The phrase “pan-India” entered the Indian film industry’s vocabulary following the massive success of Baahubali. It refers to movies that appeal to audiences nationwide, transcending linguistic divides. In the decade since Baahubali, this label has mostly been applied to south Indian films breaking into the Hindi-speaking market, but not vice versa. Actor Salman Khan believes this is due to the limited appeal of Hindi films in the south, where viewers show little interest in watching Bollywood movies in theaters.

On Wednesday, while promoting his new film, Sikandar, Salman spoke to the media at a Mumbai hotel. Talking about Bollywood films’ inability to cross over into the South, he said, “When my film is released there, it will not get the numbers because their fan following is very strong. I’ll walk on the street, and they will say, ‘Bhai, Bhai,’ but they will not go to the theatres. The way we’ve accepted them here that hasn’t happened there. Their films do well because we go and see them, like those of Rajinikanth sir or Chiranjeevi garu or Suriya or Ram Charan. But their fans do not go and see our films.”

When asked about why Bollywood isn’t casting south stars in Hindi films to market it in the south territories, Khan said, “The right script is needed for such a collaboration to happen,” he said. The biggest hurdle, Khan admitted, is the budgetary constraints. “The thing is money… They also charge, and we also charge. To make a film like this, it is a big responsibility. You need to have a script like that. For instance, in a film like Ramayana, they can cast everyone from here and there (South).” Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor along with Kannada superstar Yash and Telugu actor Sai Pallavi in the lead roles.

Sikandar, Salman’s next release, also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharman Joshi. The film will be released in theatres on 30 March, coinciding with Eid.

Salman urged the audiences to come to the theatres to watch Sikandar, as well as the other releases this week. “I am hoping people working get good bonuses on Eid so that they can watch Sikandar, Mohanlal sir’s L2: Empuraan, and also Sunny Deol’s new film (Jaat). Three big stars are coming with big films and I hope all work,” he added.

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