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EXCLUSIVE! Anand Pandit On Kabzaa, Regional Cinema And Upcoming Projects, Confirms Sarkar 4 & Desi Boyz 2
Anand Pandit has ventured into Kannada cinema with his latest release Kabzaa, a pan India film starring Upendra, Kiccha Sudeep and Shriya Saran. While the verdict of the critics and masses is still pouring in, we had an exclusive conversation with the producer, where he talks about his forthcoming ventures, how he picks up the projects and how regional cinema has changed over years.
Anand Pandit has been one of the most prolific film producers of today's times. He has been producing films not only in Hindi, but also in Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati and in other regional languages. Talking about Kabzaa, he said, "when writer-director R Chandru narrated the story to me, I felt that this can be a pan India film and we should bring it in different languages. This is how the film started. It has been a wonderful journey."
Excerpts from the interview.
Audiences Are Now Exploring The Content Of Regional Languages
Speaking about his plans as a producer, Anand Pandit says, "As a studio, we have decided that we want to move in a whole different direction. This is because audience's tastes have changed a lot after the pandemic. In India, they are now not just limited to Hindi or English language content. They want to explore content of different regional languages, be it South movies or Korean, Spanish and Chinese. This trend made us think that, when we are doing Punjabi, Gujarati and Marathi films along with Hindi films then why not South films. So, this is like a new beginning. However, in South films, we will mainly concentrate on pan India films. The script is a big selling point for me obviously."
South Cinema Changed Over Years
The producer further added, "South films have changed a lot in the last few years. And this is because they are very passionate and dedicated towards their content. They are always ready to experiment. One important thing is that instead of paying huge fees to the actors, they invest more into the content. Also regional cinema is much more rooted. They had an originality. This is the reason audiences are attracted to them."
Bollywood Vs South Cinema: The Comparison Is Bound To Happen
Nowadays, there has been constant comparison of Hindi Film Industry with South cinema. Talking about this, the producer says that comparisons are bound to happen. Pandit says, "People even compare between their two children. So we cannot avoid it. If the comparison is constructive, then it is very good. But if it is just to degrade, then it is wrong. Once upon a time we used to compare Hindi movies with Hollywood movies too. So, this will continue. But the thing is, the final decision is always in hands of the audience. If they like the movie then it is good, if they don't like, it's a flop. Simple."
Audiences Are Divided Into Two Parts
Anand Pandit believes that the audience has been divided into two parts since the pandemic. People like to watch slightly edgy content on OTT. But when it comes to cinemas, they prefers watching larger-than life content or movies that should give them some experience. Content is king in today's world. Nothing can beat that. If the content of your film is good then people will definitely watch it. Production value also matters less. Like in our film Drishyam, there was no big set, no helicopters or blowing cars, nothing like that. It's a simple story, but told in a very effective way, that's why people connected with it.
Sarkar 4, Desi Boyz 2, Big Bull 2 Are On Scripting Stage
Revealing his upcoming films, the producer said that he has a long slate. He candidly shares, "At the moment we have a lot of films in Marathi and Gujarati. We are starting in Punjabi too. In Hindi, we have Sarkar 4, Desi Boyz 2, Big Bull 2 and Omkara remake. All four are in scripting stage. The casting will be finalized only after the writing is over. Apart from this, Randeep Hooda starrer Veer Savarkar is coming, which we will release in August."
