By Abdulla Mahmood
Until not too long ago, every failed Bollywood actress would pack her bags for the South Indian film industry, where she would attempt to establish herself as the undisputed queen of her chosen cinema – Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Bollywood rejects like Nagma, Simran and Jyothika reached the pinnacle of their acting careers by ruling South Indian cinema.
Recently, there has been a reversal of trends: South Indian actresses are suddenly zooming in on – and ruling – Bollywood.
Vidya Balan, originally Malayalam, failed to kickstart her career in Malayalam films. Then she headed to Bollywood and made a successful debut in the hit Parineeta. And there was last year’s successful Bollywood debutant Deepika Padukone, who launched her career with the Kannada flick Aishwarya before starring in the Shah Rukh Khan-blockbuster Om Shanti Om.
Now we actually have well-established South Indian actresses moving into Bollywood. The hi-profile actress Asin leads the pack, making her debut in Aamir Khan’s much-hyped Ghajini. Asin is already an established star in South Indian cinema. She has acted in blockbusters opposite major stars like Kamal Hassan, Vikram and Vijay.
Close on her heels, the successful South Indian actress Sadha makes her foray into Bollywood with the laugh-fest Khallballi. Other popular actresses like Trisha and Nayanthara are also said to have a serious eye on Bollywood.
While Asin might be tipped to be the next big thing to be transported to Bollywood from South Indian cinema, she certainly isn’t the first. Here’s a look at the top South Indian actresses who not only crossed over to Bollywood successfully, but also managed to dominate the industry
Vyayanthimala (’50s and ’60s)
She is basically Tamil and started her acting career in the Tamil hit Vazhkai in the early ’50s. Vyayanthimala acted in few other successful Tamil films before she got her big break in Bollywood with Nagin (1954). She paired successfully with Dilip Kumar, the top star of the 1950s, and starred in critical and commercial hits like Madhumati, Devdas, Ganga Jamuna, Leader and Naya Daur that established her as the reigning queen of Hindi cinema. Vyayanthimala reached the pinnacle of her career when she starred opposite showman Raj Kapoor in Sangam, a film that became a major blockbuster.
This was followed by another two major hits, Suraj and Jewel Thief. She continued appearing as a leading actress until the late 1960s, when she retired for a domestic life followed by an active political career. Vyayanthimala is considered one of India’s living legends.
Hema Malini (’70s and ’80s)
Tamil by birth, Malini started her career in the Telegu film Pandava Vanavasam and struggled to establish herself in Tamil films. She finally made her breakthrough in the Dev Anand blockbuster Johnny Mera Naam (1970). She continued to star in a spate of hits and her dual roles in the smash hit Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) established her as Bollywood’s top heroine. She went on to make a successful on-screen pair with Dharmendra, whom she later married. 1975 was the best year of Malini’s career, as she delivered six hits, including Sholay, a film considered to be one of the biggest Indian blockbusters.
Malini continued to rule Bollywood by pairing up with the biggest stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra until the early 1980s. She then retired gracefully, but made a successful comeback by pairing with Bachchan again in Baghban (2003) and Veer Zaara (2004).
Rekha (’70s and ’80s)
She is the daughter of the well-known Tamil superstar Gemini Ganeshan and Telegu actress Pushpavalli. She made a successful debut in the Kannada flick Godalli CID 999 (1969) opposite Dr Rajkumar. Rekha made a smooth transition to Bollywood with her debut hit Saawon Bhadon (1970) despite being unable to speak Hindi. She was connected to many hit films and portrayed a number of glamorous roles, but her career took off only when she was paired opposite Bachchan – with whom she allegedly had a long-affair.
Rekha’s performance in the Bachchan super-hit Muqaddar Ka Sikander shot her to enviable fame and she was acknowledged as a top actress. She rivalled Malini as Bollywood’s numero uno actress, as the two swapped the top two spots between 1979 and 1983.
Rekha slowed down in the late 80s and 90s, but her enigma continued as she managed to surprise the audience in conventional roles and deliver hits like Khoon Bhari Maang, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and Kamasutra. She was successfully last seen as heartthrob Hrithik Roshan’s mother in blockbusters Koi Mil Gaya and its sequel Krrish.
Jayaprada (’80s) –
n Ironically, the end of the Malini-Rekha era was brought on by another set of South Indian actresses, Jayaprada and Sridevi. Jayaprada was a major Telegu star with big hits, including Anthuleni Katha, Siri Siri Muvva and the all-time-blockbuster Adavi Ramudu opposite N.T. Rama Rao. Siri Siri Muvva was remade as Sargam (1979) which marked her Hindi film debut and though the film was a hit, her Bollywood career took off only with Kaamchor (1982).
She suddenly became first choice to pair opposite Bachchan and Jeetendra and starred in big hits like Tohfa, Sharaabi and Maqsad. Her reign was cut short by Sridevi’s dominance and the emergence of younger actresses in the late 80s. Jayaprada continued to pair with older stars like Dharmendra in a number of Bollywood potboilers until the mid 90s. She is currently actively involved in politics.
Sridevi (’80s and ’90s)
Sridevi, Tamil by birth, made her high-profile debut opposite Kamal Hassan and Rajnikant in the Tamil hit Moondru Mudichu (1976). She acted with all the top Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam stars during the ’70s and early ’80s. She made her Bollywood debut with Solwa Saawan (1979) that bombed, but her second innings started with the big hit Himmatwala (1983) that earned her the nickname “thunder thighs”, due to all the skin she shows in the film.
Sridevi’s meteoric rise to become Bollywood’s top actress can be attributed to her successful pairing with Jeetendra initially and later with Anil Kapoor, with whom she delivered big hits like Mr India. She hit the peak of her career with double whammy Chandni and Chaalbaaz in 1989.
In the early ’90s her major films like Lamhe and Khuda Gawah didn’t live up to expectations and opened the playing field to emerging stars like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla. Her swan song, Judaai, happened to be a huge hit and later she married Boney Kapoor, elder brother of her favourite actor, Anil.
Sridevi’s era also marked the end of the rule of South Indian actresses in Bollywood. The trend seems to be resurging, with the appearance of Asin. Will she be able to reign like these South Indian actresses who preceded her? Only time will tell.
Courtesy: gulfnews.com
