Last Updated: January 28, 2024, 08:02 IST
Amitabh Bachchan will soon be seen in Kalki 2898 AD
Amitabh Bachchan recently shared his perspective on the ongoing debate between Bollywood and the South film industry at a college event.
Amitabh Bachchan recently weighed in on the Bollywood vs. South film industry debate at a college event. He even opened up about how regional filmmakers have admitted to remaking his hit films. The veteran actor attended the inauguration ceremony of the Symbiosis Film Festival in Pune, organized by Symbiosis International. His wife, Jaya Bachchan, also accompanied him. In his speech, the 81-year-old actor addressed the criticism faced by the film industry and various aspects in between.
The Piku actor expressed, “Many times, the film industry comes under a lot of criticism and faces accusations that it is responsible for changing the morals of the country and the attitudes of the people. I’m sure Jaya, who has formally studied at the Institute (FTII), would endorse the fact that stories and films are created from experiences observed in nature, in the world, and in everyday life, and that becomes our inspiration.”
During the same speech, while lauding Malayalam and Tamil cinema, Big B stated that it’s ‘not right’ to compare them with Hindi cinema. He shared, “Regional cinema has been doing very well. But when we talk to them, they say they are making the same kind of films that we do in Hindi. They just change the dressing so that they look beautiful. A lot of the people I’ve met said, ‘We are remaking your old films; there’s Deewar, Shakti, and Sholay somewhere in all our stories.’ Malayalam and some of the Tamil cinema are authentic and aesthetic. This whole idea of pointing fingers at a particular region and saying that unki aachi chal rahi hai, humari nahi (they are better than us) is not right.”
Amitabh also recalled how his late father, noted poet and writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan, would watch films on repeat. “Cinema in itself has its own power. During the last years of my father’s life, every evening he would watch a film on television on cassette. Many times, the films that he saw were repeated. I asked him every evening, ‘You have watched the film; don’t you get bored? What do you find in Hindi cinema?’ He said, ‘I’d get to see poetic justice in three hours. You and I will not get to see poetic justice in a lifetime.’ And that is the learning that cinema gives to all,” he shared.
On the work front, Amitabh has a series of projects in the pipeline. These include Kalki 2898 AD with Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, and Vettaiyan with Rajinikanth. Vettaiyan marks Amitabh’s Tamil film debut. He also recently wrapped a season of Kaun Banega Crorepati.
