Randeep Hooda Takes a Dig at Bollywood's ‘Abs Obsession’, Praises Pushpa’s Raw Appeal

South Indian cinema continues to win hearts with its raw appeal and strong storytelling. Randeep Hooda recently praised South filmmakers for staying true to their culture and focusing on well-written characters. He believes this is one of the key reasons why South films are connecting with a wider audience. "Their working is very different. I really admire what they do. They are still trying to make movies about their own culture. Their sensibility is more basic human emotions, which is appealing to a larger audience," Randeep shared.

While speaking with The Indian Express, he also compared Bollywood's mass entertainers to South films, saying, "If you look at big movies that are doing well, a lot of them have the elements of commercial cinema, like Bachchan sahab's 'Main aaj bhi pheke hue paise nahi uthaata hu', so there's Pushpa, 'Jhukega nahi'." Randeep also mocked Bollywood’s growing obsession with gym-toned bodies rather than authentic storytelling. He took Pushpa as an example, saying, "Pushpa doesn't have six-pack abs, he has a beard and a crooked shoulder. Whereas, the so-called elite filmmakers and actors are busy making abs. They are not going into characterisation and finding the character. They are just not making character-driven films."

Despite Bollywood’s struggle, Randeep sees hope in digital platforms. "Experimentation is only possible on OTT platforms now, though I think that they are also looking for more audience and subscriptions. It's a business-driven thing."

On the work front, Randeep Hooda will next be seen in Jaat, alongside Sunny Deol. He also has a Hollywood project titled Matchbox in the pipeline.