Danish Sait confessed in a recent interview with Sneha Menon Desai for this website that he is the type of South Indian who doesn’t understand anything beyond Bombay.
Sait isn’t the only one who feels this way. The cultural hysteria in the north is beyond comprehension for South Indians. North Indians, on the other hand, have no idea what’s going on in the South.
However, because Bollywood is regarded as India’s big daddy, it’s natural for movie stars from the south to aspire to work in the industry.
As a result, this list focuses solely on male performers who have successfully — and poorly — starred in Hindi films, excluding Prakash Raj and Nassar, who continues to mesmerize as character actors.
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Tamil
1. Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth could have easily appeared in a spate of Bollywood films and achieved a different type of success, but he preferred Tamil cinema.
Even though he acted in Hindi films as the lead till the mid-1990s, he did not relocate to Bombay. He’s a genuine pan-Indian superstar located in Chennai, and he doesn’t need Bollywood’s shady side in his golden years.
Hindi Films: Andha Kanoon, Insaaf Kaun Karega, Wafadaar
2. Kamal Haasan
Many renowned Bollywood stars in the 1980s were said to be frightened of Kamal Haasan, according to rumors. They thought Haasan would take over and become the brightest star in the universe.
And their apprehensions were not founded on rumors. While he was best recognized for his work in Tamil cinema, he also received three Nandi awards for his outstanding performances in three Telugu films. There was also Ek Duuje Ke Liye. Is it possible to blame them now?
Hindi Films: Sadma, Saagar
3. Dhanush
So far, Dhanush’s career has been flawless. He has not only directed and performed in a Hindi hit, Raanjhanaa, but he has also starred in an English film, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.
However, he has been hesitant to pursue a career as a full-time Hindi cinema actor and has carefully selected only a few movies.
Hindi Films: Raanjhanaa, Shamitabh, Atrangi Re (Upcoming)
4. Siddharth
Who can forget Siddharth’s first film, Rang De Basanti, from Bollywood? It was a national sensation, and he became the talk of the town almost immediately.
However, he only appeared in Hindi films on occasion, and he continued to work in Telugu and Tamil.
Hindi Films: Striker, Chashme Baddoor
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Telugu
1. Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi avoided risking his reputation in Bollywood by sticking to the tried-and-true strategy of starring in action films.
He didn’t star in films that needed him to create his persona from scratch, unlike his contemporaries Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. He relished the opportunity to play the enraged young man.
Hindi Films: Pratibandh, Aaj Ka Goonda Raaj, The Gentleman
2. Ram Charan
With Zanjeer (Thoofan in Telugu), Ram Charan tried his hand at a Hindi-Telugu bilingual and met with the older cousin of disappointment – calamity.
He has, however, avoided the Bollywood world since that incident. He’ll continue with care even if he says yes to acting in Hindi films in the future.
3. Vijay Deverakonda
Vijay Deverakonda, of course, is the man of the moment. Nobody in the Telugu states and Hindi-speaking towns ever imagined a film like Liger would be made.
However, here we are! The original Arjun Reddy is gearing up for his big-screen debut, which will be backed by none other than Karan Johar.
4. Prabhas
Prabhas was a regular star with a regular level of fandom when Baahubali was revealed eight years ago. But when it opened in theatres and broke box office records, he became a type of South Indian cinematic statue.
Although Saaho has died, there is still hope because he is working on Radhe Shyam and Adipurush.
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Kannada
1. Vishnuvardhan
Vishnuvardhan never really tried to get a feel for the Hindi heartland. Even though his star was rising in Karnataka, he did not move to the neighboring state to make Bollywood his second home.
In his three-and-a-half-decade career, he, like Chiranjeevi, only dabbled in B-waters a couple of times.
Hindi Films: Inspector Dhanush, Zaalim
2. Sudeep
Sudeep’s method of selecting films hasn’t suffered as a result of his experimentation.
While he hasn’t left Kannada films to pursue extra-recognition in other fields, it’s impressive that he has managed to strike a great equilibrium.
He gets brownie points for his willingness to play the stereotypical bad guy in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films.
Hindi Films: Phoonk, Rann
3. Anant Nag
Anant Nag’s early work consists mainly of parallel cinema. Even after switching to Hindi, he worked with directors like Shyam Benegal and MS Sathyu.
As a result, those films received numerous honors, and Nag established himself as another realistic actor in the vein of Naseeruddin Shah.
Hindi Films: Ankur, Nishant, Manthan
4. Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad was a dramatist and a writer-director in addition to being an actor. He never gave up his desire to direct and star in high-quality art-house films.
As a result, his career sounds a lot like Anant Nag. Both of these performers, on the other hand, were not fighting over the same pie.
Hindi Films: Swami, Ratnadeep
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Malayalam
1. Prithviraj
All billboards in Kerala and Tamil Nadu feature Prithviraj’s visage. Though he is best known for his work in Malayalam films, he has also had success in Tamil films.
Similarly, his few odd Hindi performances have seen him play various roles, ranging from the hunky hero in Aiyyaa to the main antagonist in Naam Shabana.
2. Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan had a very memorable year in 2018, as he made his Telugu debut with Mahanati and his Hindi debut with Karwaan, in which he co-starred with Irrfan and Mithila Palkar.
After that, he made an appearance in the lackluster film The Zoya Factor.
However, there has been no mention of a new Bollywood project in recent months, as he has been preoccupied with several Tamil and Malayalam plays.
3. Roshan Mathew
With the Netflix film Choked, directed by Anurag Kashyap, Roshan Mathew waltzed into Bollywood. It would have been a fantastic debut if reviewers and home viewers had given it more love.
He remains unstoppable, though, as he continues to sign projects in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi without missing a beat.
4. Mohanlal
In Company, Ram Gopal Varma gave Mohanlal a fantastic role, and then in Aag, he made him a sitting duck.
It’s amusing that he got to experience both sides of the filmmaker, although it came at a high cost. He hasn’t had much success in Hindi, like his senior, Mammootty.
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