Salman Khan Highlights Bollywood’s Struggle to Win Over South Indian Audiences

Bollywood icon Salman Khan recently pointed out a stark contrast in Indian cinema’s regional appeal, noting that while South Indian films starring legends like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Suriya, and Ram Charan enjoy success in the Hindi-speaking belt, the reverse isn’t true. Speaking to the press, Khan shared that despite his personal popularity in the South where fans affectionately call him “Bhai” on the streets his Hindi films fail to draw southern audiences into theaters. “Their fan following is very strong… they’ll say ‘Bhai, Bhai,’ but they won’t go to the theatres,” Khan remarked, as reported by the sources, underscoring a one-sided acceptance where Bollywood fans embrace South stars, yet southern viewers largely skip Hindi releases.

Upcoming Projects Face Budget Hurdles as Khan Calls for Smarter Filmmaking

The 59-year-old actor, gearing up for his Eid release Sikandar with South director A R Murugadoss, revealed plans to collaborate next with Jawan filmmaker Atlee on a grand action movie delayed by budget constraints. “He has written a very big-budget action film,” Khan told, adding that another rugged action project with Sanjay Dutt is also in the pipeline. Reflecting on the viability of pan-Indian films blending stars from both industries, he cautioned that high costs driven by hefty fees on both sides demand the “right script” to succeed. Khan blamed Bollywood’s recent flops on misguided priorities, quoting his father, Salim Khan: films are greenlit for convenience like available actor dates rather than compelling stories, inflating budgets and skewing focus away from audience needs.

Khan Urges Emotional Depth and Audience Focus Amid Shifting Viewer Habits

Addressing broader industry challenges, Khan criticized modern filmmakers trained abroad for lacking emotional resonance, a gap he sees as critical in a market craving “emotion, action, and romance” in one package. “They are writing for themselves,” he said, urging creators to prioritize viewers over personal rivalries. He also noted shrinking attention spans, with audiences distracted by phones during dialogue heavy scenes, yet maintained that movies remain entertainment’s top draw despite competition from Netflix. On rising ticket prices, Khan acknowledged the burden but defended theater owners’ costs, citing successes like Chhava , Jawan and Animal tracked by that strong word-of-mouth can still pack seats for his upcoming Sikandar, a tale of a universally good man set for release on March 30.