Mrunal Thakur shifts her focus to South film industry

• Mrunal Thakur now feels more confident about broadening her horizons in the regional film business.
• Thanks to the excellent reception to her Telugu debut Sita Ramam.
• Although the performer has switched her attention to the South, she does not want to neglect Bollywood.

Mrunal Thakur now feels more confident about broadening her horizons in the regional film business thanks to the excellent reception to her Telugu debut Sita Ramam. Although the performer has switched her attention to the South, she does not want to neglect Bollywood.

“As an actor you need to be language and platform agnostic. You cannot park yourself in a segment or section. That’s when your growth is stagnant. I will continue to be part of Hindi films as much as I will also seek and hope to work in films in the south,” Thakur tells us, adding, “I have made my Telugu debut and there’s so much more to be offered and explored. I want to even work in other languages, someday even helm a strong Marathi film too”.

The Jersey actor is currently on a lookout for great content. “I want to work with visionary directors and be part of their filmography. There are so many meaningful films happening there and I do hope to be part of films that will enrich me as an actor,” she says, adding that there are some visionary directors in the industry “who have always been ahead of the curve and have led by example”.

 

Right now, Thakur is open to producing films in southern languages, regardless of whether they will be seen in theatres or on streaming services. The character’s relevance is what matters most to her.

In fact, when it comes to box-office, South Indian cinema, which includes the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language industries, has recently outperformed its more Hindi cousin. Thakur, however, thinks it’s just a phase.

“Good content will survive anywhere. It may be a phase but I’m certain and I know there are some great Hindi films which are upcoming and will drive the audiences back. Similarly so much great storytelling has happened in the last two years on OTT, one should also acknowledge that and know that this was a wave of change and wave of great writing and content that was led by the Hindi film industry,” she asserts.

But there is something that Hindi films can learn from the South. “Understanding of content that appeals to the national audiences is something I feel that we can learn from the south,” she says while wrapping up.