The Indian entertainment industry, as we all know comprises the Hindi cinema industry along with other regional languages. There’s a humongous pool of talented actors in these regional industries and in today’s time, with the language barrier slowly diminishing, most of them are getting Pan-India attention courtesy of just good work. Out of all the regional industries in the country, the ‘South entertainment space’ is considered to be the biggest as it comprises four different languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. In today’s OTT age, a lot of regional actors are getting attention all over the country. While the likes of Fahadh Faasil, and Arya have gained good prominence for their work in projects like Joji, Pushpa and Sarpatta Parambarai, at least today, they can’t be called Pan-India stars as their audience is very niche. But hey, what if we tell you when it comes to making a successful transition from South regional content to Hindi entertainment space as mainstream actors, the list is all about ‘girl power’.
While we need to do quite a bit of thinking when it comes to penning a list of male South superstars who made it equally big in Bollywood, the task is a lot easier when it comes to the ladies. So here’s taking a quick look at some of the most popular actresses of South regional cinema who are now equally big in Bollywood if not more popular than they ever were down South.
Rakul Preet Singh: The lady well and truly knows no introduction. She’s been fantastic in her career in Hindi cinema so far and guesses what? Like she said during an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz earlier, she feels that she’s grown onto becoming bigger than what she ever was down South. Talk about an inspiring journey and this fits the bill perfectly, doesn’t it?
Taapsee Pannu: The lady is a force to reckon with in the true sense of the term and every bit of her personality oozes a positive vibe of confidence and charm. She’s right now in the best phase of her professional career after successful blockbusters in Hindi cinema like Thappad, Mission Mangal, Rashmi Rocket, Shabaash Mithu, Haseen Dillruba and without any doubt, ‘Dunki’ with Shah Rukh Khan is the perfect ‘icing on the cake’ for her. She’s killing it and we are proud of her.
Raashi Khanna: The diva made her debut in Hindi cinema with John Abraham starrer ‘Madras Cafe’ and right from the very first frame, fans knew and realized the fact that she’s going to go a long way. Although she’s yet to dominate Hindi space like Taapsee Pannu or Rakul Preet Singh, fans have high expectations from her next with Shahid Kapoor which is being helmed by Raj & DK.
Rashmika Mandanna: Our very own ‘Crush Of The Nation’ is on a roll and how. She’s perhaps the only actress who’s got humongous popularity in Hindi cinema without even officially making her debut yet. But hey, it’s only a matter of time till she comes up with not one, not two but three big Hindi releases in the form of Mission Majnu, Goodbye and Animal. Fans have high expectations from their ‘Srivalli’ and we are confident that she’s going to shine with flying colours and come out triumphant.
Tamannaah Bhatia: She’s undoubtedly one of the finest actresses in the Indian entertainment industry right now. She made her debut long back at the age of just 15 and ever since then, she’s one of the very few actresses who’s managed to maintain a nice balance between Hindi and South content. On one hand, she’s doing movies like F3 down South and on the other hand, fans are super excited to see her next in ‘Babli Bouncer’ that’s directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. Earlier as well, she’s made an impact with movies like Himmatwala, Entertainment, Humshakals, and many more and no wonder she’s one of the finest conversions from South to Hindi cinema.
Ileana D’Cruz: She’s always believed in quality ahead of quantity and that’s why, instead of being part of multiple projects all at once, she’s focussed on stuff following the principle of ‘Slow and steady wins the race.” While she has got a huge pool of movies down South, some of her best in Hindi cinema so far are Barfi, Main Tera Hero, and Rustom. She has an interesting release next with Vidya Balan and fans have great expectations from that.
Kajal Aggarwal: She’s one of the finest and most versatile actresses that we have around in the country and henceforth, she’s got nothing new to prove. She’s got a humongous body of work down South and in Hindi cinema as well, she made her mark quite instantly as Ajay Devgn’s lead girl in Singham. Ever since then, she’s been a part of Hindi projects like Special 26 and Mumbai Saga and ever since then, she never looked back.
Pooja Hegde: If there’s one name after Tamannaah Bhatia who’s maintaining the balancing work with perfection and doing good work in both Hindi and South regional cinema at the same time, it has to be Pooja Hegde. All thanks to her talent and potential, she’s been blessed with some fantastic movies in Hindi cinema and some of her best work so far are Mohenjodaro, and Housefull 4. Her next with Prabhas aka Radhe Shyam has kept the audience very interested so far and no wonder, we have high hopes.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu: Last but certainly not least, we have our very own Samantha Ruth Prabhu who’s become quite a star in the Hindi entertainment space post her act as ‘Raji’ in The Family Man Season 2. It is always a daunting task to make your presence felt as an actor in front of someone like Manoj Bajpayee. But she was up to the task and how. She’s proven that she’s got nerves of steel and we are very excited for her upcoming movie with Akshay Kumar which as per media reports will be backed by Karan Johar (the very reason why they were paired together in Koffee With Karan Season 7).
Well, languages, as we always say, are never really a barrier, especially in today’s time and age. However, it’s just so heartwarming to see how these divas have crossed all hurdles and challenges thrown towards them to eventually become the Pan-Indian sensations they are today. Like they say, ‘inspirations’ and ’embodiments of women empowerment’ for a reason. Go, rock ladies. The world is yours.