Allu Arjun and Sukumar’s ‘Pushpa’ franchise is undoubtedly one of the most popular film series in the Indian film industry. The film franchise is one of the most notable pan-Indian projects that boasts a solid fandom. Recently, ace filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma talked about the pan-India film fever and revealed an interesting anecdote. He revealed that a prominent Bollywood producer once jibed at ‘Pushpa’ saying that the audience from the North would ‘puke’ at the film.
In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Ram Gopal Varma recalled a specific anecdote about the producer. The producer, he said, had told someone, “The north audience will puke on this guy’s face.” The filmmaker added, “When he saw Pushpa 1, he told someone I know, ‘North audience will puke on this guy’s face’. I don’t think it has anything to do with money, it has to do with the character. (The producer) likes a guy with a six-pack, super good-looking… He must be having nightmares now, after Pushpa 1 and 2.”
Discussing further, Ram Gopal Varma praised ‘Pushpa’ and noted that Bollywood will never be able to recreate such a title as the subjects do not align. He noted that several Hindi filmmakers cater to the “Bandra area,” implying their limited scope of creativity. On the other hand, RGV noted that many South Indian directors, are often not fluent in English and are deeply rooted in their culture. He argued that these directors, have a connection with the masses and don’t intellectualise their approach to filmmaking.
He said, “Most of the South directors, I’m not going to take names, they can’t even speak English. They’re very basic; very rooted and connected. They will not talk intellectually. They are more connected to the mass audience, which, I think, is impossible for a Bollywood director to do.”
Meanwhile, the two ‘Pushpa’ titles have smashed the box office upon release. They’ve racked up a combined collection of over 2000 crores worldwide. Moreover, ‘Pushpa 2’ recently outran ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ to become the second-biggest Indian film of all time.