Their growing popularity in the Hindi belt means south Indian films are threatening Bollywood in its own backyard.

In April, for instance, Kannada star Yash, best known for the KGF franchise, will release a new film called Toxic that will compete not just with another southern film, The Raja Saab starring Prabhas, but also Bollywood’s Sunny Deol-starrer Jaat and Rajkummar Rao’s comedy drama Bhool Chuk Maaf, all of which will arrive to cash in – and clash – on a host of holidays.

Meanwhile, the Gandhi Jayanti weekend in October will see the Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1, a prequel to the 2022 sleeper hit, joust with Varun Dhawan’s new film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. Theatre owners say that southern filmmakers are ready to take these Hindi movies head on, and while the problem of plenty is good, not enough screens may be available if multiple titles cater to the same target audience.

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Further, in June, Kamal Haasan’s new film Thug Life will collide with Akshay Kumar’s ensemble comedy Housefull 5, though not over a holiday weekend.

“Southern filmmakers are certainly buoyed by the success of their films across India and have consciously decided to reach out to wider audiences by looking at release dates typically meant for Hindi movies. Bollywood, too, has realised it must brace for competition, not just from other Hindi titles, but southern films too, like it has dealt with Hollywood so far,” Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas, said.

Theatrical success

The past theatrical success of pan-India southern films shows inroads into the Hindi belt are possible, and their prospects brighten further when top A-listers such as Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan Bollywood are missing from the Bollywood line-up. “That there isn’t that much of an opposition gives the southern filmmakers a sense of confidence. If both films generate equal demand and buzz, exhibitors will certainly be squeezed. But the other way to look at this is that more big and interesting films will bring people to theatres in larger numbers,” Puri added.

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RRR collected ₹916 crore in pan-India box office, while KGF: Chapter 2 grossed ₹1,005 crore.

To be sure, audiences have started looking at southern language films as the real theatrical content, and Bollywood is falling way behind in the perception game, independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said. “When southern films are seeing such resonance, why wouldn’t the makers take a chance against Hindi films by arriving on the same date? However, clashes make sense only if the films are as different as chalk and cheese. If both are commercial entertainers meant to appeal to the widest possible audience, one will underperform,” Chauhan addedd.

He referred to the Diwali clash between Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, where both lost out on box office by eating into each other’s business and screen count.

Yet, given that big hits such as Pushpa 2: The Rule, and Kalki 2898 AD drew crowds last year despite not arriving on holidays, some exhibitors point out that audiences flock to the theatres as long as good content is on offer and there is adequate marketing and publicity.

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“Exhibitors often prefer at least two high-profile films for long weekends, but clashes make sense only when one film comes with an A-list star and the other is a complementary, medium-budget product that can aid the holiday season,” said Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Entertainment that operates multiplex theatres.