South to Bollywood: Prabhas, Dulquer new joinees; Nagarjuna opens up on Brahmastra
From Nagarjuna to Dulquer, south actors are being offered roles in Bollywood.
Seeing a South Indian actor in a Bollywood film is not a novelty. Heroines like Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Rekha... were from the south, have made it big in Bollywood. Ironically, it’s the male actors from South who were not successful in Hindi films. Which is why the top heroes refused Bollywood roles earlier. The scene is changing now. And one must admit that it’s only Bollywood that gives an actor national recognition.
For instance, Rana Daggubati is more popular nationaly than his uncle Venkatesh as the former has done few Bollywood films. Though Rana wasn’t the hero, he has established a name for himself. And with Baahubali’s success, he’s a recognised name now. His next project is a trilingual film Hathi Mere Saathi.
Rana’s father, producer Suresh Babu is an advocate for pursuing opportunities in multiple industries. “I have asked my son not to stick to one particular genre or one film industry. Wherever he gets a better opportunity, it’s better to work there,” said Suresh Babu.
Dhanush, a Tamil actor made his Hindi debut in 2013 with Raanjhanaa and he then co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Shamitabh. The latter wasn’t a hit film but Dhanush got fame! Actor Siddharth, who has done Telugu and Tamil films, is popular in the north because of his solo Hindi film Rang De Basanti.
Prabhas is a household name in the north now, thanks to Baahubali that created ripples nationally and internationally. His next film Saaho, is being made in Hindi too.
And joining the gang is Malayalam actor Dulquer Salman, who is awaiting the release of Karwaan, his debut Hindi film.
Now, actor Nagarjuna has returned to Hindi cinema after 15 years. He will be seen in the Amitabh-Ranbir-Alia starrer Brahmastra. Though it isn’t the main lead role, it’s a big banner nevertheless.
“I don’t believe in Telugu, Hindi or Tamil cinema. If I like the project, I accept it immediately. At this juncture in my career, I feel it’s important to choose the right project,” says Nagarjuna, adding that this role is different, something he hasn’t attempted before. “I can’t give more details about the film but the concept is completely new to India cinema. I can do this project if it comes from any language.”
Nagarjuna is of the opinion that one shouldn’t restrict oneself to a specific industry. “Because of social media, the world is becoming a smaller place and language isn’t a big barrier.” The actor is currently shooting for his film in Bulgaria and will be there for days. He concludes by saying, “I don’t know about the others but I am very excited about this Hindi project.”
Some still wary
Earlier, not all actors from the south were keen in moving out of their comfort zones primarily because their films didn’t click at the BO. Chiranjeevi, who has tried his hand at Bollywood, isn’t interested in continuing there. His son Ram Charan also did a Hindi film, Zanjeer, that tanked. And now he’s not interested in doing Hindi films.
Mahesh Babu has received offers from Bollywood, but hasn’t accepted any projects. “I have had many offers but I would like to focus on taking Telugu cinema to new heights. There are many talented actors in Hindi, so I want to concentrate on Telugu,” said Mahesh Babu in an earlier interview.
HT05