The reason for KGF, RRR, and Kantara's huge success - Vetri Maaran gives an explanation! WATCH SPEECH VIDEO!

National Award-winning filmmaker Vetri Maaran was one of the guest speakers from the Tamil film industry to grace the CII Dakshin South India Media & Entertainment Summit 2023 today in Chennai. The gala event saw several notable film fraternity members participate in the inaugural ceremony of Dakshin CII summit 2023, including RK Selvamani, FEFSI president, producer T. G. Thyagarajan of Sathya Jyothi Films, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, actors Karthi, Rishab Shetty, Manju Warrier, among others. 

Speaking at the Dakshin CII summit 2023, Vetri Maaran started off by saying, "It has been said that there are no boundaries nor a language for art. But, there is definitely a language, a culture and a boundary for art, and those who use art will not be restricted. Art will go beyond boundaries. So, that strongly happened with the COVID lockdowns because we all were sitting in our homes and did not know what to do. We began watching films from all regions by going to Netflix and all the OTT platforms, and that has widened our understanding and perception of what would be told as a cinema or any kind of art expression. In terms of accepting and understanding films that are set in a different ethos, different time and different world, it has made it a comfortable space for the common man to accept them, I personally believe. And, that is when a lot of things started changing and post-lockdown, everybody's understanding, the way we started watching films on the big screen in theatres has begun changing a little. We all are talking about the so-called pan-Indian films where they are made for international audience, a wider audience is what we're speaking now. But, what I really respect about the films that have been made nationally a big success in the past couple of years is that nobody has made them by targeting anyone outside their land or by manipulating them." 

Regarding the big appeal for the pan-Indian films and their success, Vetri Maaran stated, "If you take the KGF films or RRR, they did not bring a Kannada actor to play the father character or a comedian from Telugu or from Tamil to act in Kantara. Earlier, when someone was trying (to make) a film like this, there was some generic approach to it. A marriage would be a little generic, the tradition and practices were kind of generic so that we try to connect to greater audiences. Most of the times, we failed there. But, watching these films, what is very unique and special about them is that they have been made for the people in those regions and they showed their tradition, culture, practices, actors and in their own style. They have been accepted internationally, which again proves that the more ethnic we become, the more rooted the artiste becomes, their appeal, the story's appeal becomes universal. We are telling our stories, but the emotion in them is common to all and it crosses borders. Whereas, earlier, we were trying to say larger and greater stories, which were lesser rooted. So, in the recent years, this has come out and I feel that is the reason for us crossing the borders and reaching so many peoples. They have crossed the barriers." 

Vetri Maaran continued, "Beyond winning an Oscar, getting such an accolade by doing a mainstream film that has been made and celebrated by our people, but is being accepted by a wider audience, that is an evolution and development. These kind of films that are both mainstream and sensible can cross borders. That is the latest improvement. And, if South Indian films have created a big impact in India today in the industry revenue-wise, it is because we are telling stories of our people, for our people from our own lands, and that is why there is such an impact. Whereas, the other industries are not able to do that because they are trying to cater to everybody. Let us all continue to uphold our values, traditions, language and the world we live in." 

Watch Vetri Maaran's speech at the the CII Dakshin South India Media & Entertainment Summit 2023 below: