Rohit Shetty on North vs South films debate: The trend of 'Bollywood khatam' will never happen

The increased popularity of South Indian films in India, according to Rohit Shetty, should not be seen as the demise of Bollywood. According to the filmmaker, both north and south Indian cinema may succeed because there is no competition between them. Rohit spoke about the impact of South Indian cinema on Bollywood while attending a promotional event in Mumbai with Ranveer Singh.

Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar, among others, have spoken out on the ongoing dispute between north and south Indian films. In 2022, many non-Hindi films were released successfully in India. KGF: Chapter 2, RRR, and Pushpa: The Rise are among them.

As per a report in The Times of India, Rohit said that the 'Bollywood khatam' (Bollywood is over) fad will never materialise. When VCRs first became popular in the 1980s, many people predicted that theatres would close and Bollywood would be over. Then, with the rise of OTT, many people claimed that Bollywood was dead. So, Bollywood kabhi khatam nahi hoga (Bollywood will never stop), as quoted by Rohit.

According to Rohit, South Indian films have been reproduced in Hindi since the 1960s. The filmmaker stated that when one looks at the past, one will notice that the South has been present since the 1960s and 1950s. The film Pyaar Kiye Jaa, directed by Shashi Kapoor, was a remake of a South Indian film. In the 1980s, when Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna were at the top of their game, a newcomer, Kamal Haasan, entered the film industry with Ek Duje Ke Liye, which was a smash hit.

Rohit also discussed the 'superstar heroines' of the 1980s and 1990s, Sridevi and Jaya Prada, who began their careers in South Indian cinema before moving on to Hindi films. He also emphasised the importance of South Indian filmmakers in the Hindi film industry.

Indian Police Force, a new series by Rohit Shetty starring Sidharth Malhotra, is currently in production. In addition, Rohit and Ranveer are working on Cirkus, which is set to enter theatres in December 2022.