The recent bout of regional successes including ‘KGF Chapter 2’, ‘RRR’, and ‘Pushpa’ has created the path for a debate about North vs South cinema. Several celebrities from the two film fraternities have expressed their opinions on the same. However, ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ star R Madhavan feels the chatter around the issue is needless and it has always been the audience who decides what they wish to watch.
In an interview, Madhavan said, “I think too much of hue and cry is happening. There are three films - ‘RRR’, ‘KGF 2’ and ‘Pushpa’ - that did really well. The rest have managed to do a fair job. There are other films (The Kashmir Files and Bhool Bhulaiyaa) in Hindi that have done well. I think people’s acceptance has broadened because of the pandemic. They accept films that they like and reject those they don’t. That’s always going to be there.”
Madhavan added that it is not possible to find a formula to make one’s film successful. Instead, the focus should be on making films that bring people to theatres. He said, “The idea is to make films that are aspirational enough to bring the audience to theatres. Some films may not have worked as they may have fallen into the pandemic bracket. That’s all there’s to it. Why have we become a country that wants to make news about everything?”
On the work front, Madhavan is awaiting the release of his debut directorial venture ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’. The film, which had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, will release in India on July 1. Besides high-profile cameos from Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya, ‘Rocketry’ also stars Simran, Rajit Kapur, Ravi Raghavendra, Misha Ghoshal, and Shyam Renganathan, Muralidaran and Karthik Kumar.
