Superwomen of the South: Actors who are making a mark in Bollywood

Talent knows no regional divide, and Bollywood has woken up to that, a bit late. That's why a slew of leading ladies from the south indian film industry are suddenly taking the Hindi film industry by storm. What's more, south Indian audiences who were so far restricted to watching dubbed Bollywood titles, are now seeing familiar faces on screen. Here are some actors from the South film industry, who are here to stay.

Rashmika Mandanna

Bengaluru-based actor Rashmika Mandanna is all set to make her Bollywood debut with 'Mission Majnu', alongside Sidharth Malhotra in the lead. Rashmika made her film debut with 2016 Kannada film 'Kirik Party' and she has already carved a niche for herself in a span of 5 years. According to a Forbes list of most influential south celebs, Rashmika is the winner with over 22 million Insta followers, who are steadily growing.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Samantha Ruth Prabhu was last seen in web series 'Family Man season 2' along with Manoj Bajpayee, and she will soon make her mark on 70mm. Samantha played the role of a fierce Sri Lankan Tamil liberation fighter, Rajji, on the show. Samantha is reportedly house hunting in Mumbai and even learning Hindi for her Bollywood debut.

Nayanthara

South actress Nayanthara is already a superstar. In the Tamil film industry, she is lovingly called 'Lady Superstar' by her fans and co-stars. Nayanthara carved a new identity for herself, ensuring she is the commercially viable lead in her movies, no matter who the hero is. In Bollywood, she will be make her debut with none other than Shah Rukh Khan, in filmmaker Atlee's next film, tentatively titled 'Lion'.

Priyamani

Actor Priyamani made her Bollywood debut with Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan- starrer ‘Raavan’, directed by Mani Ratnam. She has also worked with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Chennai Express’ in the popular dance number ‘One Two Three Four.’ But she won hearts, playing Suchi, Manoj Bajpayee’s on-screen wife in 'The Family Man'.
Priyamani is all set to star in ‘Maidaan,’ a biographical sports film which stars Ajay Devgn as football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.

Nithya Menen

Actor Nithya Menen is a major star in southern films. She made her Bollywood debut as part of an ensemble cast in 'Mission Mangal', alongside Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, among others.
But the film made her visble to a wider array of audiences up north. Menen’s career has been studded with unconventional choices, she made her OTT debut with the web series 'Breathe: Into The Shadows' which starred Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role. But Nithya Menen is choosing quality over quantity when it comes to work. In Bollywood too, she is treading carefully.

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