Prakash Raj, who is an active presence in Hindi film industry as well as all south Indian film industries, was present as a spcial guest at the recently-held Kerala Literature Festival. On the occasion, Prakash Raj criticised Hindi films for losing its roots.

Addressing the audience in a session titled ‘The Artist I Became’ on Saturday, where he compared the current state of Hindi cinema to Malayalam and Tamil films, the veteran actor said, “I feel Malayalam and Tamil cinema are making very strong films. We still have stories to tell, the new young directors of Tamil are talking about Dalit issues. And that gives so much of hope. Hindi cinema, on the other hand, has lost its roots. Everything looks beautiful, wonderful, like plastic, as you see in the Madame Tussauds museum.”

Prakash Raj also pointed out to the post-multiplex era as the phase when the decline for Hindi cinema began according to him. He added, “After multiplexes, the Bombay film industry started making films only for multiplexes. Very cute films and things like that. Because they were running well. Today, it's all about money and appearances -- reels, page 3 coverage, and loud self-promotion. They went into that Page 3 culture, and with that lost the touch with rural Rajasthan and Bihar.”

Prakash Raj, who has been a prominent figure in Tamil cinema since mid 90s, rose to prominence in Hindi cinema with films like Wanted (2010) and Singham (2011). He recently had a Hindi film release with Dhanush-Kriti Sanon starrer Tere Ishk Mein, where he played Dhanush’s father.