Actors in the south now seem to be more open to working on projects that feature them alongside their peers from other film industries. Although this trend isn’t new, industry insiders say there has been a recent increase in the number of such films as they invariably win at the box office.
Thozha (Oopiri in Telugu), for instance, saw Telugu star Nagarjuna and Tamil star Karthi join hands. The film, which hit screens recently, did exceptionally well at the box office, both in Tamil and Telugu.
Industry experts say such films, which bring heroes from different languages together, ensure a win-win situation for all concerned — the producer, director and actors — and are therefore preferred nowadays.
Producer Rajeev, of PVP cinemas that produced Thozha, explains, “It’s simple economics. When you make a big budget film, you want the stars to pull in the numbers from three-four markets. When we made Thozha, we were clear that we wanted to target both the Tamil and Telugu markets and opted for a cast that would pull in audiences from both markets.”
When popular stars from different languages do a film together, the product is saleable in different markets. This rakes in more revenue for producers of big budget films. More markets mean more chances of a producer recovering the huge sum invested in making a film.
Industry insiders say that for a director, the option to make a film with actors from different industries is bound to appeal as it gives them a wider talent pool to choose from. “Today, casting is a very important aspect of filmmaking. Having the right actors to portray the right roles can make a big difference in how a film shapes up. Spotting the right person for a role isn’t enough. Actors must also be available on the dates you choose. When a director picks actors from other industries, his options increase,” observes a source from the industry.
Director Nesan, who directed Jilla (2014), which featured Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Tamil star Vijay in the lead, agrees that such projects increase a director’s options, among other things.
“There has been an increase in the number of films featuring heroes from different languages. That is primarily because of a lot of young talent is coming in. Earlier, there used to be some difficulty in getting a star from one language to act in a film in a different language. But when I told my plans to Lal sir and Vijay sir, both of them were willing and agreed immediately. Today, I can cast any artiste who is talented. This is because audiences are more open to watching any film as long as the content is good and the artistes are talented,” explains Nesan.
So, why are actors opting for it? Industry sources say that it is to widen the audience base and to reach out to more people. It also helps them gain acceptance in different regions.
Producer Rajeev says, “Stars want to expand their footprints. A star from here will also want a market in Telugu. Similarly stars from there will want a market here and in other regions. For instance, Karthi wants a market in Telugu. It would look good if he has a direct film in Telugu as then, audiences would accept him as their own even there. A direct film gets one more readily accepted. Some of our top stars like Rajini and Kamal enjoy huge fan bases because of the direct films they did in different languages including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Telugu star Allu Arjun, for instance, has plans to do a direct Malayalam film as he has a solid market there.”
It looks like filmmakers have realised the significance of the adage, ‘United we stand; Divided we fall.’ Therefore, more such films can be expected.