Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on North vs South debate: 'We need to break away from this conventional thinking'

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is busy promoting her forthcoming film 'Ponniyin Selvan I', which is all set to release in theatres on September 30. At a recent press meet in Delhi, the actor talked about the ongoing North vs South debate in the industry.

She said, 'It’s an amazing time right now, where we need to break away from the typical way of looking at artists and cinema. I think it’s a great time right now, where all these barriers have gone down. People know our cinema nationally. In fact, they are wanting to see the cinema from every part.'

'I think this is finally the perfect time where it has become accessible nationally through so many platforms. Everybody can view cinema for what it is, across India. So I think we need to kind of break away from this conventional way of thinking and help our viewers, our audiences, and our readers also to not slide into that typical way of viewing. Art has always been there, found the audience, and has been appreciated; so, have the artists. But avenues were limited. Today is a great time when it has become accessible to everybody. And proof of the pudding is in the eating, right? It is so evident that people are embracing and lapping up cinema from across the country,' she added.

Mani Ratnam's directorial, 'Ponniyin Selvan 1' also stars Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Trisha Krishnan in the pivotal roles. The film will be released in five languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada.

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