Akshay Kumar walked into a song launch and came out with a take nobody saw coming. Bhojpuri, he said, is better than Hollywood. Hollywood, for its part, has not responded.
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Akshay Kumar was at a song launch event for his upcoming film ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ when he made a remark that quickly started circulating online. He said Bhojpuri is better than Hollywood. The comment came during a conversation about a Bhojpuri track from the film.
The film includes a Bhojpuri song, and when the topic came up at the event, Akshay did not hold back.
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“Bhojpuri is better than Hollywood. I have given this line because they can’t hear this song. They will not understand anything. They have never seen song like this,” he said.
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He was referring to a line in the song that actor Jacqueline Fernandez delivers in the track which he said was directed at Hollywood audience that would have no frame of reference for that kind of music.
He then spoke about India’s regional diversity. “We can proudly say that we have so many cultures. Our songs are made in so much culture. We should be proud of the kind of culture we have and the variety that exists in our country,” he said.
The question of whether he plans to venture into Bhojpuri cinema next was also raised at the event. No direct confirmation came from Akshay on that front.
‘Welcome to the Jungle’ is an upcoming Hindi comedy film. It carries a large ensemble cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, and several other actors. The film has been positioned as a broad comedy entertainer. A specific release date has not been confirmed publicly at the time of writing.
The song launch event brought the cast together and generated some attention.
Bhojpuri music has a large and dedicated listener base across India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and among diaspora communities in other parts of the world. It is one of the more commercially active regional music industries in the country, with a consistent output of film songs, folk tracks, and independent releases.
The genre has also found audiences on YouTube, where several Bhojpuri songs and music videos regularly clock tens of millions of views. Its reach extends well beyond the states where Bhojpuri is spoken as a first language.
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