At the WAVES 2025 summit, Nagarjuna spoke about the success of pan-India films like Pushpa, Baahubali, and KGF, attributing their appeal to rooted storytelling and larger-than-life heroes. Speaking on a panel alongside actors Anupam Kher, Khushbu and Karthi, he said that when filmmakers stay true to their regional language and culture, it resonates across audiences.
Nagarjuna pointed out that Pushpa and KGF performed strongly in Hindi-speaking regions, reflecting a demand for high-energy, hero-centric narratives. “Both the Pushpa films made more money in the North than in Telugu. We have seen similar stories in Telugu before, like Pushpa, which has larger-than-life heroes. Whereas in the North, in Bihar, UP, and Punjab, they wanted to see their heroes like Pushpa Raj and Yash in KGF or Baahubali. They wanted to see larger-than-life heroes. For Indian people and culture, just living day to day is difficult, and when they want to overcome the stress by watching films, they want to see magic on screen,” he said.
He emphasised that films like Baahubali succeeded because directors like Rajamouli remained committed to their cultural roots, shooting them as Telugu films rather than attempting to generalise them for a wider audience.
Nagarjuna also spoke about his upcoming projects, Kuberaa, co-starring Dhanush, and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, starring Rajinikanth and others. Both films, he said, are grounded in their original languages. “If it works in your language, it will work everywhere,” he said, adding that his focus remains first on the Telugu audience.