The Bollywood lure

For many years, Bollywood has�cast a magical charm on Tamil actors and technicians. After a�phase of establishing themselves in�Tamil and earning a wide fan base, Tamil actors and technicians get ready to�migrate to the Mecca called Bollywood.

In fact, Tamil actors have been popular in Hindi movies when the Travancore sisters ruled Tamil Nadu and also drove the Hindi-speaking population crazy, When Hema Malini and Sridevi were the toast of Bollywood, when Kamal Haasan’s films such as Ek Duuje Ke liye and Sadma became blockbusters and Rajni’s action films like Andha Kanoon became great successes. Since then, the trend has become slightly subdued and we see a number of North Indian beauties casting their charms in South Indian films. Among today's actors, Arjun and Shaam are gearing up for their Bollywood debuts. Currently, actor Suriya too has moved to Bollywood; he is shooting for Mani�Ratnam's�Ravan and�Ram Gopal Verma’s Raktha Charithra.

Not only heroes, Bollywood has welcomed�Tamil heroines too. Sridevi is still a dream girl in Hindi. There is a wide fan following for her dance and performance there. Asin, who acted alongside Aamir Khan in the Hindi remake of Ghajini, has not returned�to Kollywood yet. Sada is also busy signing up some Hindi movies.

For Bollywood actors too, Kollywood has been a challenging ground to prove their potential. The stars and technicians in the Tamil industry and their creativity, the depth in the movie themes conceived and presented by them, the scope and recognition for true talent among Tamil audiences are some of the reasons for the appeal.

Well, the mutual attraction has been working well for both the industries. Let us hope it continues unabated.