After being a part of one of the biggest movies in India, Baahubali, Karan Johar continues his partnership with southern filmmakers with 2.0, which is set to release this week. In an interaction with the press at a media event, Johar said how southern filmmakers take it up a notch and are not afraid to get out their comfort zone.

When asked about how Bollywood needs to set up their game, Johar said “I think the great moves of many of the filmmakers in the south have encouraged that movement even in Hindi cinema. I think it is because there is a 2.0 and there was a Robot and a Baahubali, that there will be cinema spectacles which will actually follow them.”

He went on to say how southern films have mastered to achieve a balance between storytelling and use of modern day technology. “We had the gumption, glory and guts to make it because we have seen the success. In many ways, the southern film industry has pioneered this movement of meeting narrative and technology for like, decades. They get their stories, emotions, scale and technology bang on,” he said.

He also added how southern filmmakers have made Hindi filmmakers feel inferior but in a positive way and how it encourages filmmakers like him to only work harder. He said, “Some of us get stuck in a rut. We don’t get out of that rut. We believe that we are in a safe spot but the truth is that we are not. They have taught us and made us feel inferior in a good way. I say that with positivity because it encourages us to do much better. So far, we had very few big events in the last decade mainly by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali who has given beautiful cinema spectacles. But now, you will see a flurry and a plethora of them and for that, thanks to the southern film industry. So, more power. And may the force of technology, narrative, emotion and success always be with them.”

When asked whether he is interested to direct a south Indian film, Johar replied, “No… I will always direct films in the language I know because I believe I will be able to justify the material much better but collaborating with their vision is something I hope I can always do.I hope I will get the opportunity where films will come to us at Dharma Productions which are of course the best of the lot… I am hopeful that will happen. I am somebody who is a huge fan of Shankar sir’s work, so I hope he brings back all his films to me and then we can do this together.”

2.0 is a science fiction sequel to the Rajnikanth starrer Robot, it is written and directed by S. Shankar, produced by A. Subaskaran and is distributed by Karan Johar. The film stars Rajnikanth, Akhshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in the lead roles. The film is set to release worldwide on November 29. 

Header Credit – Karan Johar Instagram