Hindi films have lost their roots, are fake and money-driven: Prakash Raj

Renowned actor-filmmaker Prakash Raj has taken a sharp dig at mainstream Hindi cinema , calling it “fake” and increasingly driven by money rather than meaningful storytelling. Speaking at the ninth Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) on Saturday, Raj contrasted Hindi films with Malayalam and Tamil cinema , which he praised for their strong, content-led narratives.

In a session titled “The Artist I Became,” the 60-year-old actor said Hindi cinema has lost its original identity and emotional connection with audiences. “Malayalam and Tamil cinema are making very strong films. Hindi cinema, on the other hand, has lost its roots. Everything looks beautiful, wonderful, like plastic, as you see in the Madame Tussauds museum,” he said.

Raj argued that the decline began with the rise of multiplex culture, when Bollywood shifted its focus towards urban audiences. “After multiplexes, the Bombay film industry started making films only for multiplexes. Very cute films and things like that. Because they were running well,” he said.

He also pointed to the emergence of “Page 3 culture,” glamour, and self-promotion, which he believes weakened Hindi cinema’s connection with the masses. “They went into that Page 3 culture, and with that lost the touch with rural Rajasthan and Bihar,” he said.

Raj stressed that this shift has also weakened the industry’s ability to tell nation-building stories, which once defined Hindi cinema after independence. To highlight his point, he referenced the 1977 blockbuster Amar Akbar Anthony , particularly the iconic scene where three men from different religions donate blood to save a stranger, a moment that symbolised social harmony and shared values.

“Now, it’s not like that anymore. Today, it’s all about money and appearances, reels, page 3 coverage, and loud self-promotion. In the process, I feel the industry has lost its connection with the audience,” Raj said.

The Kerala Literature Festival, a four-day event featuring over 400 speakers, is hosting personalities such as Nobel laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Abhijit Banerjee , astronaut Sunita Williams , author Kiran Desai , and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales . KLF 2026 will conclude on January 25.