Mumbai:
Actress Priyamani has urged the film industry and audiences to stop using the term “pan-India actor”, stating that the label is unnecessary and creates divisions between artistes. She explained that actors working across different language industries in India is not a new trend and therefore should not be treated as something unusual or worthy of a special title.
Comment on the ‘pan-India’ label
According to Priyamani, the industry has recently begun celebrating certain actors as “pan-India” simply because their films release across multiple states and languages. She noted that Indian cinema has always been interconnected, and many artistes have worked across language boundaries for decades.
She pointed out that iconic actors like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Prakash Raj and Dhanush have built careers spanning several industries including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Priyamani emphasised that these actors were always regarded as Indian film personalities, not as representatives of a particular region.
She questioned why the current generation of actors is being associated with labels that suggest they have crossed some special boundary. In her view, actors who work in different languages are simply doing what many before them have done. She said that these labels do little to acknowledge the unity within Indian cinema.
Appeal to focus on talent rather than categorisation
Priyamani explained that the emphasis on distinguishing actors based on language markets undermines the artistic nature of filmmaking. She said audiences should appreciate the craft of performance rather than categorising artists based on the industry where they started or currently work.
She stated that calling some actors “pan-India” by default implies that others are “regional”, which can create unnecessary hierarchies. According to her, no actor should feel the need to prove they belong to a larger national audience, because every film made in India is part of Indian cinema.
The actress also suggested that this labelling trend has grown mainly due to marketing strategies, where filmmakers try to highlight large releases spanning multiple states. While she acknowledged the importance of promoting films effectively, she believes that branding actors in this way shifts attention away from storytelling and performances.
On audience reactions and film criticism
Priyamani also reflected on how audiences approach films in the present day. She observed that film viewers have become more vocal and sometimes overly analytical. While she welcomed healthy discussion, she encouraged audiences to allow films to be enjoyed without excessive judgement or pressure to conform to particular opinions.
She said that a film is the result of the efforts of hundreds of people and should be appreciated as such. She encouraged viewers to value the work that goes into cinema and to watch films with an open mind, rather than approaching them through labels or preconceived expectations.
A larger conversation in Indian cinema
Priyamani’s comments come at a time when discussions about identity, language and representation within Indian cinema are increasingly prominent. The growing commercial success of films released in multiple languages has led to new marketing terms and promotional models. However, the actress believes that the essence of cinema lies in its ability to connect people emotionally, regardless of language.
Her perspective highlights a movement among several artists who want Indian cinema to be viewed as a unified creative space rather than a collection of separate regional industries. Acceptance of actors across languages, she said, should be natural and not treated as a novelty.
Conclusion
Priyamani’s call to move away from the term “pan-India actor” seeks to encourage a more inclusive understanding of Indian cinema. She advocates for recognising performers simply as Indian actors whose work transcends linguistic boundaries. Her comments serve as a reminder that cinema, at its core, is a collaborative art form meant to bring audiences together, not divide them on the basis of language labels or categories.