South Indian actor Prakash Raj remarked that Malayalam and Tamil cinema, and South cinema in general, are making better films than Hindi cinema today. The versatile actor, who has always been outspoken, said this while speaking at the ongoing Kerala Literature Festival on Saturday, in a session titled "The Artist I Became".
Likening mainstream Hindi cinema to the "Madame Tussauds museum", the 60-year-old actor, known for films like Iruvar and Sila Samayangalil, said the industry has "lost its roots."
"In the present context, I feel Malayalam and Tamil cinema are making very strong films... Hindi cinema, on the other hand, has lost its roots. Everything looks beautiful, wonderful, like plastic, as you see in the Madame Tussauds museum," he said, adding, "We (the South) still have stories to tell; the new young directors of Tamil are talking about Dalit issues. And that gives so much hope."
Prakash Raj added that the tendency to increasingly cater to urban audiences has taken the soul out of Hindi cinema. "After multiplexes, the Bombay film industry began making films only for multiplex audiences. Cute films and things like that. Since they did well. They moved into Page 3 culture, and with that lost touch with rural Rajasthan and Bihar, over time, slowly," he explained.
He said this led to the disappearance of nation-building stories that promoted shared values, social harmony, and common hopes. Citing the example of the 1977 Hindi blockbuster Amar Akbar Anthony, and the iconic scene of three men from different religions donating their blood to save a woman, he said, "Now, it's not like that anymore. Today, it's all about money and looks -- reels, page 3 coverage, and loud self-promotion. In the process, I feel the industry has lost its bond with the audience."
