Kiccha Sudeep and Salman Khan at the Vikrant Rona press meet

Vikrant Rona star Kiccha Sudeep offered an unexpected explanation of the Hindi film industry’s current dire straits – a comparison with cricketer Virat Kohli struggling with form. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the release of Vikrant Rona later this week, the 50-year-old Kannada star commented on the box office performances of South films versus Hindi films with a reminder that Bollywood could not have flourished the way it has without a foundation of quality content. A lean patch at the box office doesn’t wipe away past glory, in the same way that a poor day on the pitch can’t erase Virat Kohli’s records, Kiccha Sudeep said.

At the Vikrant Rona meet, Kiccha Sudeep said: “A lot of films are made in a year, not every film does well. A couple of films do, a couple of films don’t. That doesn’t mean that we generalise and say it (the industry) is dominating. There are good times for everything. If the Hindi film industry wasn’t doing great films, if it didn’t have great people, how would you sustain for so many years,” reports news agency PTI.

“It’s just a matter of (time)… It’s like Virat Kohli being out of form for a while. Are you going to take away his records? It doesn’t work that way… Every industry is standing by its potential,” the actor added.

The context is, of course, the box office-destroying numbers produced by South blockbusters such as RRR, Pushpa and KGF: Chapter 2. In contrast, Hindi films have struggled at the ticket counter with films like Dhaakad, Shamshera and Samrat Prithviraj performing poorly. Hit films such as Jugjugg Jeeyo and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 have dented the box office alright but have failed to match the profits of the South movies.

Kiccha Sudeep shared the stage with his Dabangg 3 co-star Salman Khan, who is presenting the Hindi version of the film, and Jacqueline Fernandez who co-stars in Vikrant Rona.

Kiccha Sudeep and Jacqueline Fernandez dance at the press conference

Both Sudeep and Salman commented on the synergy between the Hindi and the South film industries. “We collaborate with Hindi films, sir (Salman Khan) is now supporting our film… Within the industry, why would she (Jacqueline Fernandez) come and do this, why would we call her? “Right now, sir is doing a prime role in Hyderabad, he’s going (for shoot) and coming back. Why would he do that? All of us are secure. It’s a beautiful thing to exchange ideas, collaborate… It’s a beautiful atmosphere that we have,” Kiccha Sudeep said, reports PTI.

“I’ve worked with a lot of talent from the south, I’ve worked with him (Sudeepa), Prakash Raj, Prabhudeva, a lot of south directors and DOPs… All the south people have worked here and given big hits,” Salman Khan said.

He also explained why he had made a personal appearance to promote Vikrant Rona. Responding to a comment from cast member Neetha Ashok on being surprised by his tweeting the film’s trailer, Salman Khan said, “I have to do this, I don’t want to go into losses. South films are doing really well.”

Vikrant Rona, an action-adventure film directed by Anup Bhandari, releases this week in multiple languages.

(With PTI inputs)