Close on the heels of Asin (who made her cinematic debut in Telugu films a few years ago) who announced her decision to settle in Mumbai, other stars like Trisha, Mamta Mohandass, Priyamani, Madhurima and Laxmi Rai have all decided to head to Bollywood this year. The idea is to reach out to a pan-Indian audience and do roles of substance.
While Trisha has finished the first schedule of Priyadarshan’s Akshay Kumar starrer Khatta Meetha, Priyamani has wrapped up her stint in Mani Rathnam’s Raavan, Madhurima is reading more scripts after her debut in Toss earlier this year and Sada who took her first Bollytown splash in Love Khichdi is also parked in Mumbai scouting for more work. Mamta has almost finalised her Bollywood debut which is supposed to be a big ticket film. Ditto for Laxmi Rai who’s on a weight-loss programme for her Hindi film debut. But the one common thread that binds them all - regional cinema - continues to play an important role in their film careers.
Migrating to Hindi films is not a new phenomenon. Way back in the 80s and 90s most top Telugu actresses tried to take the same route and had to contend with a mixed response. If Sridevi, Jayaprada and Rambha could make it big in Hindi films, their contemporaries Bhanupriya (Khudgarz) and Vijayashanti (Eeshwar) had no such luck. Probably that’s now made the current crop of Tollywood stars more careful as they get ready to take the Bollywood leap.
“Bollywood films are special. Every actor wants do one. Of course, I’m happy to make my debut in a film like Khatta Meetha directed by Priyan Sir. But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up on Telugu films. The Tollywood film fraternity has treated me like a queen and I also have two big Telugu films on floors. But I want to a strike a balance and do both Hindi and Telugu films,” says Trisha.
Likewise, even Priyamani is “excited” about sharing screen space with Abhishek Bachchan, but has no plans to move “bag and baggage” to Mumbai, nor has she given it a “serious thought.” With a slew of Mollywood and Kollywood offers in hand, Priyamani can afford to wait a bit, before moving on to Hindi films.
For decades, Tollywood and Bollywood film industries have had a history of exchanging stars. Bollywood imports Hansika and Genelia, have tasted superstardom in Telugu films, while Shriya Saran, again a top Telugu film star has done her bit in Bollywood.
It’s well-known that Telugu filmmakers discover young talents, make stars out of them and then they are wooed by Mumbai tinseltown dream merchants. Filmmaker Puri Jagannath’s discovery Asin (Amma Nanna O Tamilammayi), Nagarjuna’s discovery Shriya Saran (Santhosham), director Teja’s protegees Reema Sen (Chitram) and Sada (Jayam) have all tried their hand at doing Bollywood films.
Shriya doesn’t regret the lukewarm response she received from Bollywood filmmakers. She says,“I never had plans to settle down in Mumbai. My Tamil and Telugu films have kept me more than busy. I have no regrets about not doing too many big Bollywood films.” Rambha who’s worked with the likes of Salman Khan and Govinda in her first innings in Hindi films made a comeback of sorts this year with the multi-lingual Quickgun Murugan. She says she’s “proud to be a Telugu-speaking girl who’s worked with top stars and had her share of success. I also proved that Telugu girls can offer the right mix of talent and glam.”
Thanks to the fine balancing act, these Tollywood screen scorchers seem to have the best of both worlds.(TNN)
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