'Not all South Indian films are good!': Salman talks about colleagues, 'Empuraan' and more

Bollywood star Salman Khan has stated that not all films produced in South India are of high quality. While acknowledging that two or three films are released every week in the South, he pointed out that not all of them achieve success. “The mantra everywhere is that if you make a good film, it will succeed,” he added during a press conference for his upcoming film Sikandar, which is set to release on March 30.

Salman Khan’s Sikandar will face competition from two high-profile South Indian releases: Mohanlal-Prithviraj’s Empuraan (released on March 27) and Sunny Deol’s Jaat (releasing on April 5). During the event, questions about his competitors were raised, to which Khan responded by expressing admiration for his fellow actors and filmmakers. 

When asked about Empuraan's release and Prithviraj's well wishes for Sikandar, Salman Khan praised the actor and director, saying, “As an actor, I really like Prithviraj. I know his films will be great when he directs.” He also shared his personal connections with the South Indian film industry, revealing that he has worked with several prominent actors and directors from the region over the years.

"I have worked with many South Indian actors, and I was the first actor from my generation to collaborate with South Indian directors. At one point, I worked with four or five South Indian directors at the same time," Salman Khan said. He also spoke fondly of his colleagues, mentioning his long friendship with actor Venkatesh and his work with Chiranjeevi in the ThumsUp advertisement.

Salman Khan also responded to a question about the differences between Hindi and South Indian filmmakers. He stated, “South Indian cinema has made significant technical progress and has become very emotionally mature. They don’t copy stories or ideas from elsewhere; they create their own. That said, not all South Indian films are great. In Bollywood, we only remember the films that perform well at the box office, and the same goes for South India. Two or three films are released every week, but not all of them succeed. The key to success everywhere is making a good film,” he explained.

Due to security concerns, Khan’s press conference was held without cameras, as he had recently received a death threat from infamous gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The media were not permitted to record the event for safety reasons.

‘Sikandar’, which is slated for release on March 30, is the biggest Eid release of the year. Directed by A. R. Murugadoss, the film stars Salman Khan alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharib Hashmi.