10 South Indian film stars who’ve made it big in Bollywood

The film industry of Bollywood has always attracted talent from its regional counterparts, especially South India, but has been a potpourri of acting chops from different parts of the country. And there is no doubt also that the Southern Film industry heavily inspires glamourous B-town. And that has resulted in getting many talents who have been carving out a place here anyway.

Well, here’s a rundown of the most well-known South Indian stars who’ve also acted in Bollywood films, offering their Hindi equivalents a run for their money.

Kamal Haasan

Having become a successful star in Bollywood, Kamal Haasan has done excellent work in movies across diverse genres and languages. The famous ‘Chachi’ of Chachi 420 is known for many accolades and has gained notoriety in his film career. He is indeed a qualified dancer, movie director, scriptwriter, producer, playback singer, and songwriter. And now he’s running for political office, all at the age of 65.

R. Madhavan

Madhavan, also known as Maddy, has come a long way in this creative world. He was initially spotted by ace-director Mani Ratnam on television and cherry-picked for the film. His cinematic journey started by working on movies like 'Rehna Hai Teri Dil Mein' and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ series and moving on to delivering back-to-back hits with the movies’ 3 Idiots’ and ‘Rang De Basanti’.

The 50-year-old has been widely appreciated as a producer of blockbusters like “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story”. Moreover, this versatile actor has also tried his hands on the OTT platform and then it’s history.

Prakash Raj

From a crooked politician to a framed cop and a caring father, Prakash Raj has played it all! In general, dubbed as B-town’s bad-man, he is the most sought-after stars in both South Indian and Bollywood films. And all courtesy of his acting flare, he has earned accolades and has been critically acclaimed for his performances in movies like - 'Khaki', 'Wanted', 'Singham', 'Buddha Hoga Tera Baap', and 'Dabanng 2'.

Ileana D’Cruz

Ileana stepped into the Bollywood silver screen with her girl-next-door debut in the movie 'Barfi', starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. She had been a very successful actress in the Telugu and Tamil film industries before she joined the Hindi film industry. Of late, she’s been grasping all opportunity of the Bollywood film market with her acting skills.

Dhanush

Despite not understanding the words, almost everyone must have felt a swoon in their chest over his voice in his famous 'Love N Hip Hop' hit. Dhanush, a Tamil actor, will sway people with the power he wields. Rajnikanth’s son-in-law showed his acting talent in movies like 'Raanjhanaa'. He also sang the popular Why this Kolaveri Di song which quickly became viral, the first video from India to gain 100 million YouTube views.

Prabhas

Prabhas seems to be the only South Indian actor to have made headlines in Bollywood despite having appeared in only one Bollywood film called 'Saaho.'. After his titular appearance in the mega-blockbuster 'Baahubali,' he was almost instantly catapulted to national prominence. And then there was ‘no turning back!’

Rana Daggubati

With 'Dum Maaro Dum', the 35-year-old actor successfully debuted in Bollywood, following his erstwhile journey in 'Department', 'Baby' and 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'. Apart from being a macho hero, he has also carved a niche playing the ‘bad-man’ in several Bollywood flicks. All courtesy of his chiselled physique and enigmatic demeanour, offers have been pouring since he starred as Bhallaladeva in Baahubali.

Asin

It was no surprise that Asin was already a super popular Telugu and Tamil film actress. She made her Bollywood debut in the top-grossing Indian film, “Ghajini”. This pretty lass has also rubbed shoulders with superstars such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn and slew many with her cute smile.

Prabhu Deva

Prabhu Deva is a popular name amongst all dance- enthusiasts. And he has earned his popularity with his famous ‘Michael Jackson’ move in the 90s Bollywood flick ‘Muqabla Muqabla.’ Later years he honed his skills and turned into a Bollywood sensation as a choreographer, dancer, actor and director.

Siddharth

The iconic angry young man character ‘Siddharth’ stole millions' hearts with his rebellious act in his only Bollywood film, called 'Rang De Basanti'. At present, he is busy with several projects down in the South.