In 2015, a cinematic storm named Baahubali swept India, forever changing the landscape of Indian cinema. The film’s success showcased the immense potential held by movies from the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam industries, collectively known as the South belt. This awakening gave birth to the ‘pan-India film’ obsession, as the industry recognized the vast opportunities that lay within these multi-lingual projects.

However, amid the excitement, questions arise about what truly constitutes a ‘pan-India’ film and whether the term has been exhausted.

Atul Mohan, trade expert, clarifies that “a pan-India film is one released in multiple languages simultaneously, including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi”. He also emphasizes that labelling a film as pan-India should be reserved for projects that “genuinely resonate with audiences upon their release, rather than pre-emptively declaring them as such”.

He adds, “Makers just think now ‘bada budget, ek North, ek South ka actor aur action film, isko pan-India bol ke bechte hain’. But aise nahin hota, content bhi toh ho!”

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh notes that the “allure of the larger audience and potential higher returns drives many producers to take the risk” and feels that “the term has indeed been overused”. He cites the undeniable successes of films like Baahubali, Pushpa: The Rise - Part 01 (2021) and RRR (2022), which “genuinely qualify as pan-India due to their wide-reaching appeal”. But, he acknowledges numerous instances of films failing to make an impact also exist, such as Liger, Vikrant Rona (both 2022), Kabzaa and Adipurush.

In recent times, several Hindi film actors have appeared in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. The inclusion of Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in RRR is seen by some as a strategy to cater to the northern audience. Similarly, Nagarjuna starred in Brahmastra and Prabhas portrayed Lord Ram in Adipurush. 

Raveena Tandon, who acted in KGF - Chapter 2, says, “All our industries are converging into one big force. When I was done with KGF 2 and shooting for another film in Rajasthan, people came up to me and said ‘KGF KGF’, I was surprised people in that state enjoyed a Kannada film.”

Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra, who stars in KD - The Devil, notes, “People enjoy the sensibilities of south films and coming together of a Hindi cast with that of films from Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.”