The unprecedented popularity of pan-India films such as Pushpa: The Rise, RRR, and KGF 2 has sparked a discussion between Bollywood and the South. While the South Indian film industry is now receiving much-deserved national recognition, Bollywood is far from dead and will soon recover.
While pan-India films became popular after the success of Prabhas’ Baahubali series, Bollywood actors have long been associated with South cinema and vice versa. In reality, several well-known Bollywood women began their careers in South Indian films.
Let’s take a look at the list of female Bollywood stars who made their acting debut in the South, from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Priyanka Chopra Jonas:
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra, Bollywood’s very own ‘desi girl,’ is one of India’s most successful female stars, currently attempting to establish herself in Hollywood. In 2003, she made her B-Town debut with Sunny Deol’s The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, while her first Tamil film was Thamizhan. It stars PeeCee opposite South superstar Thalapathy Vijay and was a box office triumph when it was released in 2002.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika’s first film was the Kannada film Aishwarya, not Om Shanti Om. Indrajit Lankesh directed the picture, which also featured Upendra and Daisy Bopanna in addition to Piku. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s film Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s film Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s film Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s film Aishwar Deepika entered Bollywood in 2007 and has never looked back. She is currently one of Bollywood’s most popular actresses, with a number of noteworthy flicks under her belt.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai has come a long way since winning Miss World to become one of India’s most popular actors. In 1997, she made her acting debut in Iruvar, a Tamil political drama. The film focused around the backdrop of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu, and was inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi, and J. Jayalalithaa. In addition to Aish, Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, and Revathi Tabu had important roles in Iruvar. It was a critical smash hit. In the same year, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her Bollywood debut alongside Bobby Deol in Rahul Rawail’s Aur Pyar Ho Gaya.
Kriti Sanon
Kriti Sanon made her Bollywood debut in Sabbir Khan’s 2014 smash Heropanti and is one of Hindi cinema’s most promising rising stars. Her first film, though, was 1: Nenokkadine. Sukumar directed the Telugu-language psychological action thriller, which starred Mahesh Babu.
Yami Gautam
Yami Gautam made her acting debut in a South film after the success of her recent films, A Thursday and Dasvi. The Kannada film Ullasa Utsaha, which starred Ganesh alongside Bala, was released in 2010. It was Yami’s only Kannada film, and it was a box office flop.
