Naga Vamsi Apologises To Boney Kapoor, Bollywood Says Wants To Make 'Rich-Looking' Film Like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Producers Boney Kapoor and Naga Vamsi recently engaged in a war of words over the long-standing debate Bollywood vs South Films. During a recent roundtable interview, Lucky Baskhar's producer argued that South films such as Baahubali and RRR, reshaped Hindi cinema's approach to mass entertainment. This didn't go down well with Kapoor and he disagreed by pointing out the impact of Bollywood across the globe. However, days after the heated exchange, that involved other industry stalwarts as well, Naga Vamsi has backtracked on his comments.

Naga Vamsi apologises to Boney Kapoor for disrespecting Bollywood

Days after Naga Vamsi's comments reignited the Bollywood vs South debate, the producer has backtracked his statement. In an interview with Telugu 360, Vamsi clarified that he did not mean any disrespect for Boney Kapoor or Bollywood. He stresses that he simply wished to appreciate the regional film industry for the stories told after COVID-19.

He said, “If they believe I disrespected Boney, I am sorry. I never wanted to disrespect anyone, especially Bollywood. As a South Indian, I was just proud of the kind of work we have done post-COVID.” He even added that Bollywood directors are his inspiration and shared, “Ever since I watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, I knew I wanted to make a rich-looking film like that someday.” He added that social media users scrutinised everything from his words to his body language from the round table interview and clarified that he shares a good equation with Boney Kapoor nonetheless.

What did Naga Vamsi say to Boney Kapoor?

Boney Kapoor appeared at the roundtable interview hosted by Galatta Plus where he, along with other producers, discussed cinema. During which he said, "In Russia, for instance, Raj Kapoor is remembered till today. When I visited Egypt, they would talk only about Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. In Morocco, again, it’s Amitabh Bachchan. The King of Morocco had honoured Amitabh and later Shah Rukh Khan. Telugu films and Tamil films have unique markets. For instance, Telugu films have a unique market in the US, while Tamil films have a strong presence in Singapore and Malaysia. That’s a significant chunk of the overseas business. And the Gulf, of course, is a cosmopolitan area."

Naga Vamsi added to Kapoor's statement and said that this might sound "harsh" but it was South Indians who changed the way you look at cinema. "This might sound harsh, but we South Indians have changed the way you look at cinema — even for Bollywood." He explained his statement, "Because you guys were stuck in making films for Bandra and Juhu. But now, with films like RRR, Baahubali, Animal, Jawan, etc., these have kind of changed your version. After Mughal-E-Azam, you mentioned films like Baahubali and RRR, which were Telugu films. You never really spoke of a Hindi film’s name after Mughal-E-Azam." This gave rise to a big Bollywood vs South Indian film debate.