Actor Prakash Raj on Saturday said mainstream Hindi cinema has lost its roots and become increasingly “fake” and “money-oriented”, while praising Malayalam and Tamil cinema for their strong, content-driven storytelling.

Speaking at the ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), Raj criticised Hindi films for what he described as their growing artificiality, comparing them to a “Madame Tussauds museum” where everything looks beautiful but lacks substance.

“In the present context, I feel Malayalam and Tamil cinema are making very strong films... Hindi cinema, on the other hand, has lost its roots. Everything looks beautiful, wonderful, like plastic, as you see in the Madame Tussauds museum.

"We (the South) still have stories to tell, the new young directors of Tamil are talking about Dalit issues. And that gives so much of hope," said Raj, who was speaking at a session titled “The Artist I Became”.

The 60-year-old actor traced what he sees as the decline of Hindi cinema to the post-multiplex era, arguing that the industry began catering largely to urban audiences at the cost of wider social engagement.

Raj, known for his roles in films such as Singham and Wanted, said the increasing emphasis on glamour and surface-level aesthetics has weakened Hindi cinema’s emotional connect with viewers.

“After multiplexes, the Bombay film industry started making films only for multiplexes. Very cute films and things like that. Because they were running well. They went into that Page 3 culture, and with that lost the touch with rural Rajasthan and Bihar,” he said.

He added that this shift also led to the erosion of nation-building narratives that once defined Hindi cinema in the years following Independence.

As an example, Raj cited the 1977 film Amar Akbar Anthony, referring to its iconic scene in which three men from different religions donate blood to save one person, symbolising shared values and social harmony.

“Now, it’s not like that anymore. Today, it’s all about money and appearances -- reels, page 3 coverage, and loud self-promotion. In the process, I feel the industry has lost its connection with the audience,” he said.