Nayanthara is starring in Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. Rashmika Mandanna will be seen in Mission Majnu’ and ‘Goodbye’. Samantha starred in ‘Family Man 2’ and there are reports of her signing some big Hindi films now. Pooja Hegde has already made a name for herself in B-Town. What is common between all these stars? Well, the fact that they are top actors in the south film industry, are from south India and the Hindi film industry is now fervently signing them on for Hindi films!

Earlier, it was only top Hindi actresses who were being roped in for roles in south cinema but now the trend seems to clearly have reversed. Though female stars like Rekha, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Jayaprada and Rati Agnihotri moved from south cinema decades ago and became successes, in recent years there have been no south actresses who made the move to Hindi cinema.

Today, many of these talented actresses are very comfortable in the south film industry and don’t feel the need to go to Mumbai to start a new career when they are already extremely successful. But if they are approached for good roles with top stars in Bollywood, then they are open to signing them on.

All about talent and hard work

One of the most important aspects of actors from south cinema is that they always let their talent and work on screen do the talking. Unlike Bollywood, their personal PR and marketing machinery is practically non-existent and they don’t believe in the need to be in the news constantly to show their importance or popularity. The stars value their privacy and while they respect the media, believe that they need to speak to the media only when and if required. Take Nayanthara for instance. She is the top south star and reportedly charges about Rs. 10 crore per film but she hardly gives interviews and is not seen even at movie events. But she is extremely sought-after by filmmakers and having been signed on for Shah Rukh Khan’s film with director Atlee, the actress has proved that talent and hard work can bring you big Hindi films as well. And talented actors in the south film industry are in abundance.

Not a template B-Town heroine

When it comes to looks and physicality, most Bollywood heroines are pretty, tall, slim and very out there when it comes to their sense of style and dressing. They all seem to follow a template when it comes to how they should look and be projected. In sharp contrast, every south heroine is pretty but distinctive in terms of her looks, physicality and sense of style. And this is what makes them unique and stand out from their Bollywood counterparts. South actresses are all about natural beauty and simplicity and this makes them highly appealing to the masses.

It's all Indian cinema

There has been much talk about pan-Indian cinema but many actors say it’s all Indian cinema. No one talks about regional cinema anymore and this positive change has come thanks to the success of films like ‘Baahubali’, ‘RRR’, ‘KGF’, ‘Pushpa’ and others. The pandemic and the success of OTT has also given the audience a whole new world of entertainment and they have discovered new talent in south cinema. And Hindi filmmakers too have discovered new acting talent. Samantha and Rashmika Mandanna have had many hits in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, and showcased their acting prowess in a wide range of roles from the village belle to the girl-next-door to the young cosmopolitan hipster. Now that many south actresses have been discovered and loved by the Hindi-speaking audience thanks to the pandemic, they are in demand in the Hindi film industry as well. In fact, language is now no longer a barrier whether in films or on OTT.

South films trump Bollywood

With the recent trend of films from South India turning out to massive hits in India and abroad, it has been proved that some of the best entertainment comes from languages other than Hindi. People across the world want to be entertained and the language barrier has been shattered. In this scenario, the Hindi-speaking audience has shown that it is open and wants more content from other languages which means talented stars – including actresses - from south India will have a dream run in the years to come.

Latha Srinivasan is a senior journalist based in Chennai. Her passion is entertainment, travel, and dogs.