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In many ways, Baahubali 2 opened the floodgates for pan-India cinema, showcasing the immense box office potential of stories that transcend language barriers. The post-COVID era further accelerated this trend, with South Indian stars enjoying a dominant run in the Hindi market. However, in recent times, several big-ticket releases have underperformed, denting that momentum. Now, with high-profile films like Allu Arjun’s Raaka, Prabhas’ Spirit, and Mahesh Babu’s Varanasi generating strong pre-release buzz, South stars will be aiming to reclaim their pan-India dominance.
The post-COVID rise of South Indian cinema and stars on a pan-India level
The post-COVID surge of South Indian cinema started with Pushpa (2021). Despite the Covid restrictions, it performed brilliantly by earning 106 crore net in Hindi. 2022 was a big year that took the pan-India game to the next level. RRR was a huge success in Hindi, scoring 277 crore net. It was followed by KGF Chapter 2, which stunned everyone by scoring 434.62 crore net. In the same year, Kantara was released in theaters and became a big success, earning 81.1 crore net. These films served as platforms for Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Yash, and Rishab Shetty to build their presence in the Hindi market, especially for the latter two.
Ram Charan, Jr NTR, and Yash suffered post-success setbacks in Hindi
Talking about the aforementioned stars, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, and Yash had a chance to take their Hindi market presence to the next level, but unfortunately, all three suffered a major blow with their follow-up projects. Ram saw a setback with Game Changer and Peddi becoming failures. NTR was pushed back due to Devara and War 2. Yash, after KGF Chapter 2, looked like a beast, but just witnessed a major dent with Toxic emerging as a disaster.
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Pan-India wave gets impacted
Coming to Prabhas, it has been a mixed bag for him post-Baahubali 2. In the post-COVID era, he started with a disaster of Radhe Shyam. He bounced back to some extent with Salaar, which earned 152 crore net in Hindi despite clashing with Dunki. It was followed by Kalki 2898 AD, which earned a solid 295 crore net. In the case of Kalki 2898 AD, it wasn’t entirely carried by Prabhas, as performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone played a crucial role in the film’s success in Hindi. Post-Kalki 2898 AD, he saw a setback with The RajaSaab.
On the whole, the momentum around South Indian stars and pan-India films in the Hindi market has cooled, largely due to a string of underperforming big-ticket releases. While films like Pushpa 2 (836.09 crore net) and Kantara Chapter 1 (224.53 crore net) delivered strong results, that momentum seems to have faded. However, with a promising lineup ahead, South Indian stars are expected to regain their pan-India dominance.
The comeback lineup: Biggies that could reignite the Hindi market
Prabhas is coming with a magnum opus, Fauzi, which is scheduled to release in December 2026. The response to posters has been good, and overall, there’s positivity around the film. With good content, it can really work wonders at the Indian box office. After Fauzi, the superstar has Spirit coming in March 2027. He also has Salaar 2 in the pipeline. Besides Fauzi, the other two films already have strong buzz, and they have the potential to set new benchmarks in Hindi.
After Pushpa 2, Allu Arjun is returning to the big screens after two years with Raaka. Likely to release in 2027, Raaka is one of the most expensive Indian films, and with Atlee being the director, the hype is already there. If done right, this film has the potential to overtake Pushpa 2 in Hindi.
2027 will also witness a magnum opus in the form of Mahesh Babu’s Varanasi, directed by SS Rajamouli, a combination that promises massive potential, especially in the Hindi market. Meanwhile, Rishab Shetty is set to raise the stakes with The Pride Of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Collectively, these big-ticket releases strongly hint at a resurgence of South Indian cinema and stars at the pan-India level.
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