The content of South movies has a lot of Bollywood content
When was the last time a Bollywood Hindi film influenced the majority of the audience on a large scale? This is an important question. Because most of the Hindi movie viewers have started opting for OTT or South Indian language movies. North Indian audiences have started liking heartbreaking and shocking films like Baahubali, RRR, Pushpa: The Rise and Manjummel Boys. Consequently, the gap between Bollywood and South cinema is widening. In Bollywood it is understood that the focus is often on the glitz and glamor rather than the story, while filmmakers from the South do not want to let the glitz and glamor dominate the story.
Most South Indian films are not only stunning but also action-packed and never compromise on the story. Filmmakers from the South understand very well that audiences want to connect with the story along with the action. South Indian filmmakers never want to ignore this desire of the audience, thanks to which they also achieve better results at the box office.
Audience preferences changed after the pandemic
A lot has changed after the Covid-19 pandemic. People’s daily routine has changed, the content of entertainment has changed. For decades they began to search for deeper and more meaningful stories. The OTT platform became the best way to eliminate boredom for people. On the other hand, Korean dramas established their dominance and new discoveries began to be made in South Indian films. There was a miraculous magical effect here, and also a story that shook the heart and mind.
People now want stories whose flight has the potential to make the ground slip, whose characters have conflict; no wonder South Indian cinema understands this very well. Take the Manjummel boys for example. This is a survival drama. The story is related to the land. The characters are identifiable. The hero faces the challenges of unemployment and social pressure in a small town.
Formula vs depth in bollywood
On the contrary, Bollywood still seems to depend more on old formulas. Big-budget films often focus more on style than content. Yes, films like 12th Fail and Lapata Ladies show that Bollywood can go further, but these are exceptions. More work is still needed in this direction.
Cinema connects with Southern folklore
The magic of South Indian cinema lies in its authenticity, where stories are the core element of the film. Take Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise. It is true that it is a dramatic action film but it succeeds because the main character is not a polished hero. He is a person whose existence people can believe in.
Apart from Pushpa, watch movies like Kantara. It connects with folklore and spirituality. At the same time it does not lose its sentimentality at all. This is the basic difference between Bollywood and South cinema. Bollywood often seems much more polished than the South. Heroes seem impossible. His fight is exaggerated. What they forget to show beyond this exaggeration is the story. Here it seems necessary to create a drama. Because of this, the soul of the film is left behind. Films like Adipurush also fail to succeed because they lack the cultural and emotional depth seen in films like RRR or Kantara.
Southerners are not afraid to take risks
South Indian film people are not afraid to take risks, they are brave and courageous at the script level. These filmmakers don’t just follow the rules: they make their own rules. They experiment, push boundaries and still impress audiences. Take Kathy, for example. This is a Tamil thriller that wastes no time. The entire film takes place in a single night: no songs, no romance, just fast-paced tension.
Why is Bollywood repeating history?
Meanwhile, Bollywood is playing a very new game. The past repeats itself here. Try to recreate past hits by making remakes like Kabir Singh or Drishyam 2. But what’s the problem? These stories rarely surprise or thrill anymore. There is no mystery left here. People in Bollywood are forgetting that audience expectations are changing now.
