Nani does not like the pan-India tag, asks why it is only used for south films: 'Nobody calls Jawan or Pathaan that'

Telugu star Nani has questioned the relevance and meaning of the term ‘ pan-India films’, widely used for films, largely from the four South industries, that are able to break through out of their core markets. The actor said that the term is used to put films from the South in a box and is never used for major Hindi films, even when they do the same and do well down South.

Nani is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, The Paradise. At a pre-release event for the film, the actor addressed a press conference where he was asked about his aversion to the term ‘pan-India’. He responded, “Don't call my film pan-Indian, because I ideally don't want any film to be called pan-Indian. For instance, if a Hindi film becomes a big success in the Telugu, Tamil, or Malayalam versions, it is not called pan-India. It is still called a Hindi film. When we see a Jawan or a Pathaan doing well in Tamil and Telugu, it is not called pan-India. But if a Telugu film does well across the country, it is called a pan-Indian film.”

Nani added that he did not ‘understand this term’, which is why he does not want it used for his films, but admitted that he cannot stop its usage outright. “Why is it introduced for South Indian films? Why not for Hindi films? So, generally, I have said for every film: Please don't call my films pan-Indian. I can't stop people from using it, but the phrase does not make sense to me. I will always try to reach out to my Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada audiences. This will always be the process, but I don't want them to use those tags on my films. But it will still be used. I cannot do much about it. I can only request,” Nani added.

Pan-Indian cinema, as a term, was popularised only in the last decade because of the success of films like Baahubali, KGF, and Pushpa in the north. All these films out-earned the biggest Bollywood films with their Hindi dubs, leading many in the trade to dub them ‘pan-India’. This led many South Indian filmmakers to try to manufacture ‘pan-India hits’ by casting actors from Hindi cinema alongside local stars in large-budget films. At the same time, films like Jawan, Animal, and Brahmastra did well in the Telugu states and Tamil Nadu, but they avoided the ‘pan-India’ hit tag.

The Paradise is Nani and Srikanth Odela’s reunion after Dasara. It is produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the banner of SLV Cinemas. The film also stars Kayadu Lohar, Raghav Juyal, and Mohan Babu in lead roles. Anirudh Ravichander is composing the music. The Paradise was initially scheduled for release in March, then in August. It was pushed due to production delays. It is now finally scheduled for release on September 24.

Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well.