Shekhar Kapur caught in Insta debate after ‘can barely watch Bollywood’ comment
Replying to an Instagram post by a news website, Kapur said he was quite taken by Malayalam films and can barely watch Bollywood movies anymore
Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has found himself caught amid a bitter social media war over the alleged superiority of Malayalam cinema over Bollywood.
It all started when Kapur dropped a comment on a ScoopWhoop article titled ‘Why Malayalam cinema is better than Bollywood’ on its Instagram page.
What Kapur said
Lauding the southern film industry, Kapur said he is so enamoured by Malayalam films that he can “barely watch Bollywood” anymore.
“I’ve been binge watching Malayalam Cinema recently..and becoming so addicted that I can barely watch ‘Bollywood’ any more..it’s because it is so rooted in a culture that all stories feel real..there’s an authenticity to Malayalam Cinema that makes you fall in love with Indian cinema all over again,” he posted in the comment thread of the article.
Kapur is known for films like Cate Blanchett-starrer Elizabeth, cult classic Masoom as well as Bandit Queen and Mr India.
Mudslinging on Insta
While Kapur’s comment elicited positive responses from likeminded people on the gram, several users who commented in the thread of the article were critical of its stand. This triggered an unpleasant debate among users in the comment section with each side lambasting the industry of the other.
Users defending Bollywood said it is far ahead of Mollywood (another name for the Malayalam film industry) which is still a male-centric industry while the former has begun promoting female-oriented movies.
“Female oriented movies are more in Bollywood. Don’t argue if you are not a hard core Bollywood follower. I want Malayalam to do the same. I want more movies like Sara’s, Ullozhukku, etc. Our talents should be utilised to their best,” said one user.
Many users accused the website of writing paid articles to demean the Hindi film industry.
Others who spoke in favour of the Malayalam film industry claimed that some of the cult Bollywood movies were actually remakes of Malayalam films and were still badly replicated.
While Kapur’s comment is believed to have given the necessary traction to the article, triggering a charged up debate, he has refrained from posting any comment on the thread.