Films like "Pushpa" and "KGF" have done better in north India as people there want to see larger-than-life heroes, South superstar Nagarjuna said on Friday.
A character like Allu Arjun's labourer-turned-smuggler Pushparaj from "Pushpa" came as a breath of fresh air to audiences in places like Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and that is why the movie earned more in the Hindi language than the original version, Nagarjuna said.
"Both the 'Pushpa' films made more money in the north than in Telugu. We have seen similar kinds of stories in Telugu before 'Pushpa' and it was nothing new for us. Whereas in the north, in Bihar, Punjab and UP, they wanted to see the heroes like Pushpa or Yash's Rocky from "KGF' or 'Baahubali'.
"They wanted to see heroes like that. They wanted to see larger-than-life heroes. For Indian people, just living day-to-day itself is very difficult. And when they want to overcome stress by watching movies, they want to see magic on screen," Nagarjuna said.
The actor, known for blockbusters like "Shiva", "Mass", "Killer", "King" and "Don", said such movies cannot do well unless they are rooted in the culture and language they are coming from. "Rajamouli shot Baahubali frame to frame, thinking it is a Telugu film. He was very proud of his roots and language, and he shot it like a Telugu film, and people loved it across the world. If you are rooted to your storytelling, it will resonate," Nagarjuna said.
Nagarjuna was speaking at the session "Pan-Indian Cinema: myth or Momentum?" on the second day of the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) here, joined by actors Karthi, Anupam Kher and Kushboo Sundar.
"Ponniyin Selvan" star Karthi said people think Allu Arjun became an overnight star in the north because of the "Pushpa" franchise but they are wrong.
"He didn't get success overnight. People have watched 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo' umpteen number of times during Covid. So, he was already a familiar face, his dance was already famous. When you talk about success, it has been waiting to happen for the last 10 years. There has been a huge following for South films," the actor added.
Sundar said every Indian man has an "alpha-male shade", which they see in these movies.
"When you see a man hitting 10 people and protecting his family, I think that connects a lot with people who are actually sitting in the front and throwing money. I think that is what actually connects with them, 'Oh my hero can beat 10 people' and it's believable because even if they do not have the superpowers, it's believable because they connect with us emotionally," she said.
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