North, South? Dub We Met!

Power star Pawan Kalyan just gave a filmi twist to the ongoing political slugfest between Tamil Nadu Vs Centre over the language row. “While they (Tamil Nadu) oppose Hindi, they allow Tamil movies to be dubbed into Hindi for financial gain,” he said.

For the Indian film industry, the massive popularity of South Indian films has been a game changer. The dubbed versions of South Indian movies are raking in the moolah like never before.

But in this north-south language battle between governments, will the dubbing industry be impacted in any way? After all, the film dubbing market in India is valued at approximately US$179 million and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13% on account of increasing demand for localised content from regional audiences, as customers demand a more personalised experience from the content they consume.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit sounds optimistic. “I don’t think the industry will get into this politics of languages,” he says.

He feels that the filmmaker and the entire team of actors, directors, and producers work hard so that their work reaches the masses, far and wide.

“Cinema is a work of art and we as makers want maximum people to watch it, and that’s why the films are dubbed,” he says, adding that it is not only the south Indian films that are being dubbed, but movies of all other languages too are dubbed. “So I think no one in the industry would be interested in this language row.”

A producer, wishing to remain unnamed, offers a carefully measured response. “With no opinion on the statements or north-south point, generally speaking, most films in today’s global context are opting for multi-language releases because of the wider reach and connection with different markets, so I see very little impact on the dubbing industry because there is good demand for dubbed releases,” says the producer.

While they (Tamil Nadu) oppose Hindi, they allow Tamil movies to be dubbed into Hindi for financial gain.” — Pawan Kalyan

I don’t think the industry will get into this politics of languages. Cinema is a work of art and we as makers want maximum people to watch it, and that’s why the films are dubbed,” — Ashoke Pandit, Filmmaker