Mani Ratnam urges for an end to the use of the word ‘Bollywood’ to describe Hindi cinema : Bollywood News

Mani Ratnam, one of India’s most celebrated and acclaimed filmmakers, continues to inspire and awe audiences with his creative vision and cinematic brilliance. Over the years, Ratnam has established himself as a master storyteller, known for his ability to weave complex narratives and create deeply layered characters. Currently, he is gearing up for the release of the second part of the Ponniyin Selvan franchise next week. Ahead of the release of his pan-India film, he spoke about ‘South Indian films’ seminal influence on world cinema.

Mani Ratnam urges for an end to the use of the word 'Bollywood' to describe Hindi cinema

Mani Ratnam urges for an end to the use of the word ‘Bollywood’ to describe Hindi cinema

It all happened at the second edition of CII Dakshin Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai. As per a report by Hindustan Times, talking about Indian cinema being constantly referred to as Bollywood in the West, Mani asserted, “If Hindi cinema can stop calling themselves Bollywood, then people will stop identifying Indian cinema as Bollywood.”

Meanwhile, the National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaaran, who was also present at the event, agreed and said, “I’m not a fan of the ‘woods’. Like Bollywood, and Kollywood. We need to see it as Indian cinema on the whole.” Besides this, Vetrimaaran highlighted the significance of narrating stories with strong roots for global acceptance during his opening speech. He was quoted saying, “The more rooted that art is the more universal the appeal is. The impact is created because we are telling stories of our people and of our lands,” by the same report.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Rishab Shetty also delivered a speech, in which he referred to his movie Kantara as the lowest-budget pan-Indian film. He emphasised the importance of telling locally rooted stories, stating that such narratives are more likely to be widely accepted.

The event also featured the honouring of two notable figures in the film industry: Prem Rakshit, the choreographer for the Oscar-winning song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the film RRR, and Kartiki Gonsalves, an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker.

Also Read: Ponniyin Selvan 2 Trailer: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Nandini prepares to kill Vikram’s Karikalan in intriguing concluding chapter of Mani Ratnam’s Chola Dynasty, watch