There are many other actors who got a far lesser star status for themselves in the last few years but delivered whenever an opportunity came their way. Despite their commercial bent, they haven't seen favourable acceptance in Bollywood and have instead found their bearings in regional cinema.
Actor Sonu Sood still has it in him when it comes to edgy roles. Pick up the films where he got a chance to perform — ‘Yuva’ or ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ - and had a well etched part to play and he's done quite well. Of course whenever he has half-baked roles coming his way, he has been awkward.
No wonder, when he goes down South and turns into an out and out villain for a Telugu film like ‘Arundathi’, he enjoys a celebrity status for himself. It is no surprise that he is absorbing himself big time into South cinema while still taking up the occasional role in a Hindi movie, like in ‘Dabangg’.
Genelia D’Souza ’s case has been even more puzzling. She does well practically every time and in fact made her début with a Hindi film (‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’) years ago. But somehow, Bollywood hasn’t proved to be too accommodating for the pretty girl who went on to deliver multiple hits down South. Now there is some recognition finally coming her way post ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa’. Still, the girl is not taking her chances when it comes to her stint down South, especially so with two stuck films ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Hook Ya Crook’. Can we offer her better roles, soon, before she again disappears for long?
In that aspect, Sameera Reddy is pretty much playing a smart game. If there is one actress who is turning out to be a Jack (or in this case, Jill?) of all trades when it comes to working in regional cinema, Sameera could well be a front runner. Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam — you name it and she has done it all. She may not be a superstar in Bollywood but an effort as put on display in recent release ‘Red Alert - The War Within’, makes one wonder if film makers before ever took her seriously.
Someone who is definitely not being taken seriously in Bollywood is South star Sadaa . An experienced actress with close to a dozen odd films behind her, all she gets to do is the ‘Love Khichdi’s and the ‘Click’s. For someone who has worked with the likes of Shankar and Vikram in Tamil cinema, she could well be a good addition to Hindi cinema if the requirement was that of an innocent face and a dignified persona. But seems the wait may only continue for her!
However, someone who is doing all to resist this temptation and give a solid fight is Asin , who despite her dozen and a half films in South is determined to make it big in Bollywood.
After the high of ‘Ghajini’, she had to suffer the low of ‘London Dreams’. For many, ‘Ready’ with Salman Khan may just be a hopeful outing that would turn around her fortunes. If not, the lady who has worked with Kamal Hassan not too many moons ago may well find a safe abode just a flight away.
On the other hand, someone who would certainly be looking at cancelling all her flights to South would be Kangna . Tired with all the roles hinting of schizophrenia coming her way,
Kangna did bite the bait with a couple of regional films like ‘Dhaam Dhoom’ and ‘Ek Niranjan’. However, she is one individual for which Bollywood has indeed taken notice fast, a result of which is half a dozen films which are up for release and nearly the same number which is slated to go on floors soon.
Perhaps her two regional films were just a threat good enough for film makers to insist that she stays back!