When comedian Brahmanandam was roped in by Kamal Haasan to be a part of Sabaash Naidu, everyone was baffled. It was a similar scenario when Mohanlal and Unni Mukundan were cast for key roles in Jr NTR’s Janatha Garage. But that’s not it, Jr NTR went ahead and crooned Geleya Geleya for Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar’s Chakravyuha.
But this happened way after Karthi decided to star in the Telugu film Oopiri (which was also simultaneously made in Tamil). And even today, we have Shiva Rajkumar set to venture into Tollywood with Gautamiputra Satakarni, while Sarathkumar is set to be seen in Bellamkonda Sreenivas’.
Jagapathi Babu, too, is making waves across the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. All these happen when Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun are set to make their Tamil debuts.
Well, this is the latest trend across the South Indian film industry which is witnessing an interesting bonhomie like never before. While actresses have been doing this for long, the rest of the industry is following them now.
Breaking linguistic barriers, crossing over borders and daring to take a risk, actors are willing to take various routes to experiment with new markets. Even technicians are slowly embracing the necessity for juggling between industries.
While Gopi Sundar and Ghibran have become names to reckon with in T-town, Anirudh is set to debut here soon. Thaman has been a favourite across the south.
“The industries might be different but sensibilities are same and music doesn’t really have language!” says Thaman. Interestingly, he pushed Jr. NTR to sing in Kannada and Dhanush in Telugu. “Presence of stars can be a value addition to the popularity of a song, especially if they sing well,” he explains.
Music may have no language, but acting sure does and directors still pick actors who do not understand the language at all. Elaborating on why Mohanlal was picked for Janatha Garage, director Koratala Siva says, “I feel that a new name not only brings freshness but also makes a character intriguing. It’s a value addition to the product.”
Are there benefits of this kind of exchange? “Yes, for actors who crave for variety, a chance to move to new arenas is exciting,” says actor Ravi Varma, who’s soon debuting in Tamil with the remake of Kshanam.
Prabhakar, Vamsi Krishna, Charandeep Surneni are others who’ve found opportunities in other industries. An actor reveals, “They say pakkinti pulla kura ruche ekkuva in Telugu. Like that, people love imports. Maybe that’s why people don’t give us the value we get outside where the roles are brilliant. Moreover, here we mostly have big films where we get menial roles. I’d rather play a full-fledged role in a small film than settle for a small role.”
People ask why films can’t be dubbed for the same reach and Mohanlal explains: “It’s important to consider the costs involved in such processes. We may dub a Malayalam film in Telugu but the local audiences will find the nativity missing. Moreover, each region’s cinema has a unique flavour. The increasing exchange of talent gives a chance to experience other industries,” he says.
DOP Tirru, who ventured into Telugu cinema with Janatha Garage shares, “In a creative field, we always want to try new things. But here the only difference is the industries; work doesn’t change.”
A leading producer points out, “If you observe, slowly but steadily, the borders in films are becoming lighter. Yes, there are local favourites, no doubt, but the audience is supportive and open to new names and ideas. Look at Arvind Swamy for example. We may soon have a South Cinema as opposed to regional cinema.”
As Henry Ford said, “Coming together is the beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Touché.
