Karan 'KJo' Johar is one of the most prolific personalities in India. The Bollywood filmmaker and television personality is known nationally for directing and producing blockbuster movies, and for being a blockbuster himself. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the leading director-producers in Hindi cinema.
Ever since the release of KGF: Chapter 1, pan-Indian movies are all the hype now. The term "Pan-Indian film" is used for a film that is simultaneously released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi languages, to maximize the target audience and increase revenues. It is a phenomenon that cannot diminish or dilute. With the release of various pan-Indian films like Saaho, Pushpa: The Rise, Radhe Shyam, RRR, etc., a lot of films coming out lately are being dubbed in two or three other languages are being released as 'pan-Indian' movies. Releasing a movie dubbed in other regional languages does not make it a pan-Indian film unless it meets certain criteria.
In a recent interview for Galatta Plus, Karan Johar was brought in as a guest to give his opinion and speak about the pan Indian films that are being made these days. He was in conversation with Baradwaj Rangan, a National Award-winning film critic, about the state of movies in this day and age. With the release of many pan-Indian films, Rangan asks KJo what a pan-Indian film is in his definition to which KJo says, "Every film that is made big in one language does not necessarily have to be dubbed in five other languages. You have to see what is the cultural context of your film. What is the syntax of your film?". He added, "Baahubali can connect to you no matter which part of the country you come from. But not every film will". He takes one of his upcoming films, Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, as an example and says, "I believe it should be remade but it should not be dubbed into five languages. It is meant for a Hindi audience and the Hindi-speaking diaspora. But its syntax and conversational quality is based in the north of this country and should definitely only be a Hindi film".
This goes to show that films that share a certain cultural factor and contain a syntax that connects all people can be made into pan-Indian films but those which do not serve any purpose as a pan-Indian film will not be nationally understood as a whole and therefore will not be well received by the public. Some upcoming pan-Indian films to watch out for are KGF: Chapter 2, Beast, Ponniyin Selvan: I and Brahmastra Part One: Shiva among many others.
Check out the full detailed interview of Karan Johar here: