Stay rooted in language and culture: Nagarjuna on what truly powers pan-India success

Tollywood superstar Nagarjuna believes the secret to a film's success lies in staying true to one’s linguistic and cultural roots. Speaking at the 2025 World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai during a panel titled ‘Pan-Indian Cinema: Myth or Momentum?’, Nagarjuna shared compelling insights on why certain South Indian films are striking gold across the country, especially in the North.

Citing the phenomenal success of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa franchise and Yash’s KGF series, he said, “Both Pushpa films earned more in Hindi than in Telugu. We've seen such stories before in Telugu, but in the North—in Bihar, UP, Punjab—the audience craved to see such tentpole heroes. For a lot of Indians, day-to-day life is tough, and when they go to the movies, they want to see magic, a fantasy they can escape into.”

Nagarjuna emphasized that these larger-than-life films succeed not because they try to be pan-Indian, but because they stay deeply rooted in regional sensibilities. “Rajamouli made Baahubali thinking frame-to-frame like a Telugu filmmaker, and it resonated globally. That’s the power of rooted storytelling,” he noted.

He also highlighted how Indian cinema has its own brand of fantasy: “When Superman knocks out 20 people, no one questions it because it’s 'super powers'. In our films, the hero doesn’t need powers. He’s just a larger-than-life version of us. That’s what the audience loves. I clap and whistle when I see my heroes like Prabhas or Allu Arjun do the same.”

Joining Nagarjuna on the panel were Anupam Kher, Khushbu Sundar, and Karthi, who collectively explored the evolving idea of pan-Indian cinema. But Nagarjuna’s takeaway was clear: “Celebrate your storytelling DNA. That’s where the real power lies.”