The continual exchange of talents between Bollywood and the south film industries has become a popular phenomenon today. The latest to join the bandwagon is actor Mahat Raghavendra, who is gearing up for the release of his debut Hindi film with Double XL. And he believes that the penetration of content from south into north Indian markets has caused a paradigm shift in the way in which Indian cinema, as a whole, is perceived today.
In an exclusive chat with News18, he states, “The entire scenario has changed now. After OTT came up, everybody started watching good content. People even in north India have watched KGF, Pushpa, Baahubali and RRR."
Talking about what is making these pan-Indian films click, he explains, “It implies that a story with the right emotions and commercial songs will be watched by the audience both in north and south India. The emotions of Indians, as a whole, are the same, and that’s what films today are carrying. I feel very happy that different industries are coming together."
Double XL is also special to Mahat as it also marks his peer and close friend, actor-musician Simbu’s singing debut in Bollywood, who has lent his vocals to the peppy party track, Taali Taali. The duo has worked together on films such as Vallavan (2006), Kaalai (2007), Backbench Student (2013) and Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (2019). Needless to say, Mahat is overjoyed to be a part of a Hindi film that Simbu is also associated with.
Sharing his excitement, the Mankatha (2011) actor says, “I feel very happy due to the sentiments and emotions involved that he sang in Double XL. Sohail (Sen; music composer) wanted a Tamil voice in the soundtrack and asked for my suggestion. I told him that Simbu would be an interesting voice. He has sung more than 120 songs in Tamil. In fact, the first Telugu film in which I got launched as a hero had Simbu singing a Tamil song in it."
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For Mahat, Taali Taali is a quintessential example of the diversity and inclusivity that the Indian film industry stands for today. “The song has both Tamil and Hindi lyrics. A song doesn’t need to have lyrics in just one language. People’s perspective towards songs and films have changed," he remarks.
The 35-year-old also lauds the changing cinematic landscape for doing away with stereotypes, which were earlier attached to a south Indian character in a Hindi film. He explains, “There was a time when people used to make fun of Tamilians in north India and north Indians would be made fun of in Tamil Nadu. The way Satram (Ramani; director) directed Double XL and Mudassar Aziz (writer) wrote the script doesn’t hurt anyone’s emotions and sentiments. Though I’m playing a character where I speak both Hindi and Tamil with more of Hindi with a Tamil accent, they’ve played out the story very well using humour, which won’t be insulting to Tamilians."
Quiz him about how his colleagues in the Tamil film industry are responding to his Bollywood debut and Mahat says, “A lot of people are in shock and are wondering, ‘How come this guy went to Bollywood?’ And many of them haven’t reacted. My friends there are very happy for me. Simbu and my fans have reacted very positively to Taali Taali. They’re in love with the song. They’re giving us a lot of support and are proud of us."
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