Filmmaker Karan Johar disagrees with the ongoing North vs South debate in Indian cinema. Speaking at the WAVES Summit in Mumbai, Karan said that claiming South cinema is better than Hindi cinema creates division.

At the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Karan Johar took to the stage for a special session with Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda. Addressing the actor, Karan said, “I do believe Vijay, you come from a cinema which is truly majestic, and that is, of course, a separate debate, Is South cinema superior to Hindi cinema. I think that divides us. We truly have to believe that it is Indian cinema.We are all Indian cinema. We are not North, we are not South, we are collectively making cinema what it is. I think that’s most important that we don’t divide. I always say this, and I request Indian media that when you ask this, you are actually dividing us. And when you divide us, you break us.”

Vijay Deverakonda Shares His Thoughts

Vijay agreed and said that the ‘South-North debate may be good for headlines, but it doesn’t help cinema.’He gave an example of Pushpa 2: The Rule and Jawan to show that both regions can work together. “Shah Rukh sir’s last film did a ₹1000 crore film, and then Allu Arjun’s film did ₹1000 crore. So, just imagine if you bring them together in one film. When you bring the two stars from India, it will unite the country. The only ambition of any human is to get eyeballs and expand their reach. It is only possible through collaborations,” he added.

All About the WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai

The four-day summit took place at the Jio World Convention Centre (JWCC) in Mumbai and was officially opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Many big stars from all over Inida, like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Hema Malini, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, and others, are attending the event.