Is Telugu cinema a training ground for Bollywood heroines? Or are they big paychecks?

Janhvi is considered a Bollywood star coming from the South, while her mother Sridevi was a prominent actress in Telugu and Tamil cinema before leading Bollywood. During Sridevis’ time, Bollywood was almost entirely filled with Southern actresses. Rekha, Hema Malini, Jayaprada were all Southern beauties who ruled Hindi cinema. Even before them, Southern actresses like Anjali Devi, Bhanumathi, Vyjayanthi Mala, Waheeda Rehman, Padmini, B Saroja Devi, Jamuna, Savitri, Kanchana, Jayanthi, Rati Agnihotri, Bhanupriya, Madhavi, Ramya Krishna and many more have done a significant number of Hindi. films and were also well recognized in the Hindi belt.

In comparison, actresses coming to Telugu cinema from Hindi have been rare. Actresses like Nagma, Divya Bharati, Urmila Matondkar, SimranMadhu Bala, Sonali Bendre, Ileana DCruz, Bhumika Chawla, Genelia DSouza, Tamannaah Bhatia, Kajal Aggarwal, Taapsee Pannu, Rakul Preet Singh and a few others are considered more Southern/Telugu actresses for the amount of work they have done in Telugu and for the important blockbuster movies they were a part of.

There are few other actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Asin, Jyotika, Tabu, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Rashmika MandanaAditi Rao Hydari, Shruti Haasan who crossed the Indian big screen regardless of linguistic demarcations, leaving a lasting mark wherever they went.

A careful analysis of all these expeditions to the South reveals that for most of the 90s and the turn of the millennium, Bollywood actresses viewed Tollywood as a good training ground that would give them strong exposure and a work ethic. This perception has mostly changed in the last 15 years or so, due to market and competition. While Khan-centric films and later Akshay Kumars films made Bollywood the biggest market, actresses who had already made a name for themselves in Bollywood showed less southern inclination. This scenario began to change again in the days of Baahubali and other great Southern films. Now Bollywood actresses are openly saying they can’t wait to work in the South with their favorite actors and filmmakers. This trend will definitely stay for many years to come.

With the arrival of Janhvi Kapoor in Telugu cinema, let us look at 10 brief stops or significant forays of Bollywood actresses into Telugu cinema. The immediate and most recent big name that needs mentioning is Alia Bhatt in RRR. Possibly the heroine with the shortest screen time and narrative influence of any SS Rajamoulis film, Alias’ glamor and star status somewhat make up for this period drama flaw. .

Alia Bhatt in RRR. (Photo: Alia Bhatt/Instagram)

Ananya Panday en Vijay Deverakondas Liger Bilingual Telugu-Hindi also deserves a mention.

Next in line is Shraddha Kapoor in 2019 Prabhas starrer Saaho. After Prabhas’ huge Baahubali duology, this director Sujeeth’s average performance prevented Shraddha from being cast in a Telugu film again.

Kiara Advani was paired alongside Mahesh Babu in 2018’s Bharat Ane Nenu, directed by Koratala Siva. The film was a huge success and she was immediately paired alongside Ram Charan in Boyapati Seenus Vinaya Vidheya Rama in 2019. She returns to Telugu screens with Shankars’ untitled film starring Ram Charan which will be released later this year.

Disha Patani made her screen debut with Puri Jagannaths Loafer in 2015. The film, also starring Varun Tej, received mixed reviews. After almost ten years, she will be seen in Nag Ashwins Project K with Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. Project K is slated for a Sankranthi release in 2024.

Kriti Sanon also made her debut with the 2014 Telugu film One: Nenokkadine opposite Mahesh Babu. Directed by Sukumar, this film did not do well at the box office, but found takers after it landed on OTT. Kriti is paired opposite Prabhas in the upcoming film Adipurush, directed by Om Raut.

Hyderabad-born Aditi Rao Hydari started her film career in 2006 but did not act in a Telugu film until directing Indraganti Mohana Krishna Sammohanam in 2018. She was well received in this adaptation of Notting Hill, also with Sudheer Babu. Hydari has acted in four Telugu films so far.

After her utterly bland debut with Boom in 2003, Katrina Kaif came down South and caused a stir with the 2004 film Malliswari opposite Venkatesh. The film is best known for the wonderful comic adaptation of writer Trivikram’s Roman Holiday with generous borrowings from several foreign films. Even today, Telugu audiences fondly remember Katrinas as the hidden princess. The following year, she played alongside Balakrishna in Allari Pidugu. After 2006, she did not appear in any Southern films.

Between her debut film Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and the blockbuster Gadar, Ameesha Patel starred in a Telugu language film titled Badri in 2000. The director’s Puri Jagannath, also starring Pawan Kalyan, was a big hit and earned Ameesha a large audience in Telugu. She later shared screen space with Mahesh Babu in the 2004 box office turkey, Naani. In 2005, she was seen in Narasimhudu facing Jr NTR which was again a flop. She made two more films in Telugu, in 2011 and 2017.

A poster of Premante Idera.

Preity Zintas’ debut in a lead role was in the 1998 Telugu film Premante Idera opposite Venkatesh. The same year, she played a supporting role in Mani Ratnams Dil Se. Premante Idera was a box office success and Zintas’ unconventional looks appealed immensely to Telugu audiences. She was quickly cast opposite Mahesh Babu in the 1999 film Rajakumarudu, directed by K Raghavendra Rao. This film was also well received. Zinta did not return to the Telugu screen after Rajakumarudu.

Shilpa Shetty made her debut with Baazigar in 1993, but her Telugu debut came with her rather unusual 10th film K Raghavendra Raos Saahasa Veerudu Saagara Kanya (1996) opposite Venkatesh. It was an unusual film as Shilpa plays a mermaid in this socio-fantasy film, which had won her a huge Telugu fandom. She did a movie opposite Mohan Babu the following year titled Veedevadandi Babu. His next Telugu appearance was opposite Nagarjuna in Azad (1999). Bhalevadivi Basu, a 2001 comedy film opposite Balakrishna, was his last Telugu release.

Here are our wishes @deepikapadukone a very happy birthday.#ProjectK #HBDDeepikaPadukone pic.twitter.com/XfCbKapf25

Vyjayanthi Films (@VyjayanthiFilms) January 5, 2023

Looking to the future, one of the most exciting Bollywood heroine entries into Telugu cinema will be Deepika Padukones in Nag Ashwins Project K. A film that would revolve around time travel, puranas and gods, Project K will be one of India’s greatest films. We welcome Deepika to Tollywood and look forward to more such collaborations.