Alarmist doom and gloom predictions made by many movie critics and trade pundits in the industry clearly indicate the end of the Bollywood regime. Even the biggest Bollywood stars are getting crappy openings in theaters and OTT alike. Salman in Radhe, Akki in Bachchhan Paandey, Bell Bottom and Laxmii, Ajay in “Runway 43″,”Bhooj”, etc. are just some examples how audience taste has changed in past few years. The recent box office collections of Hindi versions of Pushpa, RRR & KGF 2 is a clear signal that the audience is yearning for good entertaining cinema, not an exhibition of some self obsessed star’s antics.

North viewers were introduced to South Indian movies slowly and steadily since the late 90s, with TV channels like SET MAX playing weeks after weeks of absurdly dubbed crappy South Indian movies. The plan was to get people introduced to crappy movies first, then serve them relatable “action masala entertainers.” Slowly and steadily, people started recognizing the South’s actors. More and more popular Tamil and Telugu films began to air in major GECs.People started to like those movies and started following South Stars. With the rapid development of the internet, OTT and Youtube have further aided in the distribution of South industry films to every household in the country.

The success of “Babhubaali” and its conclusion further intrigued people to watch more and more South Indian movies.

Was advent of good masala entertainers from the South the only reason for the success of South Indian movies in the North?

Certainly not!

We will talk about it in our next episode.