Karthi in Ponniyin Selvan. Karthi, who has been a part of some popular films down south and will soon be seen in Ponniyin Selvan 1, recently opened up about the warm reception he receives whenever he encounters a north Indian.
Recounting an incident from Kashmir, Karthi said that the shopkeeper from the place recognised him from his 2015 movie Kaashmora.
“I went to Kashmir with my daughter. There was a shop. We wanted to buy a bag of chips, and he (the shopkeeper) asked me ‘Aren’t you Kaashmora?’ (Referring to Karthi’s film of the same name). We have been getting so much love from the north, but am glad that I am getting introduced in a proper Hindi film, because this (PS-1) is releasing in five languages,” gushed the actor.
However, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan intervened and said that it is no longer about a film from a specific region or an actor from a particular state being identified by the audience. Now, thanks to OTT, people actually have access to different kinds of cinema from the same country and are celebrating the art.
Aishwarya stated, “All these barriers have gone down. People want to see every movie from every part of the country. And so, we need to break away from conventional way of thinking and help our audience and viewers also to not slide into typical way of viewing art. Art has always been there, and so have the artistes. The avenues were limited, but today it’s been made accessible. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. It’s so evident now that people are lapping up cinema in all its forms across the country, so it’s a liberating time for us.”
Helmed by Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan stars the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Trisha, Vikram, Jayam Ravi among others.