Tamil films refrain from pan-India ambitions (2024)

Other than Kalki 2898 AD that has earned close to ₹290 crore from its Hindi version alone, other Telugu films to have broken out in recent years include RRR ( ₹274.31 crore) and Pushpa: The Rise-Part One ( ₹108.26 crore). In contrast, Kamal Haasan’s latest Tamil film Indian 2 had made ₹3.65 crore from its version dubbed in Hindi, while his last release Vikram had earned ₹6.64 crore. Another Tamil film Varisu, starring Vijay had clocked in ₹9.39 crore when released last year.

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“Telugu cinema has cast its net wide and made a conscious effort to appeal to every section of the audience, that they’ve cultivated across the Hindi heartland, and states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. On the other hand, Tamil cinema remains rooted to a specific cultural ethos and sensibility," independent distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said. Tamil film directors and actors remain keen on characters dressing up and behaving in a way audiences in the home state are familiar with. “Big stars like Vijay and Ajith don’t really come to promote their movies in north India or look at active marketing campaigns sustained over a period of time. The Tamil industry has extraordinary talent but needs to make an effort by design to make a proportionate impact," Rathi explained.

Marketing and promotions

The lacklustre effort in marketing and promotions by the Tamil industry is also mirrored in the way Hindi films are released down south, trade experts like Rathi said. While actors are barely available for media interactions or other activities in the four southern states, many movies also don’t resonate with mass-market audiences there. That explains why few Hindi films manage impressive collections in the southern states.

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Independent film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan agreed that Telugu cinema is far closer to Hindi sensibilities and Tamil movies have traditionally not found favour in the north. “The last big Tamil language hit (in the Hindi belt) was Rajinikanth’s 2.0 and Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-1 saw some traction. But other than that, Tamil films have hardly tasted any success here. The intent to release and market the film in Hindi is far stronger among Telugu makers. For Tamil cinema, it’s only an afterthought," Chauhan said.

To be sure, increasing revenue in newer markets can help improve the scale and budgets of films made in specific languages. Buoyed by the success of movies like Baahubali, Pushpa and RRR, Telugu filmmakers are attempting bigger films, assured of returns from fresh territories. The budget of Kalki, for instance, is estimated to be upwards of ₹600 crore. On the other hand, the Tamil industry is said to continue spending a major chunk of production budgets on star fee.

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“There is a regular supply of Telugu films so they have managed to develop some loyalty among audiences. For smaller theatres in the Hindi belt, it may not even make sense to play Tamil movies because their stars haven’t caught on here and recovery is pretty tough. So it may not be a good idea to allot them prime shows and get arm-twisted by other distributors," Pranav Garg, managing director at Maya Palace, a two-screen cinema in Muzaffarnagar, said.