Mani Ratnam expressed his opinion about the rising popularity of South films In an interview given to a news daily, Legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam expressed his opinion that the success of South films across the nation was not an aberration and that South cinema was here to stay for good, in terms of a worldwide appeal. He also dismissed reports of insecurity being faced by the Tamil film industry post the massive success of ‘Baahubali’, ‘RRR’ and ‘KGF’. “Hollywood movies do extremely well here, so why shouldn’t Telugu and Kannada films do well here? When we can accept Hollywood, why not our own films from other parts of the country? South films have improved their scope tremendously. Tamil filmmakers need not fear other language films. Tamil films will always give competition to any industry. They are second to none,” said the ‘Roja’ maker. He further added, “There should be healthy competition. The advent of new directors has improved the standards of our cinema. They are creating visual wonders on screen. No one can stop the success of South films”. Mani Ratnam's dream project and his magnum opus 'Ponniyin Selvan' has completed it's production and is scheduled for release on September 30, 2022.