Pan-India? Nani Calls Term ‘Overused and Abused’

The Pan-India tag may have finally met its match: reality. Noted actor Nani has taken aim at one of the most overused phrases in Indian cinema today — “Pan-India”. Speaking about The Paradise, he drew a distinction between releasing a film in several languages and actually targeting audiences across the country.

“Stop using the term ‘Pan-India’. It’s an overused and abused term. The Paradise will be released in all languages, but our target is mainly the Telugu market,” Nani said.

It is a pointed remark at a time when almost every ambitious regional film is being packaged as a Pan-India project, regardless of its scale, content or proven appeal outside its home market. What began as a useful description for films that genuinely crossed linguistic and geographical boundaries has gradually become a marketing badge! The question now is whether the label promises more than the film can realistically deliver.

“Nani has got it right. It is not just overused anymore — it is misused,” says a top producer. “The tag is being attached even to smaller films and non-star projects. Telugu actors and filmmakers need to understand that the North Indian market is not automatically waiting for every Telugu film. Instead of chasing a label, they should first focus on their core strength — the Telugu audience.”

“I would like to see actors such as Vijay with Ranabaali, Nikhil with Swayambhu, Naga Chaitanya with Vrushakarma and Vishwak with Legacy focus strongly on winning the Telugu audience first,” he adds. That may sound like a retreat from the Pan-India dream. In reality, it could be a call for a more sustainable one too!

There is an interesting twist. Rana Daggubati, one of the actors associated with the rise of the modern cross-language blockbuster through the Baahubali franchise, has also questioned the terminology. Rana has previously called “Pan-India” a stupid term, while acknowledging that it initially served a purpose because the industry lacked a clear expression for regional films making a significant impact in North India. But the landscape has changed dramatically. Streaming platforms have made films available across languages almost instantly. Dubbed versions, subtitles and social media have further weakened geographical barriers.

Producer Ravi Shankar Yellamanchili, who has experience with both large-scale projects and Telugu-centric films, believes the label can have an unintended financial consequence. The danger, he argues, is what happens to the budget once the Pan-India ambition takes over.

“A Telugu film may initially be planned at around Rs 50 crore. But once the Pan-India label is attached, the budget can increase four to five times because the makers start thinking about multiple markets. That makes recovery much more difficult,” he explains. He points to Irumudi as an example of a different approach, saying the film, made on a comparatively controlled budget, reportedly delivered strong returns after collecting around Rs 200 crore. “That is the kind of model Telugu producers and directors should seriously look at,” Ravi Shankar says.

A Hindi distributor also sounds a note of caution. “Prabhas and Allu Arjun have created a clear identity in the Hindi market, but that does not mean every Telugu star can replicate it,” he says. “The Hindi audience remains strongly attached to its own stars. Telugu stars and filmmakers need to rethink their strategy rather than assuming the Pan-India tag itself will bring audiences.”And that may be the uncomfortable truth behind the debate.

A film can be released everywhere without belonging everywhere. The real test is not how many languages appear but how many screens the distributor books or how loudly the “Pan-India” label is shouted. It is whether audiences outside the home market actually care. Perhaps, then, the next phase of Indian cinema will not be about making every Telugu film “Pan-India”. It will be about making films good enough that the audience decides they are.