Even if I get a Hindi film, I would prefer to be here: Mahesh Babu on South Indian cinema

Telugu film star Mahesh Babu has dismissed any suggestions that he might take up an offer in the Hindi film industry. The actor, who stars in AR Murugadoss's upcoming spy thriller Spyder, was speaking to The Indian Express newspaper. A bilingual film, Spyder will be released in both Tamil and Telugu on 27 September.

During the interaction, the actor called it the 'first of its kind in Indian cinema' and said, "It is my biggest film, and working with Murugadoss was a life-changing experience."

Mahesh Babu, who is one of the biggest stars in the Telugu film industry, has dubbed for the film in Tamil himself. Speaking about the process, he said, "I usually dub for my Telugu films in two to three days, but the Tamil version took 15 days. Murugadoss sat patiently with me and made sure I got the diction right. I had to go back for some corrections too."

Despite his growing popularity in the North with his Telugu hits being dubbed in Hindi, the actor rejected suggestions that he is planning to make his formal debut in Hindi cinema. "The South film industry is huge today," Mahesh Babu said. "Even if I get an opportunity in Bollywood, I would prefer to be here." The star reasoned that the "scale of South Indian cinema has grown immensely".