South Actors who found success by working in Bollywood

Normally we’ve heard tht ppl who go from South to North, don’t find much success, or they only find success in one area. But that’s the not the case as acting in Bollywood worked wonder for these actors from South.

1) Rajnikanth

Rajnikanth, known as Super Star or Thalaivar is one of the most successful actors in the South. He also had few successes in Bollywood as well, with movies like, ‘Andha Kanoon’, ‘Chalbaaz’, ‘Hum’ etc. Also the dubbed versions of ‘Sivaji’ and ‘Enthiran’ also became successful, making him a famous icon worldwide.

2) Kamal Hassan

Kamal Hassan, known as Ulaganayan, is also one of the most successful actors in the South. He made his Bollywood debut with the film ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ which was a huge hit. Followed it up with movies like Sanam Teri Kasam, Saagar, Sadma, Chachi 420 etc which were also successful, making him successful in both the film industries.

3) Sridevi

Sridevi is originally from South. She made her debut as a child artist in South and then became a highly established actress in the South cinema with movies such as 16 Vayathinile, Sigappu Rojakal, Moondru Mudichu, Meendum Kokila etc. Then moved to Bollywood and had hits like Himmatwala, Chandni, Mr.India, Sadma, Chaalbaaz, Khuda Gawah etc. thus establishing herself in the Bollywood industry as well. She is is the first female superstar of Hindi cinema.

4) Jaya Prada

Jaya Prada, though originally from Uttar Pradesh, started her career in the South with movies like Manmatha Leelai, Anthuneli Katha, Ninaithale Inikkum etc. establishing herself in South and then moved to Bollywood with films like Sanjog, Sharaabi, Tohfa etc. establishing herself in Bollywood as well.

5) Nagarjuna

Nagarjuna is a popular South actor. His work in Bollywood films such as ‘Khuda Gawah’ and ‘Zakhm’ gave him a lot of appreciation.

6) Mohanlal

Mohanlal, who is one of the most successful actors in the Malayalam film industry, made his Bollywood debut with ‘Company’. The movie was a hit and Mohanlal’s performance won rave reviews.

7) R.Madhavan

Madhavan is one actor who has drawn a fine line between both these film industries. He became successful in South with hits likes Alaiypayuthey, Kannathil Mutthamittal, Anbe Sivam etc. and in Bollywood with hits like Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, Tanu Weds Manu etc.

8) Siddharth

Siddharth who is a popular actor in the South, made his Bollywood debut with Rang De Basanti. The movie was a huge hit, with Siddharth’s performance being highly appreciated. His second Bollywood film ‘Striker’ didn’t do well but his third Bollywood film ‘Chashme Baddoor’ became a huge hit, thus became successful in both areas.

9) Rana Daggubati

Rana Daggubati, who is a popular actor in the South, made his Bollywood debut with ‘Dum Maro Dum’. The movie was a huge hit, with Rana’s performance in the film being praised. He recently made a cameo in ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’.

10) Prithviraj

Prithviraj, who is one of the most successul actor in the South, tried his luck with Bollywood with ‘Aiyya’ and ‘Aurangzeb’. Eventhough both movies didn’t do well, Prithviraj’s performance in Aurangzeb won rave reviews, calling it one of his best.

11) Dhanush

South Actor, National award winner Dhanush made his debut in Bollywood with ‘Ranjhanaa’. ‘Ranjhanaa’ was a huge hit and Dhanush’s performance was highly praised, by winning the Filmfare Award for Best Debut – Male.

12) Asin

Asin who is a successful actress in South, made her Bollywood debut with ‘Ghajini’ which was a huge hit. It won her a lot of praise and debut awards. Eventhough her 2nd film ‘London Dreams’ failed, her other movies such as ‘Ready’, ‘Housefull 2’, ‘Bol Bachchan’ became huge hits, making her a successful actor in Bollywood as well.

13) Ileana D’Cruz

Ileana though originally from Mumbai, made her debut in South and is a very successful actress there. She made her Bollywood debut with ‘Barfi’ which was a huge hit, and was also India’s official entry at the Oscars. Ileana’s performance was highly appreciated.

14) Sonu Sood

Sonu Sood who is originally a Punjabi, made his debut in a Tamil film and then continued making hits in the South industry. He tried his luck at Bollywood, but he initially didn’t do very well, with few known appearances such as ‘Yuva’ and ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapna’. But the 2010 film Dabangg changed everything. It was a huge hit and Sonu Sood was nominated for the Best Villain award. With this, he carved a niche in Bollywood as well.

15) Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee, who is originally from Mumbai, started her career in South and is successful there. She made her Bollywood debut with ‘Chashme Baddoor’ which is a huge hit.

16) Prabhu Deva

Prabhu Deva is a successful actor in South, with films like ‘Kadhalan’, ‘Love Birds’, ‘Minsara Kanavu’, ‘Kathala Kathala’ etc. He then went on to direct films in both South and Bollywood. His Bollywood movies include ‘Wanted’, ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘R..Rajkumar’ etc. all were successes. He recently acted in the Hindi film ‘ABCD.. Anybody Can Dance’ which was a success. He successfully made his place in both the film industries.

17) Kajal Aggarwal

Even though  Kajal’s first film in Bollywood failed, she found a lot of success in the South industry. She made her comeback in Bollywood with Singham which was a blockbuster. Her 2nd film Special 26 was also critically acclaimed.

18) Rakul Preet Singh

Rakul Preet Singh, originally from New Delhi, started her career in South. She made her Bollywood debut with ‘Yaariyaan’ which was critically acclaimed.

19) Vyjanthimala

Veteran actress Vyjanthimala started her career in South. She also had successes in Bollywood such as Naagin, Devdas, Sadhana, Madhumathi, Jewel Thief etc. thus making her an established actress in both these areas.

20) Padmini

Padmini is another popular actress in South. Her notable films include Thanga Padhumai, Anbu, Poovai Poochudava etc. She also had successes in Bollywood with movies like Mera Naam Joker and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.

21) Ragini

Padmini’s sister Ragini also was successful in South and Bollywood. Notable films include Shahjehan, Shikhari, Aadhe Raat Ki Baat, Amar Deep etc. and in South with Thooku Thooki, Uthamaputhiran, Manadhi Mannan etc.

22) Rati Agnihotri

Rati Agnihotri though was orginally from Mumbai, moved to Chennai at the age of 10. She debuted in the Tamil film ‘Puthiya Varpugal’ opposite Bhagyaraj. The film was a blockbuster. She continued to act in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films making her a star in the South. She then moved to Bollywood, debuted in ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ which was a huge hit. Continued with movies like Coolie, Tawaif, Farz Aur Kanoon etc. thus establishing herself in both these areas.

23) Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai originally started her career in the South, with films like Iruvar and Jeans. Both were huge successes. She then shifted Bollywood and became a big star there. She came back to Tamil films with ‘Enthiran’ which was a big hit, thus making herself a big star worldwide.

24) Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra debuted in the Tamil film ‘Thamizhan’ opposite Vijay which was a success. She then moved to Bollywood and became a huge star in India.