‘There are 10 cheap versions of SS Rajamouli’: Anurag Kashyap calls pan-India films an old phenomenon

SS Rajamouli has been dishing out blockbusters ever since the global success of the Baahubali franchise. He followed it up with another resounding success of RRR, a 2022 historical action drama starring Jr NTR and Ram Charan. The KGF franchise became the first one from the Kannada film industry to emerge as a pan-India blockbuster. Directed by Prashanth Neel and produced by Hombale Films, the KGF franchise is headlined by Yash. However, in a masterclass at Annapurna College of Film and Media, Anurag insisted that pan-India film from the South is not a new phenomenon.

“When was pan-India not made? For me, pan-India was Pratibandh. For me, pan-India was Fauladi Mukka with Rajinikanth. For me, pan-India was Shiva with Nagarjuna. So pan-India is not a new thing. I was a child when I’ve seen pan-India films. It’s a formula, and why formula works is nobody is putting money from their own pocket. They’re taking money from somewhere else. In the name of pan-India, in the name of creating a picture of blockbusters, you’re taking somebody else’s money for your lifestyle. You’re not really making a film. That’s why I say that don’t make sausages. Sausages look like each other. Every student should be different from the other. They should bring their own specialty to the table,” Anurag added.

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Pratibandh is a 1990 Hindi action film directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty, starring Chiranjeevi and Juhi Chawla. Fauladi Mukka is the dubbed Hindi version of SP Muthuraman’s 1983 action film Paayam Puli. Shiva is a 1990 Hindi action film adapted from Ram Gopal Varma’s 1989 Telugu film of the same name. It marked Nagarjuna’s Bollywood debut, and also starred Amala. Later, Anurag went on to co-write the screenplays of Satya (1998) and Shool (1999), which Ram Gopal Varma directed.