Adivi Sesh: It took a film like Baahubali for people to realise that south films aren’t just popular on TV

Actor Adivi Sesh, all set to be seen next in the multi-lingual Major, is happy that the attitude people have towards south cinema is changing.

Agreeing that these are happy times for Indian cinema in general, especially after the success of Pushpa in the North, he says, “It has also to do with the kind of sensibilities we have as actors and filmmakers. We tell stuff that’s aspirational. The audience here loves us. I have noticed especially in the last few years, there is a little bit of negativity when I see the audiences and how they are perceiving mainstream films in Mumbai.”

The 36-year-old says it took a film like Baahubali to shatter all perceptions around regional films. “It took SS Rajamouli sir’s film for us to realise hamari films sirf TV channel pe nahi chaltin. Out of the top 10 Hindi films every year on TV, seven-eight are dubbed Telugu or Tamil films. It was only a matter of time before that would translate into theatres. But having said that, Major is a film that I shot and wanted people to feel they are watching this authentic story in their language,” Sesh tells us.

Ask the actor if he is contemplating taking up work in full-fledged Hindi films and he says there’s no difference anymore in which industry you work in.

“Pushpa has done extraordinary business. I have got a couple of more films in the realm of Major. The attitude of the audience is different as compared to that of the industry. When the public responds to something is when the industry does, when technically it should be the other way round. It started with Baahubali, then KGF, then guys like me got the guts to say ‘we will make a Hindi film sitting in Hyderabad’. We wouldn’t have had the courage to do so before,” he says.

ott:10