Salman Khan on why Bollywood can't go pan- India: "We see Ram Charan films but their fans don't see ours"

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan recently addressed the challenges Hindi films face in becoming truly pan-India. During a media interaction in Mumbai, he shared his views on why Bollywood movies struggle to find an audience in the South, the difficulty of casting South stars in Hindi films, and the need for a strong script and financial backing for such collaborations. He also spoke about his upcoming release, Sikandar, which hits theaters the coming week.

Salman Khan pointed out that while South Indian films have been widely embraced in the Hindi-speaking belt, the same hasn’t happened for Bollywood in the South. He noted that stars like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Suriya, and Ram Charan enjoy massive popularity in the North, where their films are watched in large numbers. However, the same cannot be said for Hindi films in the South. Even though he has fans in the region, Salman acknowledged that they don’t always turn up at cinemas for Bollywood releases.

A potential solution, some have suggested, is casting South Indian actors in Bollywood films to attract audiences from both regions. While agreeing with this idea, Salman stressed that such collaborations depend on finding the right script. A project must justify the presence of actors from different industries rather than just adding them for marketing appeal.

However, he also highlighted a significant obstacle; budgets. Both Bollywood and South Indian stars command high fees, making large-scale collaborations financially challenging. A film must have a strong script and a production team willing to take the risk. Salman cited Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and featuring Ranbir Kapoor alongside Kannada superstar Yash and Telugu actress Sai Pallavi, as an example of a project attempting this cross-industry.

Salman acknowledged that Bollywood is facing hurdles, but he remains optimistic. With multiple big releases lined up, he hopes all films perform well, regardless of the industry they belong to. He encouraged audiences to watch not only Sikandar but also other major films releasing around the same time, including Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan and Sunny Deol’s Jaat.

Directed by A.R. Murugadoss, Sikandar is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The film features Salman Khan in the lead role, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharman Joshi. With a release date set for March 30, the film is expected to be a major Eid entertainer.