From Rekha To Rashmika Mandanna: South Indians Who Conquered Bollywood
As Sai Pallavi makes her Hindi film debut with ‘Ek Din’, here’s a look at the South Indians who carved out memorable and lasting space in Bollywood.
The Hindi film industry has, for over several decades, drawn some of its brightest, most versatile and most enduring talent from the South. From the formidable dancers of the 1950s to the pan-India superstars of today, performers born and raised in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala have repeatedly reshaped the very idea of what a Bollywood star looks, sounds and moves like. The latest name to walk into that long, glittering procession is Sai Pallavi, who made her much-awaited Hindi film debut with ‘Ek Din’, which released in theatres on May 1, 2026.
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Directed by Sunil Pandey and produced by Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan and Aparna Purohit under the Aamir Khan Productions banner, the romantic drama stars her opposite Junaid Khan and is the official Hindi remake of the 2016 Thai film ‘One Day’.
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The Tamilian actress has commanded the Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu industries for nearly a decade through films like ‘Premam’, ‘Fidaa’, ‘Love Story’, ‘Shyam Singha Roy’, ‘Gargi’ and ‘Amaran’. As she steps into Hindi cinema, here is a look back at the South Indians who walked this road before her, and walked it like they owned it.
Without further ado, check out the list below:
1. Vyjayanthimala
The original blueprint. Born in 1933 into a Tamil-speaking family in Madras, Vyjayanthimala Bali is widely regarded as the first female superstar of Indian cinema and the first South Indian actress to attain truly national stardom. After her Tamil debut in ‘Vaazhkai’ (1949), she made her Hindi debut with ‘Bahar’ (1951), the Hindi remake of ‘Vaazhkai’. Her breakthrough came with ‘Nagin’ (1954) and her turn as the courtesan Chandramukhi in Bimal Roy’s ‘Devdas’ (1955) is still cited as her magnum opus. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award three times – for ‘Sadhna’ (1958), ‘Ganga Jumna’ (1961) and ‘Sangam’ (1964) – and starred in classics like ‘Madhumati’ (1958), ‘Naya Daur’ (1957), ‘Amrapali’ (1966) and ‘Jewel Thief’ (1967). She was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024.
2. Waheeda Rehman
Born in 1938 in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, Waheeda Rehman trained in Bharatanatyam from childhood and made her acting debut with the Telugu film ‘Rojulu Marayi’ (1955). Spotted at the film’s success party by Guru Dutt, she was brought to Bombay and cast in ‘C.I.D.’ (1956). Her collaborations with Guru Dutt – ‘Pyaasa’ (1957), ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ (1959), ‘Chaudhvin Ka Chand’ (1960) and ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ (1962) – are part of the canon of world cinema. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award for the iconic ‘Guide’ (1965) opposite Dev Anand and again for ‘Neel Kamal’ (1968), and bagged the National Film Award for Best Actress for ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ (1971). Honoured with the Padma Shri (1972), Padma Bhushan (2011) and India’s highest cinema honour, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021, she remains one of the most accomplished actresses Hindi cinema has ever known.
3. Hema Malini
The ‘Dream Girl’ herself! Born in 1948 in Ammankudi near Tiruchirappalli into a Tamil Iyengar family, Hema Malini first appeared briefly as a dancer in the Tamil film ‘Idhu Sathiyam’ (1963) before being famously rejected by a South Indian director for being “too thin”. Bollywood saw it differently – she made her Hindi debut as a leading lady opposite Raj Kapoor in ‘Sapno Ka Saudagar’ (1968). The 1970s belonged to her, with ‘Johny Mera Naam’ (1970), ‘Andaz’ (1971), the Filmfare Best Actress-winning dual role in ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ (1972), ‘Sholay’ (1975) where she played the unforgettable Basanti, ‘Dream Girl’ (1977) and ‘Meera’ (1979). She continued well into the 2000s with ‘Baghban’ (2003) and ‘Veer-Zaara’ (2004). Hema Malini received the Padma Shri in 2000.
4. Rekha
Born Bhanurekha Ganesan in Madras in 1954 to legendary Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli, Rekha entered Bollywood as a teenager who could barely speak Hindi. Her Hindi debut came with ‘Sawan Bhadon’ (1970) opposite Navin Nischol. After a difficult initial phase – battling a thick accent, an unfamiliar industry and the unkind comments about her appearance – she reinvented herself entirely, learning Hindi, dance and the discipline of yoga. The result was a string of unforgettable performances: ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ (1978), ‘Mr Natwarlal’ (1979), ‘Khubsoorat’ (1980), ‘Silsila’ (1981) and most famously ‘Umrao Jaan’ (1981), for which she won the National Film Award for Best Actress. ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’ (1988) gave her another peak. Later, ‘Krrish’ (2006) introduced her to a new generation. She received the Padma Shri in 2010 and remains, even at 71, a total Bollywood icon.
5. Sridevi
Born in 1963 in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, Sridevi began her career at the age of four with the Tamil film ‘Kandhan Karunai’ (1967) and grew up in front of the camera across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema. Her Hindi debut as a lead came with ‘Solva Sawan’ (1979), a remake of her Tamil hit ‘16 Vayathinile’, but it was ‘Himmatwala’ (1983) that exploded her into the pan-India scene. What followed was a reign that defined an era – ‘Sadma’ (1983), ‘Tohfa’ (1984), ‘Nagina’ (1986), ‘Mr India’ (1987), ‘Chandni’ (1989), ‘Chaalbaaz’ (1989), ‘Lamhe’ (1991) and ‘Khuda Gawah’ (1992). Often called “India’s first female superstar,” she made a triumphant comeback with ‘English Vinglish’ (2012) after a 15-year hiatus and won the National Film Award for Best Actress posthumously for ‘Mom’ (2017). She received the Padma Shri in 2013 and her sudden death in February 2018 left an irreplaceable void.
6. Kamal Haasan
By the time Kamal Haasan made his Hindi debut, he had already done over a hundred films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. His Bollywood entry came with K Balachander’s ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ (1981), the Hindi remake of his own Telugu hit ‘Maro Charitra’. The film, in which his stilted Hindi was cleverly turned into a plot point, became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 1981 – second only to Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Laawaris’ – and made him the first South Indian male star to break through in Bollywood. He followed it with ‘Sadma’ (1983), ‘Saagar’ (1985, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor), ‘Appu Raja’ (1990), ‘Hindustani’ (1996) and the brilliantly inventive ‘Chachi 420’ (1997).
7. Nagarjuna
Telugu superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna, son of legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, made his Hindi debut with ‘Shiva’ (1990), the Hindi remake of his Ram Gopal Varma-directed Telugu blockbuster ‘Siva’ (1989). The film succeeded in Hindi and was followed by ‘Khuda Gawah’ (1992), where he shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi, the Mahesh Bhatt-directed bilingual ‘Criminal’ (1994), ‘Angaar’ and Mahesh Bhatt’s acclaimed ‘Zakhm’ (1998). After ‘LOC: Kargil’ (2003) he stayed largely away from Hindi cinema for nearly two decades before returning with a striking turn as Anish Shetty in Ayan Mukerji’s ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’ (2022) opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
8. Aishwarya Rai
Born in 1973 in Mangalore, Karnataka, into a Tulu-speaking Bunt family, Aishwarya Rai went on to become the most globally recognised face Indian cinema has ever produced. After winning Miss World in 1994, she made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film ‘Iruvar’ (1997) and her Hindi debut the same year with ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’. She won her first Filmfare Best Actress for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999) and a second for ‘Devdas’ (2002). The hits piled up – ‘Taal’ (1999), ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000), ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006), ‘Guru’ (2007), ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ (2008), ‘Guzaarish’ (2010), ‘Sarbjit’ (2016), ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ (2016) and Mani Ratnam’s two-part epic ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ (2022, 2023). She received the Padma Shri in 2009 and the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2012.
9. Vidya Balan
Born in Mumbai to a Tamil Iyer family with roots in Palakkad, Kerala, Vidya Balan struggled through years of shelved projects in Malayalam and Tamil cinema before her Bengali debut ‘Bhalo Theko’ (2003). Her Hindi debut, Pradeep Sarkar’s ‘Parineeta’ (2005), opposite Saif Ali Khan, won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She followed it with ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006), ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ (2007), ‘Paa’ (2009), ‘Ishqiya’ (2010), ‘No One Killed Jessica’ (2011), ‘Kahaani’ (2012) and her career-defining role as Tamil actress Silk Smitha in ‘The Dirty Picture’ (2011), which won her the National Film Award for Best Actress. Often credited with opening Bollywood up to women-led films, she received the Padma Shri in 2014.
10. Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone, who was born in 1986 in Copenhagen to Konkani-speaking Saraswat Brahmin parents from Mangalore, was raised in Bangalore. Her father is the legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone. After making her acting debut with the Kannada film ‘Aishwarya’ (2006), she shot to nationwide fame with Farah Khan’s ‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007) opposite Shah Rukh Khan, winning the Filmfare Best Female Debut. From ‘Cocktail’ (2012) onwards, she became one of the highest-paid actresses in the country with ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ (2013), ‘Chennai Express’ (2013), ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ (2013), ‘Bajirao Mastani’ (2015), ‘Piku’ (2015), ‘Padmaavat’ (2018), ‘Pathaan’ (2023), and the sci-fi epic ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ (2024).
11. R Madhavan
The Tamil-speaking actor known to fans simply as ‘Maddy’ rose to fame in Tamil cinema with Mani Ratnam’s ‘Alai Payuthey’ (2000) before making his Hindi debut as the leading man in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ (2001), a film that has only grown in cult stature with time. He moved into the Hindi mainstream with ‘Rang De Basanti’ (2006), Mani Ratnam’s ‘Guru’ (2007) and most memorably as Farhan Qureshi in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), which became the highest-grossing Indian film of its time. Then came ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ (2011) and its hit sequel ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ (2015), ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ (2022), which he also directed, and the chilling ‘Shaitaan’ (2024). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2026.
12. Dhanush
Tamil superstar Dhanush, born Venkatesh Prabhu in Chennai in 1983, made his Hindi film debut with Aanand L Rai’s ‘Raanjhanaa’ (2013) opposite Sonam Kapoor. He prepared for the role by undergoing Hindi diction training, and his portrayal of the obsessive Banarasi lover Kundan won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and a Best Actor nomination. He followed it with R Balki’s ‘Shamitabh’ (2015) opposite Amitabh Bachchan, the comedy ‘VIP 2’ (2017) opposite Kajol, Aanand L Rai’s ‘Atrangi Re’ (2021) opposite Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan, and most recently ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ (2025), again with Aanand L Rai. He has also crossed over to Hollywood with ‘The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir’ (2018) and ‘The Gray Man’ (2022).
13. Pooja Hegde
Born in Mumbai in 1990 to a Tulu-speaking Bunt family with roots in Udupi, Karnataka, Pooja Hegde began with the Tamil film ‘Mugamoodi’ (2012) and the Telugu ‘Oka Laila Kosam’ (2014). Her Bollywood debut came opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s period epic ‘Mohenjo Daro’ (2016). She became a Telugu superstar with ‘DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham’ (2017), ‘Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava’ (2018), ‘Maharshi’ (2019) and ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ (2020). In Hindi, she returned with ‘Housefull 4’ (2019), Rohit Shetty’s ‘Cirkus’ (2022) opposite Ranveer Singh and ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ (2023) opposite Salman Khan.
14. Rashmika Mandanna
Born in 1996 in Virajpet, Kodagu district of Karnataka, into a Kodava Hindu family, Rashmika Mandanna began with the Kannada hit ‘Kirik Party’ (2016). She broke through nationally with Telugu films like ‘Geetha Govindam’ (2018), ‘Dear Comrade’ (2019) and the pan-India phenomenon ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ (2021), where her song ‘Saami Saami’ became a cultural moment. Her Bollywood debut came with Vikas Bahl’s ‘Goodbye’ (2022) opposite Amitabh Bachchan, followed swiftly by the Netflix release ‘Mission Majnu’ (2023) opposite Sidharth Malhotra, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s blockbuster ‘Animal’ (2023) opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Laxman Utekar’s record-breaking ‘Chhaava’ (2025) opposite Vicky Kaushal, in which she played Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale. She then went on to star opposite Salman Khan in ‘Sikandar’ and alongside Ayushmann Khurrana in ‘Thamma’.
15. Jr NTR
The most recent and possibly biggest Telugu crossover. Grandson of NT Rama Rao and one of Tollywood’s reigning superstars, NT Rama Rao Jr – globally known to ‘RRR’ fans as the Golden Globe-winning face of Komaram Bheem – made his much-awaited Hindi debut with Ayan Mukerji’s ‘War 2’ (2025) opposite Hrithik Roshan in the YRF Spy Universe. While reviews of the film were mixed, Jr NTR’s arrival in mainstream Hindi cinema marked another significant moment in the steady, decades-long migration of South Indian talent into Bollywood – a migration whose latest chapter, fittingly, is being written by Sai Pallavi.
16. Nayanthara
She was born as Diana Mariam Kurian to Malayali Syrian Christian parents, Kurian Kodiyattu and Omana Kurian, in Bengaluru on November 18, 1984. Known universally across the South as the ‘Lady Superstar’, Nayanthara held off on a Bollywood debut for nearly two decades, choosing to dominate Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema instead. When she finally made her move, it was nothing short of a cinematic earthquake. She debuted opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Atlee's Hindi directorial debut ‘Jawan’ (2023). Playing Narmada, a tough, no-nonsense counter-terrorism officer, Nayanthara brought a grounded maturity and fierce screen presence. ‘Jawan’ went on to become an all-time blockbuster, grossing over Rs 1,100 crore worldwide. She is now set to star opposite Salman Khan in an untitled film.
17. Asin Thottumkal
Asin Thottumkal’s Bollywood arc was brief, but it hit hard and fast. After already becoming a major star in Tamil and Telugu cinema, she made her Hindi debut with ‘Ghajini’ in 2008, reprising the role she had played in the Tamil original. The Aamir Khan starrer became a box-office landmark and instantly made her a recognisable Hindi-film face. She followed that with popular commercial titles like ‘Ready’, ‘Housefull 2’, ‘Bol Bachchan’ and ‘Khiladi 786’. Asin did not spend decades in Bollywood, but she still managed the rare feat of arriving, connecting and leaving a mark very quickly.
Honourable Mentions
Rajinikanth: You may be wondering why we didn’t mention Rajinikanth earlier. That’s because he isn’t South Indian. He was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad in 1950 to a Marathi-speaking family, but Rajinikanth’s entire life and career have been rooted in Tamil cinema. He made his Hindi debut in 1983 with ‘Andhaa Kaanoon’ opposite Amitabh Bachchan, a film that paired the two superstars who would form a lifelong friendship. Rajinikanth went on to do Hindi films like ‘Meri Adalat’ (1984), ‘John Jani Janardhan’ (1984), ‘Geraftaar’ (1985), ‘Bhagwaan Dada’ (1986), ‘Chaalbaaz’ (1989) opposite Sridevi and ‘Hum’ (1991) once again with Amitabh Bachchan. While he eventually returned to Tamil cinema to deliver landmarks like ‘Baashha’, ‘Padayappa’, ‘Enthiran’ and ‘Jailer’, his Hindi outings remain memorable in their own right. His crossover appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Ra.One’ (2011) was a fan-service moment for the ages.
Prabhas: The actor deserves an honourable mention because his relationship with Bollywood is slightly different from the others here. He has not built a long conventional Hindi-film career, but he has had a genuine Hindi-film presence beyond ‘Adipurush’ (2023). ‘Saaho’ was filmed simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi and is widely described as his Hindi cinema debut, while ‘Radhe Shyam’ also had a Hindi-shot version. More importantly, films like ‘Baahubali’, ‘Salaar’ and ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ made him a giant Hindi-market star even when the films were not Bollywood productions. He may not belong to Bollywood in the same way as Rekha or Sridevi, but his Hindi impact is impossible to deny. For the unversed, Prabhas was born in 1979 in Madras into a Telugu film family.
However, true Prabhas fans will fondly remember his first Hindi-film appearance – a surprise, high-energy cameo alongside Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha in the song ‘Punjabi Mast’ from Prabhu Deva’s ‘Action Jackson’ (2014).
