Actor Dhanush has once again emphasized that the Indian film industry should be recognized as ‘Indian cinema’ rather than being divided into regional categories like North or South.
Speaking on Karan Johar’s popular talk show, ‘Koffee With Karan’, Dhanush reiterated his long-standing view, first voiced during the promotions of his 2013 Bollywood debut, ‘Raanjhanaa’.
During his appearance with actress Sara Ali Khan to promote their film ‘Atrangi Re’, Johar posed the question of whether films should shed their linguistic labels (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi) and be celebrated as a singular Indian entity. Dhanush firmly agreed, recalling his earlier stance.
He stressed the importance of identifying artists simply as ‘actors’ rather than ‘South Indian actors’ or ‘Bollywood actors’. “Don’t call it North films, South films, it should be like an Indian film. I am an Indian actor. Don’t write, when you write about me, don’t write ‘South actor Dhanush’. I’m just an actor, that’s it,” he stated.
Dhanush also highlighted the significance of ‘Atrangi Re’ for him, acknowledging it as a crucial project directed by Aanand L. Rai. The film, also starring Akshay Kumar, was backed by T-Series Films, Colour Yellow Productions, and Cape of Good Films, underscoring a pan-Indian collaborative spirit that aligns with Dhanush’s vision for the industry.