SS Rajamouli, speaking at the success event of 'Premalu' on Tuesday in Hyderabad, said that he is jealous that Mollywood has always produced better actors. "It is with jealousy and pain that I admit the Malayalam film industry produces better actors," the 'RRR' maker said.
His comments have triggered a wave of counters from the fans of Telugu heroes. "How come Rajamouli built his career on actors like Jr NTR, Prabhas and Ram Charan but goes on to praise actors from an industry with whom he never worked? Can he do a pan-Indian movie with a Malayalam superstar and expect to score a hit?" a Netizen asked.
In support of Rajamouli, several fans of Malayalam movies reminded Telugu trolls that Telugu actors have barely won the Best Actor and Best Actress National Awards. Allu Arjun is the only Telugu actor to have won the Best Actor National Award. By contrast, Mollywood artists have been feted with National Awards multiple times.
How must one decode Rajamouli's comments? We don't have to get worked up if we understand the relative strengths of the two film industries. Telugu actors like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Prabhas and Mahesh Babu are known for action roles. Their style relies on doing justice to larger-than-life roles. Our superstars are unparalleled when it comes to high-octane action roles mixed with great dancing and swag. In this area, Mohanlal and Mammotty have never been No. 1.
However, Mollywood actors are awesome when it comes to looking subtle. Their performances are understated to the core. Their audiences expect them to prioritize looking the part and behaving like the character more than doing comedy or behaving like a cinema star. That's why they win awards. And that's why the Telugu audience struggle to watch some of their action movies.
"Mohanlal has built a career out of performances that are restrained and subtle to the point that he mostly doesn’t give away an inch than what a character actually needs," a blogger once wrote.
Do the Malayalis always like their actors? Yes. Do they want more? Yes. That's why Thalapathy Vijay is hugely popular in Kerala because he does larger-than-life, unrealistic portrayals. That's why Allu Arjun is a star in Kerala purely in terms of popularity because he dances like a dream.
The answer is that Rajamouli will never do a pan-Indian movie with a Malayalam superstar as the hero. He knows their weaknesses.
