Tollywood actor Nani recently responded to Salman Khan's remarks about South audiences not watching Bollywood films. While promoting his upcoming movie Hit: The Third Case with actress Srinidhi Shetty, Nani shared his thoughts during an interview with DNA India.
Earlier, Salman Khan said that although people in South India warmly greet him as 'bhai' when they see him, they rarely go to theatres to watch his films. He also mentioned that Hindi audiences happily accept South Indian movies but the South does not show the same support for Bollywood.
Nani disagreed with Salman's statement. He explained that Hindi cinema has always been popular in South India even before South Indian films became famous across the country. Nani also added that many people in the South grew up watching Bollywood movies. He gave examples like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dil To Pagal Hai, which were huge hits in South India. He also mentioned that Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan were loved by everyone.
Reacting to Salman's statement, Nani said, "How could he become a superstar if his movies did not work here? We all love him and have watched many of his films." He recalled that films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, and popular songs like "Didi Tera Deewana," were part of their celebrations and memories.
Actress Srinidhi Shetty also agreed, saying that watching Hindi films was a common thing for everyone in the South. Nani suggested that perhaps Salman Khan's words were misunderstood and that there has always been a strong bond between South India and Bollywood movies.
Meanwhile, Hit: The Third Case is set to release on May 1 across India. Nani plays the lead role of SP Arjun Sarkaar, a tough officer from the HIT team investigating a series of murders in Jammu and Kashmir. The cast includes Srinidhi Shetty, Surya Srinivas, Adil Pala, Rao Ramesh, Brahmaji and Maganti Srinath.
On the other side, Salman Khan was last seen in Sikandar directed by A.R. Murugadoss starring Rashmika Mandanna, Sathyaraj and others.
