Ahead of Daayra's September 18 release, the actor compared how films get made in Kerala versus Mumbai and didn't hold back on which system he prefers.
Prithviraj Sukumaran has spent two decades moving between Kerala's film industry and Bollywood, and he's decided the two don't run anywhere close to the same way.
Speaking about Daayra, Meghna Gulzar's film that hits theatres on September 18, the actor was asked what actually separates the two industries once the cameras start rolling. His answer wasn't about budgets or box office. It was about how a film gets made in the first place.
"I think it's how informal we are as an industry," Prithviraj said. "Our bag is light compared to Bollywood."
He's not talking about crew size or shoot days. He means the whole machinery around getting a project off the ground. In Kerala, he said, even the big-scale films carry an informal approach that never quite disappears. "Even while attempting these big films, there's an informal way Malayalam films are made," he said. "That approach brings a tangible, humane element to the cinema we make."
Bollywood, by his account, works differently and comes with more steps built in. "I've learnt that you have to call the agency," he explained. "The agency will then speak to the manager assigned to you, and the manager will convince you to take the meeting with the director." He made an exception for Gulzar herself, saying a filmmaker of her standing doesn't need much convincing to get a meeting. "If it's someone like Meghna, it doesn't take too much convincing. So, it's all very corporate. I guess it works. But I think there's an easier way to do things."
It's a comment that lands at an interesting moment for Prithviraj. He's built a genuine Hindi filmography over the years, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Naam Shabana among the credits, alongside a run of Malayalam work that's kept him firmly rooted at home. Daayra puts him opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in a Gulzar film, so this isn't a stray outsider's complaint. It's someone who's worked both systems long enough to compare them from the inside.
What he's describing isn't new to industry conversation. Malayalam cinema has spent the last several years building a reputation for lean, writer-driven sets that produce films punching above their budgets. Bollywood's process, layered with agencies and managers, is often defended as the reason big productions stay organised at scale. Prithviraj isn't dismissing that logic entirely. He just doesn't think it's the only way to get a film made.
Daayra releases in cinemas on September 18. Whether audiences respond to the film the way trade is watching Prithviraj's comments travel is the next thing to find out, and that answer arrives within days, not months.
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.