Kalki 2898 AD, Jawan, Animal: Crossover films are scripting a new language for Indian cinema

With film industries globally struggling to get people to theatres post pandemic, Indian cinema is carrying out an interesting experiment—the crossover collab.

A new cinematic language is taking shape in India, powered by crossovers. Since its inception, Indian cinema was locked in linguistic silos—Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood and the many smaller woods that exist in a country where the local language changes every 20 kilometres. With film industries across the world struggling to get people to theatres after the pandemic, Indian cinema is carrying out an interesting experiment—the crossover collaboration.

SRK and Nayanthara in a still from Jawan

Moving across industries

These crossovers, unlike superhero crossovers in the Marvel Universe, are seeing actors and directors move across industries. In recent years, several filmmakers based in the south of India have ventured into making films in Hindi.

Take popular titles like Jersey, Vikram Vedha, Jawan and Animal—all these films have been made by successful filmmakers from down south. Actors from southern film industries have also moved into Hindi films. Liger, Brahmastra: Part One-Shiva, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, Adipurush and Merry Christmas are all examples of actors crossing over from south cinema to Hindi. On the other hand, Bollywood stars are also venturing into films beyond Hindi. Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon made a conspicuous showing in KGF while Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt made their presence felt in RRR. Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan stole the spotlight in Kalki 2898AD.

Alia Bhatt in a still from RRR

Ask filmmaker Pushkar, of the Pushkar-Gayatri duo, what led to the rise in crossover collaborations, he says the audiences interest in regional cinema during the pandemic which coincided with the OTT boom prompted this trend. “During the pandemic, the audiences in the Hindi belt were exposed to the vibrant industries in the south which is making great commercial and parallel cinema, Pushkar says adding, “that gave rise to the perception that let’s work with South directors and actors.”

Producer Siddharth Kapur tells us that during covid, with access to streaming platforms and with data costs so low, the audiences were exposed to a wide variety of content which broadened their tastes and sensibilities tremendously. He says, “the way audiences today respond to content, crossover collaborations offer a completely new perspective and a fresh lens.”

Deepika Padukone in a still from Kalki 2898 AD

But actors and filmmakers moving industries, though, is not an entirely new phenomenon. Kamal Haasan acted in Hindi film Ek Duje Ke Liye in 1981. Superstar Rajinikanth made Andhaa Kanoon, his first Hindi film, in 1983. Nagarjuna and Dhanush have also featured in several Hindi films over the years, but of late, such crossovers have become more frequent. In fact, the upcoming lineup of films like Kanguva, Kannappa, War 2, Devara - Part 1, and Sikandar among others, also feature crossovers.

So, is it just a fad or is Indian cinema on the cusp of discovering a new language?

Truly Indian cinema

Kapur says crossover collaborations were “long overdue”. He adds it will benefit Indian cinema in the long run. “We are the Indian film industry, but because each cinema-producing sector across languages operated so differently, collaborations took a while to come,” he tells us adding, “Remakes of course used to happen over the years, but now, stars from Hindi cinema are acting in south Indian films and vice versa, directors are crossing language barriers, it is a wonderful new trend. For Indian cinema, it can only be beneficial to tap into talent from all over the country.”

Filmmaker Nag Ashwin says he hopes crossover collaborations such as Kalki 2898AD continue to take place. “But this should happen only when the film or story demands it. I strongly feel that very soon we will have to start using the term ‘Indian cinema’ instead of others,” he adds. Ashwin further says that crossovers will soon trickle into smaller budget films and will not be limited to big-ticket cinema, referring to how OTT has helped regional films become more accessible.

Sanjay Dutt in a still from KGF

Breaking barriers

Another reason behind the rise of crossovers is that “language is no longer a big enough barrier”. Charan Tej Uppalapati, who is directing the upcoming film Maharagni: The Queen of Queens starring Prabhudeva and Kajol, says, “As a filmmaker, we too would like our films to reach a wider audience. When we have unique scripts which can entertain audience across India, having artists from different regions of the county helps.” He adds, that technology too has helped in this direction. “There is this technology where an individual can sit in a theatre with earphones and choose the language they wish to hear on a mobile app and watch the movie on the big screen while listening to the language they’ve selected.”

Cinema gains

Crossovers across film industries are leading to fresh storytelling and a cross-pollination of creative minds, say experts. “When actors or directors enter a new market, they don’t have any preconceived notions or traditional constraints that sometimes hold back creativity. They come in wanting to make a difference, applying a completely new approach to the content in a market that’s new to them,” says Kapur.

Rashmika Mandanna and Ranbir Kapoor in a still from Animal

Crossover films are also changing conceptions around actors. “The concept of ‘Telugu film actor’ or ‘Hindi film actor’ is going away,” says trade analyst Ramesh Bala adding, “and to get talent from different industries to work together helps not just the actors to widen their fan-base, but also gets the film a better opening by giving them access to a market which was previously not available to them.”

So, will crossover collaborations become the new norm? Vikram Vedha director Pushkar does think so. “You are not going to be seeing these kinds of films on a regular basis because the expense is huge,” he says. “What we are all looking forward to is the smaller collaborations, where you have people who are not the stars but considered great actors who would cross pollinate. So, if you have a Manoj Bajpayee or a Rajkummar Rao, and actors like that working in south cinema, I think would be a good next step forward,” Pushkar signs off.