10 South Indian superstars who could take Bollywood by storm

From Sridevi to Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan, and now Dhanush, Bollywood’s tryst with southern stars has always been interesting. These actors proved their mettle by playing lead and mainstream roles, rather than being typecast. However, B-town has only scratched the surface.

The four industries that operate in the South are abundant in talent that has been complementing their Bollywood counterparts. However, what avid Hindi movie watchers have witnessed of the South is just the tip of the iceberg. We present ten southern stars who can take Bollywood by storm.

1. Mahesh Babu (Telugu)

Nicknamed Prince, Mahesh Babu has already made women go weak in their knees with his ‘toofani’ ad for a soft-drink brand. While he has contemplated a Bollywood debut, it has taken a backseat as the film and role has to be something that befits Mahesh’s stardom and following in the Telugu industry.

2. Yash (Kannada)

After starting off with Television and critically acclaimed roles, Naveen Gowda (known by his screen name Yash) has now emerged as the hottest young star in the Kannada film industry. Now, each release of Yash is accompanied with large cut-outs of the actor, ordained and garlanded – something that only superstars and senior actors have been accorded this far.

3. Vishal (Tamil):

Having flagged off his career working as an assistant to Arjun Sarja, Vishal was soon spotted and offered roles in films. He is arguably one of the first in the Tamil industry to show off a chiselled body that piled on the attention from the ladies. While he hasn’t done too many films in his career that is just over a decade, Vishal’s brooding looks, acting, and physique make him one of the most sought after actors down south.

4. Anushka Shetty (Telugu / Tamil)

Originally from Karnataka, Anushka Shetty has ruled the roster in the south since her debut opposite superstar Nagarjuna in 2005. The glamorous former Yoga instructor rocks the oomph quotient with style and class.

5. Allu Arjun (Telugu)

While Arjun received unflattering reviews for his first lead role in 2003, he came into his own in just a year later with Arya. With Deshamuduru and Arya 2, he cemented his position in the industry. Bunny, which is Arjun’s nickname, has been regularly delivering hits at the box office since then and has also changed his look.

6. Samantha Ruth Prabhu (Tamil / Telugu)

Samantha wowed audiences with her blend of beauty and innocence in her debut in Ye Maaya Chesave. Her calendar is pretty packed, which makes her one of the busiest actresses in the south. She’s also not afraid to speak her mind and was at the receiving end of upset fans when she commented about a movie poster being regressive.

Read: How Samantha Ruth Prabhu became both sizzler and star performer

7. Dhruva Sarja (Kannada)

Being the nephew of south Indian star actor Arjun Sarja, and the younger brother of actor Chiranjeevi Sarja, it was destined for Dhruva to get into films. While Dhruva has done just two films since his debut in 2012, he has kept the box office busy and is looking forward to his next release this year.

8. Jiiva (Tamil)

Originally named Amar, Jiiva adopted his nom de plume when he debuted in 2003. Jiiva’s work has been widely regarded as earnest, endearing and effective. A number of his films have been showcased on the festival circuit and he can pull off action, serious and romantic roles with equal aplomb.

9. Prabhas (Telugu)

With Varsham, Prabhas tasted stardom in just two years since his debut  and took things to the next level with Chhatrapati. Mirchi, which released in 2013, engraved Prabhas across the Telugu films’ firmament. His recent release Baahubali is said to be the most expensive Indian film ever, and has already made Prabhas the talk of the town.

10. Dulquer Salmaan (Malayalam / Tamil)

Being the son of legendary actor Mammootty, Dulquer carries very heavy expectations on his shoulders. He has done a wide variety of roles despite making his debut as recently as 2012. His performance in Mani Rathnam’s OK Kanmani was lauded with people even controversially declaring Dulquer to be better than his illustrious father – a claim that the actor refuted of course.

Read: How Malayalam star Dulquer Salman, hero of OK Kanmani, is conquering Kollywood

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