Apr 17, 2026 5:39pm IST
From Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan to Prabhas, Jr NTR: South Actors’ Bollywood Debuts and Their Box-Office Performances
In the past decade, the “Baahubali” franchise paved the way for stars from South India to make inroads into the Hindi film market, blurring the north-south divide. While several actors from Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood and Sandalwood have done films in Bollywood in recent years, Kamal Haasan was the first actor from the south to enter Bollywood and make an impact.
Among the South Indian actors who made their Bollywood debuts after delivering pan-India hits, few have managed to draw in the crowds. Here’s a list of South stars and the movies that opened their Bollywood innings:
Kamal Haasan: ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ (1981)
The romantic drama was the remake of director K. Balachander’s Telugu film “Maro Charitra” (also starring Kamal Haasan). The film was one of the highest-grossing films during its release, collecting ₹5 crore at the box office. It also featured Rati Agnihotri, Rakesh Bedi and Madhavi.
Rajinikanth: ‘Andhaa Kanoon’ (1983)
The revenge actioner, which marked the Bollywood debut of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, was the remake of the Tamil film “Sattam Oru Iruttarai” (also starring Rajinikanth). Directed by T. Rama Rao, it was a commercial success with a collection of ₹4.5 crore. It also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Reena Roy.
Chiranjeevi: ‘Pratibandh’ (1990)
The megastar of Tollywood, Chiranjeevi, made his Hindi debut with 1990’s “Pratibandh.” The actioner, co-starring Juhi Chawla and Rami Reddy, was the remake of the 1989 Telugu film “Ankusam.” It was a box-office success with a collection of ₹3.44 crore.
Nagarjuna: ‘Shiva’ (1990)
Ram Gopal Varma’s “Shiva” was the remake of his own 1989 Telugu movie “Siva” and the lead stars, including Nagarjuna, Amala and Raghuvaran, reprised their roles. It turned out to be a surprise hit at the ticket windows with a collection of ₹2.43 crore.
Mammootty: ‘Dhartiputra’ (1993)
Mammuka’s Bollywood debut, “Dhartiputra,” co-starred Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Prada in prominent roles. The movie was a decent success during its theatrical run, with a business of ₹3.65 crore.
Venkatesh: ‘Anari’ (1993)
The remake of the 1991 Tamil film “Chinna Thambi” was a box-office blockbuster, with a collection of ₹6 crore. Apart from Venkatesh, the movie also featured Karisma Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Suresh Oberoi.
R Madhavan: ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ (2001)
The romantic musical drama was the official remake of director Gautham Vasudev Menon’s own film “Minnale” (also starring R Madhavan). While the film earned ₹5.36 crore during its release, over the years, it became a ‘cult classic’ and later earned ₹3.50 crore during its re-release in 2024.
Mohanlal: ‘Company’ (2002)
The legendary Malayalam star made his Bollywood debut with a pivotal role in Ajay Devgn and Vivek Oberoi-starrer “Company.” Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the crime drama, which is considered to be one of the best Hindi gangster films, emerged as a box office hit with a business of ₹13.65 crore.
Kiccha Sudeepa: ‘Phoonk’ (2008)
The Kannada star made his Hindi debut as a lead star in Ram Gopal Varma’s supernatural thriller. It emerged as a sleeper hit at the box office by raking in ₹9.65 crore against a modest budget of ₹3 crore. It also starred Amruta Khanvilkar and Ahsaas Channa.
Suriya: ‘Rakhta Charitra 2’ (2010)
The “Singam” actor made his Bollywood debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s high-violence political drama. Unlike its predecessor, the sequel failed to attract the audience and raked in ₹2.50 crore during its theatrical run.
Rana Daggubati: ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ (2011)
The Rohan Sippy-directed action-thriller marked the Hindi debut of Rana Daggubati. Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu, the film was a disappointment at the box office with a collection of ₹31.74 crore.
Prithviraj Sukumaran: ‘Aiyyaa’ (2012)
The Malayalam actor entered Bollywood with Rani Mukerji’s “Aiyaa.” While the rom-com was praised for its unconventional storyline, it failed to garner footfalls, emerging as a flop with a collection of ₹6.63 crore.
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Dhanush: ‘Raanjhanaa’ (2013)
The versatile star of Kollywood, Dhanush, made a smashing Bollywood debut with “Raanjhanaa.” The Aanand L Rai-directorial turned out to be a surprise success with a collection of ₹60.22 crore. The romantic drama also featured Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhaskar. It has attained the status of a ‘cult classic’ among the modern audience.
Ram Charan: ‘Zanjeer’ (2013)
Ram Charan made his Bollywood debut with a remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s 1973 cult classic movie of the same name. The film, which was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, was a box office disaster with a collection of ₹15.01 crore. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, it also had Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Prakash Raj.
Dulquer Salmaan: ‘Karwaan’ (2018)
The heartthrob of the Malayalam industry made his Bollywood debut with Akarsh Khurana-directorial “Karwaan.” The heartwarming movie was an average affair with a box-office collection of 26.50 crore against a budget of ₹20 crore. The movie also featured Irrfan and Mithila Palkar.
Prabhas: ‘Saaho’ (2019)
After delivering global blockbusters with “Baahubali” and “Baahubali 2,” Prabhas made his Bollywood debut with bilingual (Hindi and Telugu) action-thriller “Saaho.” The Sujeeth-directorial also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Chunky Panday, Jackie Shroff, Arun Vijay, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Lal, Tinnu Anand, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Mandira Bedi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Evelyn Sharma, Devan and Prakash Belawadi. While the Hindi version was a decent success, Telugu was underwhelming. The pan-India collection of the film was ₹310.60 crore.
Vijay Deverakonda: ‘Liger’ (2022)
Vijay Deverakonda, who became a household name after his performances in Telugu films “Arjun Reddy” and “Geetha Govindam,” made his Bollywood debut with “Liger.” The bilingual (Hindi and Telugu) sports actioner was a huge flop with a business of ₹41.17 crore against a budget of 125 crore.
Jr NTR: ‘War 2’ (2025)
The action-thriller marked the Bollywood debut of Jr NTR after his films “RRR” and “Devara.” While expectations from the mega-budget thriller were sky-high, it performed miserably at the box office due to its poor content. Against a budget of approximately over ₹350 crore, it raked in ₹236.55 crore at the ticket windows. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, “War 2” also featured Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani in lead roles.
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