Mrunal Thakur shifts focus to South: There’s so much more to be offered and explored

Having done a Telugu film, Mrunal Thakur now wants to try her hand at more regional projects; says Hindi movies will not take a backseat

The positive response to her Telugu debut Sita Ramam has instilled a new confidence in Mrunal Thakur to expand her horizons in the regional film industry. While the actor has shifted her focus down South, she is not planning to put Bollywood on the backburner.

Mrunal Thakur shifts focus to South: There’s so much more to be offered and explored

“As an actor you need to be language and platform agnostic. You cannot park yourself in a segment or section. That’s when your growth is stagnant. I will continue to be part of Hindi films as much as I will also seek and hope to work in films in the south,” Thakur tells us, adding, “I have made my Telugu debut and there’s so much more to be offered and explored. I want to even work in other languages, someday even helm a strong Marathi film too”.

The Jersey actor is currently on a lookout for great content. “I want to work with visionary directors and be part of their filmography. There are so many meaningful films happening there and I do hope to be part of films that will enrich me as an actor,” she says, adding that there are some visionary directors in the industry “who have always been ahead of the curve and have led by example”.

Right now, Thakur is open to doing cinema in southern languages, irrespective of whether it’s been made for a theatrical release or for OTT platforms. For her, the most important part is how relevant the character is.

In fact, in recent years, the cinema of South India, comprising the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language industries, has stolen a march over its more Hindi counterpart when it comes to box office. However, Thakur feels it is just a phase.

“Good content will survive anywhere. It may be a phase but I’m certain and I know there are some great Hindi films which are upcoming and will drive the audiences back. Similarly so much great storytelling has happened in the last two years on OTT, one should also acknowledge that and know that this was a wave of change and wave of great writing and content that was led by the Hindi film industry,” she asserts.

But there is something that Hindi films can learn from the South. “Understanding of content that appeals to the national audiences is something I feel that we can learn from the south,” she says while wrapping up.