Kangana Ranaut on North vs South debate: ‘Save our screens from international films, do not fight among yourselves’

There has always been a North films vs South films debate in the country, and recently it has intensified with the back to back success of Pushpa: The Rise, RRR and KGF: Chapter 2. Indian cinema is no longer limited to Hindi films, as Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali films, among other industries, are being applauded for their content and depth. However, this debate amid industries is dividing the stars of the two regions, and that is not right in Kangana Ranaut’s opinion. She believes this competitive spirit should be against Hollywood films and not against South or North films.
Calling herself the “biggest cheerleader” of South Indian films, Kangana suggests it was she who started the topic that our regional cinema should do well. “What we have to do collectively is to fight against Hollywood and save our screens from international films because the American film industry has single-handedly destroyed the German, Italian, French, and English film industries. We have to not fight among ourselves, be it south film industries like Kannada, Tamil Telugu or Punjabi film industry, we have to encourage them all,” Kangana, who has been on a promotional spree for her action-drama Dhaakad, advised.

Kangana is not only against the demarcation of film industries in India, She also wants people to stop “attaching films to sexuality” and call them ‘male-centric’ or ‘women-centric‘. She said, “We should come out of that mentality to judge a film if it’s women-centric or male-centric. We should look at a film like a film and not attach sexuality to it. Until now, women have contributed so much to the films, but the credit still goes to men. So, now, when women are flourishing in the films, we should not sideline and discourage big heroes to participate in our growth.”
Kangana Ranaut spy thriller Dhaakad will hit screens on May 20.
Kangana’s co-actor in the movie, Divya Dutta added, “The day when this demarcation (between films of North and South won’t be there, everything will be normal.” Both the actors were speaking at the trailer launch of Dhaakad in New Delhi.

Kangana led Dhaakad is scheduled to hit the theaters on May 20. The film has Kangana in the role of a spy named Agent Agni. The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Divya Dutta, and Saswata Chatterjee, among others. It is helmed debutant director Rajneesh Ghai, who Kangana said was warned against working with her because “Mera toh kyunki sabne naam kharab karke rakha hua hai (They have spoiled my image)”. But Rajneesh was determined to work with the actor and didn’t give up on her.

Concluding about Dhaakad, Kangana expressed, “In Bollywood, action always comes from a police officer or ‘mahaule ke gunde’. This (Dhaakad) kind of sleek action spy thrillers are not made in India, leave aside women-centric, these films are not made even with male actors.”