New Delhi: The last few years saw Hindi film industry suffering a setback like never before. There has constantly been a North vs South debate with some regional films emerging blockbuster while Bollywood big wigs fail to woo the audience. Actor-producer Alia Bhatt joined, who made her South India debut with SS Rajamouli’s RRR, has now weighed in on the debate.

Noting that it’s been a tough year for Indian cinema, the actor said that there have been some films that have worked.

“It’s a tough year for Indian cinema. We should be a little kind to Hindi films. Today, we are sitting here and saying, ‘Oh Bollywood, oh Hindi cinema…’. But are we counting the films that have done well this year? Even in the south industry, all their films have not worked. Some of the films have worked, and they are very good films. But similarly over here, starting with my film, Gangubai Kathiawadi, have worked and done very well,” Alia told Indian Express.

“A good film will always do well,” she said while adding that times are tough for cinema because the film industry is recovering from the losses incurred during the pandemic. The actor further said that a lot of introspection is happening among the people involved in movie business.

“The lens today is hard on cinema in general because we are coming post-pandemic. The theaters were shut for almost two years, so there is sort of assessment, ‘What are the films that are going to work in the theaters?’, ‘What are the films which are working in general?’. Good content will always do well, but now we are re-assessing what are the films that we are going to put into a theatre, what are the films that will release directly on an OTT platform, and what is the general consumer habit? So, we are just understanding that. But, it doesn’t mean that Hindi cinema is over. This ain’t happening,” Alia said.

On the film front, Alia is next to be seen in Darlings. The film will release on August 5 on Netflix.