Hrithik Roshan’s character in Koi… Mil Gaya) a superhero. These are the challenges we took. They don’t take risks. They play on safe grounds.”
Rakesh Roshan’s remarks have drawn criticism on Reddit. One user commented, “Bollywood’s own arrogance is its downfall.” Another stated, “Regional cinema is far more inventive than commercial Bollywood. Roshan likely doesn’t follow anything beyond popular cinema. Only then can you develop such a perspective.
What is your take on this matter? Do let us know.
