Anil Thadani’s AA Films has acquired the Hindi-language distribution rights for four highly anticipated 2024 southern Indian titles.
The films are: Sukumar’s “Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2,” starring Allu Arjun; Shankar’s “Game Changer,” headlined by Ram Charan; Nag Ashwin’s “Kalki 2898 AD” led by Prabhas; and Koratala Siva’s “Devara,” starring NTR Jr.
All these films are originally made in the Telugu language but will also be released across India and the world in several Indian languages, including Hindi. They are what is known locally in India as ‘pan India’ films.
In recent decades, India has been a patchwork of local cinema markets, defined partly by geography and language group, and with only limited overlap or transfer between them, except for the Bollywood (Hindi-language) segment which enjoys wider releases. That is now changing.
Pan India film is a term usually used for films made in one of the four south Indian languages – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam – which is dubbed into Hindi and other languages and released across India and in overseas diaspora markets. Mani Ratnam’s Tamil-language films “Roja” (1992) and “Bombay” (1995) were hits all over India in their Hindi-language dubbed versions. More recent examples include S.S. Rajamouli’s Telugu and Tamil language “Baahubali: The Beginning” (2015) and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (2017) and Telugu-language “RRR” (2022); Prashant Neel’s Kannada-language “K.G.F: Chapter 1” (2018) and “K.G.F: Chapter 2” (2022); Rishab Shetty‘s “Kantara” (2022); Prashant Neel’s Telugu-language “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire” (2023); and Blessy’s Malayalam-language “The Goat Life” (2024).
Of these, the Hindi-language versions of the “Baahubali” and “K.G.F.” films and “Kantara” were distributed by AA Films.
“These four Indian films are poised to make history. Backed by massive budgets, they’re tailor-made for the big screen experience, starring superstars and helmed by the industry’s most celebrated directors and producers. Each film has the potential to break new ground with its scale and ambition, offering something truly unique for audiences. With the potential for record-breaking box office success, these cinematic spectacles promise to be milestones in Indian filmmaking,” Thadani told Variety.
“They transcend regional barriers, appealing to a much larger audience base across India. This translates to bigger box office potential and a wider cultural impact,” Thadani said about the country-wide potential of pan India films.
