'One guy felling 20 might seem unreal- when marvel does it, it's superpowers!'

Pushpa : The Rise wasn’t just a hit in Telugu, it was a sensation in states like UP, Bihar, and Punjab. The same had happened for KGF , and Baahubali before it. These weren’t Hindi films, but in the northern belt – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab – these films didn’t just find audiences, they outperformed their original Telugu or Kannada markets. In fact, in 2022, when Kantara, KGF: Chapter 2 , and RRR were released, the contribution of dubbed films to the Hindi box office was 32% ( ₹1,138 crore).
“Both the Pushpa films made more money in the north than in Telugu,” said Nagarjuna at a session titled ‘Pan-Indian Cinema: Myth or Momentum?’ at the ongoing WAVES Summit in Mumbai, adding, “In Bihar, UP and Punjab, they wanted to see their heroes like Pushpa Raj, Yash in KGF , or Baahubali . Audiences wanted to see larger-than-life heroes.”
‘NO ONE QUESTIONS WHEN SUPERMAN BEATS 20 PEOPLE WITH A PUNCH’
Some scoff – how can one man send 20 flying with a punch? But Nagarjuna pointed out during the session, “no one questions when Superman does it in a cape.”“You might say, ‘A guy raises his fist and 20 people fall, it looks abnormal!’ But if you see Marvel or DC films – Superman or anybody else does the same thing – they just give a little bit of logic, saying they have a special power. But we don’t need those special powers. The common man, the ticket-paying audience, including me, wants to watch larger-thanlife heroes. When I see Prabhas, Allu Arjun, and others going on screen and doing what they do, I clap and whistle,” he said.
The actor said that making an epic spectacle doesn’t mean ditching what makes our stories ours. He elaborated how a filmmaker like SS Rajamouli, who shot Baahubali like a Telugu film, gained worldwide recognition, and is credited with redefining pan-Indian cinema. “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 in your storytelling, it will resonate,” Nagarjuna added.
‘Dubbed south films perform much better than remakes’
Addressing the subject of how dubbed south films are outperforming remakes, exhibitor and veteran cinema analyst Raj Bansal had earlier told us, “South films dubbed in Hindi perform much better than remakes. Earlier, Hindi films were the top grossers. But in 2024 dubbed films performed better than Hindi films.”

‘South cinema is superior to Hindi cinema’ – this discussion is divisive: Karan Johar
“What was also interesting with RRR was creative authenticity,” said Karan Johar at a session with Vijay Devarakonda and Kareena Kapoor Khan. He added, “ RRR wasn’t an art house or festival-friendly cinema. It was a massive spectacle, and yet it was noticed by non-Asian audiences. There’s this ongoing discussion that south cinema is superior to Hindi cinema, but it’s all Indian cinema. I think it (such discussions) divide us. What makes it Indian cinema is – all of us (north and south), collectively.”

If we want to take on the giants of the world, then we have to unite as a country: Vijay Deverakonda
Speaking at a session titled ‘Cinema: The Soft Power’, Vijay Deverakonda said, “I think when we talk about cinema as a soft power, that’s exactly what it does – it makes us aware of other people, how they live, and their cultures. Now we share such a close relationship with actors, producers from Mumbai, actors from Andhra, and further south in Chennai. When I’m shooting in Kashmir or Manali, people everywhere recognise me. And they know me because of cinema. If we want to take on the giants of the world, then we have to unite as a country. Shah Rukh sir’s last film did huge numbers, so did Allu Arjun’s. Now imagine a crossover!