Anil Kapoor opens up on Bollywood vs south debate: 'Baahubali, KGF, RRR, Pushpa have...'

In the past few years, there has been a huge debate about Bollywood vs south Indian movies, particularly two years ago when Hindi films were not doing well commercially and many south films such as RRR, KGF Chapter 2, and Pushpa became pan-India successes. Anil Kapoor shared his views on the old debate at an event in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Indian Digital Summit 2024 in Mumbai, Kapoor opened up on the changes in technology over the years and how he stayed relevant with it. Talking about how he keeps himself in sync with Gen Z, he said, "When you have the right people around you, it makes all the difference, it can be your children, your team. They can make you stay connected with Gen Z. I make sure that I keep on discussing ideas with youngsters. I speak a lot to them. That's what I have done to stay relevant. Also, good filmmakers have come to me and chosen me. So, I have also been lucky."

Kapoor also shared that it was Sonam Kapoor, his daughter and fashionista, who insisted that he took up the part in The Night Manager that earned him all-round accolades not long ago. Kapoor played the arms dealer, Shailendra 'Shelly' Rungta, in Sandeep Modi's Hindi adaptation of the BBC hit series based on John Le Carre's novel, The Night Manager. On Sonam and The Night Manager, he said, "She reads a lot of books. When I was offered The Night Manager, she told me she had read the book and it is fantastic. She insisted that I should do the show."

The actor also aired his views on the old debate about the South versus Hindi films and said, "I am sitting here because of the South. Most of my successful films have been remakes of South Indian films. Be it Judaai, Beta, Woh Saat Din, Mohabbat, Nayak. I think all the great Indian actors have had successful films that have been remakes of South Indian films."

Kapoor concluded by saying, "This debate has always been there. It is more these days because certain South Indian films, notably Baahubali, KGF, RRR and Pushpa: The Rise', have become really big successes. I believe there are great stories and great actors. All are great Indian films." (With inputs from IANS)

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