From Vidya Balan to Nayanthara: Six South Indian starlets making it big in Bollywood

Bollywood is one of the most competitive industries among all the Indian film fraternities. From nepotism to the influence of the affluent, Bollywood is such a place it is quite difficult for an outsider to enter and survive. 

However, there are some South Indian beauties who have made it big in Bollywood. 

International Business Times, India edition, presents you with the list of five Bollywood starlets who made their presence felt in Bollywood. 

Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is widely considered one of the most talented actresses in modern-day Bollywood. However, it was Mollywood director Lohithadas who initially considered Vidya Balan to play the lead role in the film Chakram, alongside Mohanlal. However, the film was shelved, and it became a turning point in her career, as she started her journey to Bollywood after this development.

Even though born in Mumbai, Balan has a strong South Indian connection. She hails from a Tamil Brahmin family, in one of her interviews, Balan had revealed that she used to speak a mix of Tamil and Malayalam in her house. 

After debuting in Bollywood, Vidya Balan immortalized several characters in movies including Parineeta, Salaam E-Ishq, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Paa, and The Dirty Picture. 

Balan was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2014.

Tabu

Touted to be one of the most accomplished actors in Indian cinema, Tabu is known for her works,  both in mainstream and independent movies. Born to a Hyderabadi-Muslim family, Tabu's notable performance came in 1992 in the movie Pehla Pehla Pyaar. 

Tabu became a sensation in South India after the release of Kadhal Desam in 1996. Directed by Shankar, the film featured Vineeth and Abbas in the lead roles. The film had music composed by Mozart of Madras AR Rahman. 

Later, she appeared in several noted South Indian flicks including Kaalapani with Mohanlal, Ninne Pelladata with Nagarjuna, and Cover Story with Suresh Gopi. Throughout her career, Tabu has been maintaining her stardom in both Bollywood and South India, and she still enjoys a huge nationwide fan following. 

Tabu won two National Awards for her roles in Maachis and Chandni Bar in 1997 and 2003 respectively. 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, maybe now the adorable daughter-in-law of India's most respected celebrity family. But she was once the most adorable starlet down south and has appeared in some noteworthy films made in Tamil.

Aishwarya Rai was born in a Tulu-speaking Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka. After winning the Miss World title in 1994, legendary filmmaker Maniratnam roped her to play the lead role in the Tamil movie Iruvar, which featured Mohanlal in the lead role. 

The success of Iruvar gave a huge boost to her career, and she soon got the doors of Bollywood open with the movie Aur Pyar Hogaya. 

Later, leading a busy schedule in Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai found time to act in Tamil movies like Jeans, Ravanan, Kandu Kondain Kandu Kondain, and Enthiran. 

Rekha

Touted to be one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Rekha made her acting debut with Rajkumar in the Kannada film 'Operation Jackpot Nalli CID 999.'

Rekha is the daughter of renowned actor Gemini Ganeshan and was born in Chennai. She is a highly talented dancer and she has portrayed her skills in most of her movies. 

Rekha has won National Award for Best Film Actress and in 2010 Rekha was bestowed Padma Shri by the Indian government. 

Asin

Asin who hails from Kerala made her debut with the Malayalam movie Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka, which starred Kunchacko Boban in the lead role. After this movie, she started acting in Tamil movies, and her performance in the movie Ghajini made her a sensation in South India.

When Ghajini was remade in Bollywood, she reprised her role, while Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan played the lead role. 

At the peak of her career, Asin bid farewell to the entertainment industry, after she married Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in January 2016. 

Nayanthara

Touted to be the highest-paid actress in India now, Nayanthara was born to a common Malayali family. She made his acting debut in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare in 2003.

Popularly called the Lady Superstar of Indian Cinema, she has appeared in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. 

Nayanthara's first Bollywood movie Jawan is currently in its making stage, and it features none other than Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role.