Anupam Kher weighs in on North vs South debate, says 'their cinema is relevant because...'

Anupam Kher is on cloud nine as both of his films released this year have turned out to be box office blockbusters, The Kashmir Files and Karthikeya 2. While the former is a hard-hitting political drama based on the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the early 1990s, the latter is a mystery thriller focusing on the search to find Krishna's lost anklet in the sunken city of Dwarka.

As major Hindi films such as Laal Singh Chaddha, Raksha Bandhan, and others such as Runway 34, Jersey, and Heropanti 2 have been major disappointments at the box office this year, South films just as RRR, KGF Chapter 2, and now Karthikeya 2 have worked wonders setting cash registers ringing at the ticket windows.

Now, in a recent interview, Kher, who has acted in more than 500 films, shared his thoughts on the ongoing North vs South debate stating that the filmmakers down south are concentrating on telling better and more interesting stories, while Bollywood is still busy selling stars.

Talking to ETimes, Anupam said, "I’m not differentiating between the two but I think (their) cinema is relevant because they are not aping Hollywood. They are telling stories, over here we are selling stars. You make things for consumers. The problem starts when you start looking down on consumers saying, ‘We are doing you a favour by making a great film. Now you are watching a great film.' Greatness is achieved by a collective effort and that I have learnt by doing films in Telugu, Tamil, and I’m going to do a Malayalam film."

READ | Anupam Kher reacts to Anurag Kashyap saying The Kashmir Files should not be sent as India's entry at Oscars

Meanwhile, on the work front, Anupam will be seen next in Sooraj Barjatya-directed Uunchai set to release on November 11 in which he shares screen space with veteran actors Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, and Danny Denzongpa with Parineeti Chopra as the leading lady in the film.