Young southern film stars such as Sivakarthikeyan, Ram Charan, NTR Jr., and Dulquer Salmaan are handily beating their Bollywood counterparts such as Varun Dhawan and Kartik Aaryan when it comes to box office openings.
While movie-going has certainly dwindled in recent years, posing challenges to newer actors whose films must rely on content and word-of-mouth, trade experts say southern names still command a loyal fan base that ensures a minimum guaranteed opening.
While the magnitude of fandom may not be comparable to older southern superstars such as Rajinikanth, Mohanlal or Chiranjeevi, their films continue to open big, unlike the Hindi market where even popular names have clocked dismal openings lately.
Amaran, a Tamil film starring Sivakarthikeyan, had earned ₹21.65 crore on its opening day in October, with its release largely restricted to home state Tamil Nadu, while Vijay’s Tamil film GOAT- The Greatest Of All Time, had grossed ₹43 crore. Ram Charan’s Game Changer, originally in Telugu, had made ₹51.25 crore in January, while NTR Jr-starrer Devara: Part One made ₹82.50 crore on day one.
By contrast, the younger crop of Bollywood stars has badly struggled with openings. Varun Dhawan’s Baby John opened at ₹11.25 crore in December, Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion and Sidharth Malhotra’s Yodha both at ₹4.25 crore each, and Tiger Shroff’s Ganapath at ₹2.20 crore.
Box office charts for southern stars point north
“In the south, there are faces that ensure certain ticket sales, while the rest of the theatrical collection depends on the merit or demerit of the film. Most young Bollywood names, with the exception of Ranbir Kapoor, ensure nothing at the box office,” film distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said.
Rathi added that most Hindi film actors are too urban in terms of optics, both on and off screen, and make no effort to embrace storytelling at the grassroots. This means that films are targeted at multiplexes, while marketing campaigns and city tours do not go beyond major pincodes, an image that brand management agencies and star entourages should be blamed for. On the other hand, southern names are far more connected to viewers as far as stories, looks as well as mannerisms go.
Southern stars understand that they need to be consistent with their image, and can’t afford to make niche or segmented films that target only particular audiences, according to industry experts. Most stick to their action avatars, peppered with social or nationalist messaging. The films continually remain family-friendly too.
“Southern stars realise they have to please fans because their films primarily have one state to play with in terms of language. So, they can’t afford to experiment and their films have to be universal pleasers. Hindi films have multiple states to cater to, plus they see OTT and other rights as lucrative, which is why the younger actors have no image or fan following and can’t guarantee openings,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said.
The difference in opening days of films like Chandu Champion ( ₹4.25 crore) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 ( ₹36.60 crore), both starring Aaryan and released last year, arise from the ability of the second film to target wider, family audiences and the fact that it belongs to an established franchise, according to trade experts.
To be sure, the fact that Bollywood actors have spread themselves thin by appearing regularly in ads and posting updates on social media, has also dented their image, according to some analysts. “There is no exclusivity to the big screen if they are available 24/7. Some southern stars like Rajinikanth and Vijay hardly even turn up for film promotions, they have understood the game,” film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said.
