'Kaise superstar ban gaye?’: Nani reacts to Salman Khan's remark about South fans

Nani reacts to Salman`s remark about South fans Pic/Instagram

Telugu star Nani, who is busy promoting Hit: The Third Case, weighed in on Salman Khan's recent remark about South fans. Around the release of Sikandar, the Bollywood superstar claimed that Hindi films, despite the biggest actors, don't get much reception down south. Nani asserted that movie buffs in the south have grown up watching Hindi movies, whereas the popularity of regional movies is a recent phenomenon.

Nani on Salman Khan's comment

In an interview with DNA, Nani shared, "Hindi cinema is original, South cinema came later. The love that South cinema is receiving now is a recent phenomenon. But the love that Bollywood has received in the South has been there for decades. If you ask anyone there, ‘What is your favourite Hindi film?', they'll have childhood memories of Amitabh Bachchan. They will talk about so many films. So we always watched (Hindi) films. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dil Toh Pagal Hai were blockbusters in Hyderabad and other southern states. Everyone is now lapping South, but Hindi cinema is always lapped up across the country."

What Salman Khan said about South fans

Salman claimed, "When my film is released there, it will not get the numbers because their fan following is very strong. I'll be on the street, and they will say, ‘Bhai, Bhai', but they will not go to the theatres. We've accepted them (south stars) here, and their films do well because we go and see them, like those of Rajinikanth garu, Chiranjeevi garu, Suriya, or Ram Charan. But their fans do not go and see our films."

Reacting to Khan's comment, Nani stated, "Nahi-nahi, waha nahi chale? Bina chale kaise superstar ban gaye? 100 per cent chalti hai, and we all love him. We all watched so many films of Salman. Movies like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun have cultural importance there. Didi Tera Dewar Deewana and other songs we used to play at our wedding."

Meanwhile, HIT: The Third Case sees Nani in the role of SP Arjun Sarkaar, as he graduates from his cameo in the second part of the franchise to a full-fledged lead role. It is set to release in cinemas on May 1.