Rakesh Roshan has delivered several hits both as an actor and a filmmaker. As a director, he has always strived to experiment with his subject and style. Recently, the filmmaker commented on why Southern cinema is flourishing. While he acknowledged that they are technologically advanced, he dubbed their cinema formulaic. On the other hand, he stated that Bollywood gravitates towards more ‘path-breaking’ works. Amid the pan-Indian cinema wave, his comment has drawn the ire of social media users. Slamming his remark, fans are noting that Bollywood often remakes Southern titles.
In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Rakesh Roshan weighed in on Southern cinema’s success. He said, “South films are very grounded, they’re carrying on pertinently with old-school format of song-action-dialogue-emotions. They’re not progressing. Technically, they are but storytelling-wise, they’re doing the same formulas that work. They’re successful because they’re not breaking any path.”
Citing his own filmography as an example, he said, “We are breaking paths. After I made Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, I didn’t want to make romantic films. 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. They play on safe grounds.”
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Following this, a thread emerged on Reddit as users slammed the filmmaker’s comment. One user wrote, “Regional cinema in general is far more inventive than commercial Bollywood. Roshan likely doesn’t follow anything beyond popular cinema. Only then you can develop such perspective.” Another penned, “What about Eega? Can a Bollywood movie with a fly as the hero break any records? And Bollywood is also currently surviving by the same male testosterone driven action films like Jawan, Gadar 2, Pathaan and Animal. One Stree 2 doesn’t change that. Dangal and Bajrangi Bhaijaan are almost a decade old films now.”
Rakesh Roshan speaking facts. A film like Dangal, Stree2 or Bajrangi Bhaijaan could never break records in Tollywood.
byu/Dothraki-Reaper-66 inBollyBlindsNGossip
Meanwhile, one questioned, “Rangasthalam, Vikram, Kantara, Manjummel Boys. These were all the biggest hits of their respective industries. There are obviously other examples as well. If Bollywood was always challenging themselves and South Indian cinema doesn’t break any new ground, then why do South Indian movies still get remade?”
In related news, Rakesh Roshan re-released his blockbuster film, ‘Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai’ in theatres on January 10. The move came as a means to celebrate 25 years of the hit title which also marks the glorious debut of his son, Hrithik Roshan.