Over the past few years, South Indian cinema—comprising Tollywood (Telugu), Kollywood (Tamil), Sandalwood (Kannada), and Mollywood (Malayalam)—has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity and commercial success. In stark contrast, Bollywood has struggled to deliver consistent box office hits during the same period. In 2022, the top three highest-grossing Indian films were all from the South: RRR (₹1250 crore), K.G.F: Chapter 2 (₹1175 crore), and Ponniyin Selvan (₹500 crore), prompting a larger conversation about whether South Indian films have surpassed Bollywood in dominance, especially with RRR making a significant impact internationally.

It is just not something that has gained popularity overnight. Films like Roja, Bombay, Shivaji, Robot, and Vishwaroopam have already made a mark on all of India. Nonetheless, the six to seven years have seen a meteoric rise in popularity. Key to this shift has been the South continuing to focus on good stories with strong characters who are heroes, and full of grandeur, something many Bollywood mainstream productions have started to depart from. The protagonists like Bahubali and Rocky of the KGF movies proclaim this cinema of grandeur that fairs well with a huge chunk of Indian audiences.

Another reason for the silent shift of audiences is the gradual dispossession provided by Bollywood through urban themes and narratives to the audience hailing from smaller cities, towns, and villages. On the contrary, South Indian films lead the way in covering topics and characters shared across the demographics, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, thus attracting a larger audience and creating widespread appeal.

Another major development has been advances in dubbing and subtitling, which has been a potent barrier in the way of easy penetration of other regional language markets. Now, a South Indian movie can be enjoyed by anybody across India, in whatever language they want, reducing the need for Hindi remakes. In the old days, a success from the South would have to be remade in Hindi--Ghajini, Bodyguard, Rowdy Rathore--but today, the public prefers the original, opening the doors for the South

In the future, it seems like the South will find it hard to retain its momentum for too long. Even though, three Southern films of 2023—Salaar, Leo, and Jailer—were in the top 10, the competition is gradually blossoming from the side of Bollywood. Pathaan opened the 2023 year with a bang, reviving Yash Raj films at the same time and signaling a possible resurgence of Bollywood. The forthcoming film Alpha whose two female spies are leads, marks Bollywood's foray into new ideas and territories.

To put it simply, South Indian cinema has brazenly shaken the long-held belief that Bollywood has been the only dominant force in Indian cinema. And to say that South films have completely eclipsed Bollywood would be much too far-fetched. What’s certain is that healthy competition among Indian film industries will only push each to raise the bar, ultimately benefiting Indian cinema as a whole.