South cinema comes into its own in India, shatter box-office records

In the last six months, movies such as Pushpa, RRR and KGF2 have shattered box-office records; the trend is expected to stay as more big-ticket regional films await release

Last week, West Indian bowler Obed McCoy, making his debut at the ongoing Indian Premier League, marked his celebration after taking a wicket by coolly swiping the back of his hand under his chin.

The imitation of actor Allu Arjun’s iconic gesture was as good a reminder as any of the phenomenal run of Pushpa: The Rise — at the box office and beyond — since its release four months ago.

Quite simply, films from South India are having a field day at the box office as viewers from across the country and even the globe flock to theatres.

In the last six months, hits such as Pushpa and RRR, both Telugu-language films, and K.G.F: Chapter 2, a Kannada-language film, have shattered records in terms of box-office collections. The trend, say experts, is expected to stay as more big-ticket regional films await release in multiple languages across markets.

Consider this: In June, the Tamil movie titled Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, will be released in theatres in India and overseas. In July, another Kannada-language film called Vikrant Rona, starring Sudeep, will hit the market. Both films, like Pushpa, RRR and KGF2, will be available in five languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

By August, a sports drama called Liger, which boasts a mix of southern and Bollywood stars, will be seen on the big screen. So will Agent, starring Malayalam superstar Mammootty, which is also expected to be dubbed in multiple languages.

What is creating the excitement around these films?

The Hindi dubbed version of KGF2 has already hit the Rs 300-crore mark in terms of collections within a week-and-a-half of its release, amongst the fastest for a regional film, and even ahead of RRR and Pushpa.

Film distributors and exhibitors agree that the southern industry is getting savvier with each new blockbuster release, both in terms of content and marketing. “For instance, Yash, the Kannada actor who features in KGF2, travelled to different parts of the country to promote the film. He did not restrict himself to the south,” says Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer at multiplex chain Inox. “He also engaged with bloggers and YouTubers from across India to build hype around the film,” he says.

Shyam Shroff, chairman, Shringar Films, a film distribution company based in Mumbai, says that viewers are seeking big-ticket, action-oriented films as they come out of restricted living during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The southern industry seems to have understood this need well for action entertainers. All their hit films are playing to this formula. However, Bollywood, in my view, will catch up over time,” he says.

Some experts point to the dearth of big-ticket Hindi-language theatrical releases over the last two years due to the pandemic as well as fatigue with Bollywood stars and scripts as reasons behind the new preference for South Indian films. The last big outing for Hindi stars was Sooryavanshi, featuring Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, in November 2021. Then there was the Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, based on the life of a female gangster, and The Kashmir Files, which delved into the lives of Kashmiri Pandits.

“Southern cinema has a few interesting elements including big stars, big directors, high-octane drama and action that is mounted on a large scale. Hindi audiences have also been exposed to the southern industry’s production values, thanks to the dubbed versions on Hindi movie channels and OTT platforms. The southern industry also wraps up productions quickly, aiding quicker release and exhibition,” says Rahul Kadbet, vice-president, programming of multiplex chain Carnival Cinemas.

According to a recent report by consultancy firm EY and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), South Indian movies will continue to do better business than Bollywood films in 2022 as content clicks with audiences (see box). The trend has prompted Bollywood A-listers to cross over into the South, sharing screen space with actors there. In Liger, for instance, Vijay Deverakonda, best known to Hindi audiences as the star of Arjun Reddy (2017) that was remade as Kabir Singh (2019), will appear alongside Ananya Panday. Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn featured in RRR, while Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt acted in KGF2.

Who’s ruling the silver screen?

The EY-FICCI report says that domestic box-office revenues in calendar year 2021 were dominated by South Indian films at Rs 2,400 crore, followed by Bollywood at Rs 800 crore and Hollywood at Rs 500 crore.
 
In 2019, Bollywood’s share was higher than South Indian films (Rs 5,200 crore versus Rs 4,000 crore), while Hollywood’s share stood at Rs 1,500 crore