Karan Johar: Southern filmdom has made Hindi filmmakers feel inferior

Karan Johar

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, who is gearing up for the release of Tamil entertainer 2.0 as a film distributor, says the southern film industry has made Hindi movie makers feel inferior in a good way. Karan was interacting with the media at a press conference on "2.0" along with film's antagonist Akshay Kumar and director S. Shankar on Saturday.

South Indian cinema has been always ahead in term of budget, scale and technology. Asked about how Bollywood needs to up its game, Karan said: "I think the great moves of many of the filmmakers in the south have encouraged that movement even in Hindi cinema. I think it is because there is a 2.0 and there was a Robot and a Baahubali, that there will be cinema spectacles which will actually follow them.

"We had the gumption, glory and guts to make it because we have seen the success. In many ways, the southern film industry has pioneered this movement of meeting narrative and technology for like, decades. They get their stories, emotions, scale and technology bang on."

Karan said the southern film industry has made Hindi filmmakers feel inferior, but in a positive way. "Some of us get stuck in a rut. We don't get out of that rut. We believe that we are in a safe spot but the truth is that we are not. They have taught us and made us feel inferior in a good way.

"I say that with positivity because it encourages us to do much better. So far, we had very few big events in the last decade mainly by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali who has given beautiful cinema spectacles. But now, you will see a flurry and a plethora of them and for that, thanks to the southern film industry.

"So, more power. And may the force of technology, narrative, emotion and success always be with them." Since Karan has collaborated with two big South Indian films, when asked whether he will ever direct a south Indian film, he said: "No... I will always direct films in the language I know because I believe I will be able to justify the material much better but collaborating with their vision is something I hope I can always do.

"I hope I will get the opportunity where films will come to us at Dharma Productions which are of course the best of the lot... I am hopeful that will happen. I am somebody who is a huge fan of Shankar sir's work, so I hope he brings back all his films to me and then we can do this together."

2.0 is a science fiction action film written and directed by S. Shankar, co-written by B. Jeyamohan, and produced by A. Subaskaran. The film serves as a sequel to the 2010 Tamil film Enthiran and features Rajinikanth reprising the roles of Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitti, alongside Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson.

The film is set for a worldwide theatrical release on November 29.

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