At a time, when even a Gal Gadot film needs an Alia Bhatt and two of the biggest hits in Indian cinema; ‘RRR’ and ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ had a melange of superstars from the South and faces like Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, and Sanjay Dutt, cinema is no longer restricted to one language, region or a singular demographic, think veteran producer Anand Pandit and adds, ” It now relies on the exchange of talent to cater to a global audience. Crossover films are the future of Indian cinema and perhaps cinema all over the world. Even global hits like ‘Bridegerton-2’ on OTT now have South-Asian actors and the entertainment industry cannot run with a set formula anymore.”
He adds that the success of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ and ‘RRR’ is unprecedented and the ‘Baahubali’ franchise paved the way for it. Says Pandit, “In my view, there is no regional divide in cinema anymore. ‘Baahubali’ was released in various languages and its Hindi version was distributed by a Mumbai-based production house. This shows that there is no competitiveness but a new, positive synergy across industries that bodes well for everyone.
With the exchange of talent across industries be it in production, distribution, or the star cast, stories are becoming richer and will continue to rock the box office like never before. There are many more films in the pipeline where audiences will see writers, producers, directors, and actors collaborating across industries. Finally, we are thinking out of our respective boxes.”
Pandit himself is making films in Gujarati “Fakt Mahilao Mate” and Marathi “Victoria”, “Bal Shivaji” and “Swatantra Veer Savarkar” and also have OTT specials and Hindi films lined up. He adds, “I don’t want to restrict myself to just one language and who knows maybe one day, I will also collaborate with an international star to make a global entertainer. Today, the impossible is possible when it comes to film-making.”
