Opinion | Reel Deal: Bollywood Star? Meet The Pan-India Star

Bollywood isn’t disappearing. It has simply lost its monopoly on Indian stardom.

Got Question about the News?

Kareena Kapoor is getting a Malayalam voice. Prithviraj Sukumaran is getting a Hindi film.

It sounds almost unremarkable now. And that is precisely why it is worth paying attention to. Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra, releasing on September 18 in Hindi and Malayalam, brings together Kareena and Prithviraj, with Parvathy Thiruvothu dubbing Kareena’s character for the Malayalam version.

Prithviraj Sukumaran Recalls 'Arguments' With Meghna Gulzar, Says He Is Puzzled About His Daayra Role

The Talk Parents Can’t Keep Avoiding: Prithviraj Sukumaran On Teaching Kids About Safety

Kareena Kapoor Says Daayra Director Meghna Gulzar Is A 'Taskmaster': 'I Would Rush To Set; Always Be In Check'

Kareena Kapoor Reveals How She, Saif Ali Khan Advise Each Other On Scripts: 'Actors Are Pretty Sensitive...'

A few years ago, this would have been called a crossover. Today, it is simply casting. For decades, Indian cinema had a clear pecking order. You could be a huge star in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru or Kochi, but if you wanted to become a national star, the road usually led to Mumbai.

Bollywood was the big door. But today, that door is no longer the only one. Prabhas became a national star through Telugu cinema. Yash did it through Kannada. Allu Arjun found a huge Hindi-speaking audience with Pushpa, without first making a Bollywood film. Ram Charan and Jr NTR became household names across India through RRR.

The audience moved first

The change did........

© News18