PS2 director Mani Ratnam says Hindi film industry should stop calling itself Bollywood

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam recently opened up on the conversation of Indian cinema being constantly referred to as Bollywood in the west on Wednesday (April 19). The director said that Indian films in other languages than Hindi will receive more recognition if the Hindi film industry can stop referring to itself as Bollywood. Speaking at the CII Dakshin Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai, Mani Ratnam said, “If Hindi cinema can stop calling themselves Bollywood, then people will stop identifying Indian cinema as Bollywood.” National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaaran echoed the same thought. He said, “I’m not a fan of the ‘woods’. Like Bollywood, Kollywood. We need to see it as Indian cinema on the whole.”

More about the Media and Entertainment Summit

Mani Ratnam was one of the panellists at the event who spoke on the influence of south Indian cinema on the world stage with the recent success of films like RRR, Pushpa: The Rise, Kantara, and KGF: Chapter 2. Filmmakers Vetrimaaran and Basil Joseph as well as actor-director Rishab Shetty were part of this panel. Prem Rakshit, the choreographer of the Oscar-winning song Naatu Naatu (RRR), and Oscar-winning documentary director Kartiki Gonsalves were awarded at the summit. 700 participants from all around India, including actors, producers, directors, exhibitors, national heads of OTT platforms, and social media influencers, will attend the two-day event. It will feature over 60 eminent speakers.

Mani Ratnam's work front

On the work front, Mani Ratnam is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Ponniyin Selven II. The film is both a prequel and a follow-up to the first part. The movie is scheduled for release on April 28 of this year. The movie franchise has been a longtime goal for the director Mani Ratnam, who made an early attempt at the project in the late 1980s. In 2019, he finally came true to his desire. It will be released on April 28.