Mumbai, Nov 14, 2025
Veteran actor Anupam Kher has praised the rise of regional cinema in India, highlighting how films from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali industries are bringing the country’s stories back to the forefront.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, the ‘Special 26’ actor noted that while regional films are thriving and telling authentic Indian stories, Bollywood has largely overlooked this rich storytelling tradition. When asked whether something good is happening in regional cinema, Anupam said that it is no longer just “regional” but has evolved into a true pan-India cinema.
He added that having worked in almost all Indian languages, barring a few like Assamese and Gujarati, he has seen how regional industries are more organized and aspirational, aiming to reach audiences worldwide. Kher praised regional films for telling authentic Indian stories, while noting that Hindi cinema seems to have forgotten this rich tradition.
The 70-year-old actor shared, “No, it’s not like that. First of all, it’s not regional anymore. It has become a pan-India cinema. But the second thing is that I have worked in almost all the languages of India. Except one or two. Assamese, Gujarati, etc.
They are much more organized because they are aspirational, wanting to be accepted by the whole world. And that’s what COVID did. Covid showed us films that we didn’t watch. Malayalam cinema, Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Bengali cinema.”
“Now people are in a mood to watch good films. Hats off to regional cinema for telling the stories of India. Hindi cinema has forgotten. We have to tell the stories about India and Indianness. And that’s why Tanvi the Great is an Indian story. About an Indian girl. Which has a universal problem of autism. I think we will come out of it.”
Anupam Kher was speaking on the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival, currently underway in Mumbai. The festival, which runs until November 16, aims to honour and celebrate the art of storytelling in cinema.(Agency)
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