Over the last decade or so, South dubbed films have found a market in the Hindi regions. The phenomenon started largely through SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and went to the next level with Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017). This was followed by other South films like Pushpa: The Rise (2021), RRR (2022), KGF Chapter 2 (2022), etc.
However, in recent times, the opposite inflow is also visible. In other words, Hindi films have also started making inroads in the South market. This was seen the most recently with the enormous success of the all-time blockbuster Dhurandhar. What makes its achievement more notable is that it wasn’t dubbed in any of the South languages and it did well purely in its original Hindi version.
With the film’s second part Dhurandhar The Revenge all set to be dubbed in South languages for the South market, it is expected to spread its clout even more in the region.
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh stated that South has always been a good market for Hindi films. “I know this for a fact, because my father (BK Adarsh) was a distributor for Tamil Nadu and Kerala for many prominent films in the 80s and 90s. But if you notice now, the market is really opened up where you see a lot of films being released, and a lot of films being released in local languages. Unlike the earlier days, when we used to have those releases in a very small way, few cities, few centres and cinema halls. Now we have a flooding of market.”
Citing the example of Dhurandhar, he said, “The volume of its business from South was also very strong. And if you look at the advanced booking of Dhurandhar: The Revenge for the paid previews, you'll see that the tickets are selling fast even there. I was checking BookMyShow and it was fantastic. You feel so happy that people are lining up even though it's a Hindi film.”
Exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi pointed out that a while back, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan did impressive business in the south but that film had Southern names attached to it in the form of director Atlee and actress Nayanthara. He stated that Dhurandhar, on the other hand, has done it by purely being a Hindi film. “Dhurandhar was one of those cases where just the value of the phenomena and the buzz around it was so high. And in this age of social media, it spread like wildfire very quickly. People became aware of the phenomena of Dhurandhar, and therefore it generated curiosity. Now, making it (part 2) accessible in the language that they are comfortable in, Jio is being pragmatic and smart in making it available to a larger audience there. It is capitalizing on the film’s buzz,” he said.
Adarsh pointed out that there have also been recent cases where filmmakers have tried to reach out to a wider audience in the South. “Brahmastra was one film, where they tied up with SS Rajamouli to present the film in the South market,” he said. “It really helps when you have a top name presenting it, and I guess people will accept it if the film is good; it all boils down to the content. But the market is opening up and if you make quality films that resonate with the audience, then I'm sure people are going to love it.”
Rathi also believes that now that it has started happening, especially after Dhurandhar, we should give it time to grow. “So, now that you’re starting to do it proactively, I'm sure great things will happen. Again, as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, and we'll have to do it consistently without expecting results too soon. Only when we do it with a certain consistency and build a market for our films there, will Hindi films also become Pan-India films in the truest sense.”
He also pointed out that South films built an audience in the Hindi market over a longer period of time. “Southern films have actually been building a market in the Hindi speaking market for more than a decade using Star Gold and Sony (to show South films dubbed in Hindi). The reverse of it has only become a phenomenon now since this term Pan-India films came into play in the post-Baahubali era,” said Rathi.
When asked what can one expect from Dhurandhar The Revenge in the South, Adarsh said, “People are definitely going to watch the film because whenever I speak to the South people from the Telugu state or prominent names from the South, they say, ‘Oh, we love Dhurandhar’. So, you know, those kinds of voices coming in are so heartening. I was so happy to hear that because, I repeat, for a Hindi film to see that kind of response unanimously from the South market was so overwhelming. People have watched the first part. Like how it happened with Baahubali.”
Rathi said, “Honestly, purely going by the kind of buzz there is around this film, it will be historic. There hasn't been a film that's been as hot in terms of the buzz in years. I won't be surprised if it's the highest grossing Hindi film in all languages dubbed purely because of the buzz there is around the subject. So far, the traction on the advance bookings is tremendous. I'm pretty sure it'll have new records set in terms of the kind of advance that happens for cinemas and movies.”
Rathi also believes that whether they open the advance bookings now or one day before the release, it doesn’t matter. “We can only run a cinema to 100% capacity,” he said. “So, while the advance bookings are terrific, beyond the point is no hurry to really open up because it is a film which will have fantastic numbers irrespective of when the advance bookings open. Even if you open the bookings one day before, there are going to be houseful shows all over the place. That’s the kind of buzz the film's carrying.”
As Hindi films are also showing signs of finding a footing in the South, can we say both South and Bollywood are merging in any way? To this, Adarsh firmly said that one shouldn’t divide the industries. “I think we are all under one umbrella. It’s Indian cinema and Indian film industry. Why bifurcate? When RRR won the Oscar for the song ‘Naatu Naatu’, everyone was celebrating. It was an achievement for Indian cinema. It was a huge achievement for India. So, it is something that needs to be encouraged. And going deeper into the South market is also a very positive sign. But, as I said, we need to make the kind of film that will resonate with the audience.”
More Pages: Dhurandhar The Revenge Box Office Collection , Dhurandhar The Revenge Movie Review
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