There's been a lot of talk about "pan-Indian films" lately, based on the success of RRR and KGF: Chapter 2
The record numbers of these South films have changed the perception that Bollywood is the big daddy of cinema in India.
Both RRR and KGF: Chapter 2 unapologetically aim to entertain; both also include Bollywood actors in their cast Alia Bhatt co-stars in RRR, Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon in KGF 2.
Audiences have embraced the masala content of these films and that's not something to celebrate, critically acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui reminded us that box office performance should not be conflated with the merits of a film.
"When a film does well everyone joins in and praises it even more, if a film doesn't collect good money people criticize it more," he said
adding that a hit Hindi film could reset the status quo: "This is like fashion, now if a Bollywood film becomes a big hit then all these talks will change. I think this is just a trend."
Among potential Bollywood hits are two big releases coming up this year - Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha and Brahmastra, starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan.