Dhanush Says Indian Cinema Should Move Beyond North-South Divide
Mumbai — Actor Dhanush has long advocated for moving beyond regional labels in the Indian film industry, arguing that movies should be recognized as Indian cinema rather than categorized by language or geography.
The actor expressed his views during an earlier appearance on filmmaker Karan Johar’s talk show “Koffee With Karan,” where he appeared alongside actress Sara Ali Khan to promote their film “Atrangi Re.”
During the conversation, Johar asked Dhanush whether Indian films should be viewed collectively as part of a single national film industry instead of being divided into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi cinema.
“Are you also of that opinion that we should all collectively look at ourselves as the products of Indian cinema and not regional anymore”, Johar asked.
Dhanush responded that he had expressed the same position as early as 2013, when he was promoting his Hindi film debut, “Raanjhanaa.”
He emphasized that actors and filmmakers should be recognized for their work without geographical distinctions that separate northern and southern film industries.
“Indeed, I said it long back in 2013 when I was promoting ‘Raanjhanaa’. I said the same thing. I should be like, don’t call it North films, South films, it should be like an Indian film. I am an Indian actor. Don’t write, when you write about me, don’t write ‘South actor Dhanush’. I’m just an actor, that’s it,” Dhanush said.
His remarks reflected his belief that regional classifications can unnecessarily divide an industry whose films and performers increasingly reach audiences across linguistic and geographical boundaries.
Dhanush also discussed the significance of “Atrangi Re,” his second Hindi-language film collaboration with director Aanand L. Rai following “Raanjhanaa.”
Rather than viewing the project primarily as an important milestone in his Hindi film career, he emphasized its personal significance because of his relationship with the filmmaker.
“I don’t see this as a very important film for me in Hindi, directed by my brother, so it is a very important film that way. Every film I do is very important for me,” he said.
Directed by Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma, “Atrangi Re” featured Dhanush alongside Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar.
The romantic drama was produced by T-Series Films, Colour Yellow Productions and Cape of Good Films.
Dhanush’s comments remain relevant to the ongoing conversation about regional identity in Indian cinema, particularly as films produced in different languages continue to find audiences across the country.
His position underscores the idea that Indian actors and filmmakers should be recognized for their contributions to cinema without being defined primarily by the region or language in which they work. (Source: IANS)
