At a panel with Karan Johar and Kareena Kapoor, Deverakonda advocates SRK-Allu Arjun collaborations, while Kareena shares a Spielberg encounter after 3 Idiots.
Mumbai, May 3: At the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) on Friday, actor Vijay Deverakonda sparked buzz with his dream of a cinematic collaboration between Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan and Telugu megastar Allu Arjun. During a lively panel moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar, Deverakonda emphasized how such a union could symbolically and culturally “unite the country.”
“Shah Rukh sir’s last big hit made ₹800 to ₹1000 crore. Allu Arjun anna’s film crossed ₹1000 crore. Now imagine them together in one film! That’s more than a blockbuster—it’s national unity through cinema,” Deverakonda said, drawing applause from the audience.
Dismissing the long-standing “North vs South” film debate, Deverakonda encouraged the industry to move beyond the divide and embrace collaboration. “It’s great for TRPs and headlines, but not for cinema’s growth. To compete with global giants, we need to join forces—not debate.”
Also present at the panel was actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who charmed the audience with a Hollywood anecdote. She recounted a surreal encounter with director Steven Spielberg at a restaurant shortly after the release of 3 Idiots.
“He came up to me and asked, ‘Are you the girl in that famous Indian film about the three students?’ I said yes, and he told me how much he loved the movie. I was stunned,” Kareena recalled with a smile.
When asked about working in Hollywood, she replied, “It hasn’t happened yet, and I don’t chase things. But times are changing. Who knows—maybe a Hindi-English film will come along. After all, even Spielberg is watching our films!”
WAVES 2025, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing together over 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 350+ startups, and 300+ companies from more than 90 countries. The summit, themed “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries,” runs from May 1 to May 4 at the Jio World Centre, Mumbai.