Telugu movie buffs often take pot shots at Tamil cinema's alleged obsession with caste-based oppression-oriented narratives. Rightly or otherwise, Kollywood has become synonymous with a familiar template. Telugus see this as forced. Many also believe that Tamil cinema's weak pan-Indian appeal is because of its lack of thematic variety and excessive focus on caste.
In this context, Dhruv Vikram's Bison (Tamil) and Teja Sajja's Mirai (Telugu) have become the centre of discussion on social media. Bison is accused of putting forward a boring caste narrative, while Mirai is accused (by Tamils) of pandering to the Hindutva sentiment. "Mirai was plain. It merely used the Sri Rama imagery to buttress its credentials, especially in the Hindi market," a Tamilian remarked.
Many Tamilians disagree with the charge that Kollywood is all about caste-based social-conscious cinema. "Out of all Tamil filmmakers, only Pa. Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj, and Vetri Maaran tackle social injustice, while others don’t even touch it, and that alone triggers some folks and labels Tamil cinema," Prasanna Marathan opined.
Bison and Mirai symbolize the rift between Kollywood and Tollywood.
