Prerna Arora marvels at South Indian film industry: ‘Less manipulation, more work’

Producer Prerna Arora of Hero Heroine spoke about her debut film in the Telugu film industry and she praised the fact that she was able to make a good film on a modest budget.

release date: Sunday, May 26, 2024 13:15 GMT-06:00

Prerna Arora produces Hero Heroin

Hindi film producer Prerna Arora is making her Telugu film debut with the film Hero Heeroine, which stars Divya Kosra Kumar in the lead role. The producer spoke about working in Telugu film and the need for Bollywood to introspect on certain issues. She said, “Price correction is definitely needed in Bollywood. It will benefit the entire industry. As of now, some filmmakers and actors don’t care at all. They only care about their pay. The market needs to produce genuine data on how much a film is earning from satellite, digital and other rights.” Prerna Arora also spoke about the manipulation of box office figures.

She said, “A lot of people are genuinely scared that their films won’t sell in theatres, which is why a lot of projects are being pushed to OTT. Also, people are only releasing ‘world collections’ to the public. I think filmmakers and actors need to be more responsible about how they price their projects.”

Prerna Arora was lavish in praise for Ajay Devgn. “I feel he does good films and produces good content. He is one of the most bankable actors. Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are pillars of the industry but he is one of the finest actors we have,” she said.

It’s interesting that she managed to break into the Telugu film industry, a business known to be continued by families for generations. “Filmmaking is a family business here and I’m grateful for the support. Everyone I met exuded good vibes. They are really humble and down to earth people,” she said. Prerna Arora said she finds southern filmmakers inspiring as they are highly intelligent, not manipulative and quietly believe in doing good work.

In fact, she says she was shocked by how small the budgets on which films are made. She seemed surprised to hear about the costs in Bollywood. “The entourage in Hindi films is incredibly expensive. Here we don’t have that luxury. Yes, big stars get everything but they earn a minimum of Rs 50 crore for the producers on the first day. Your worth is determined by your ability, your natural stardom and your actual earnings,” she concludes.