There were days when most Hindi film stars even failed to recognise the difference between the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam industries. For them, everyone was a 'Madrasi.' Ironically, this broad identification of actors from the South that overlooked all differences between Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Kerala and Karnataka is fast coming true. And how! They've become one big family now. Watch out Bollywood, the Super South industry has arrived.
Dubbing movies in all four languages and releasing them in all Southern states has become the biggest trend. The NTR-starrer "Shakti" released as "Om Shakti" in Tamil while "Magadheera" is now "Maaveeran." in in Tamil theatres. Ditto with Nagarjuna's "Ragada" which became "Vambu" in Tamil Nadu, while Nani's ready to release, "Veppam" in Tamil is "Sega" in Telugu. Nagarjuna's "Gaganam" became "Payanam." Siddharth's "180" will release in Telugu and Tamil at the same time. If sources are to be believed, the dubbing rights of Allu Arjun's " Badrinath" were sold for a staggering price to the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. The actor, known as "Mallu Arjun" has already cemented his superstar status in the state. Ram's next with Gautham Menon is a bi-lingual.
Kannada industry's Puneet Rajkumar-starrer "Jackie" is being dubbed in Telugu. Kannada star Upendra too is now shuttling between Bengaluru and Hyderabad to release his films here. Sandalwood's hunk Sudeep has become a hot favorite here after "Raktha Charitra" and is acting in S S Rajamouli's "Eega."
Malayalam star Prithviraj released his "Robinhood" as "ATM" in Telugu while Tamil star Vishal Reddy's "Avan Ivan" is "Vaadu Veedu" in Telugu. Tamil blockbuster "Ko" released as "Rangam" in Telugu, while Tamil superstar Vijay's "Vettaikaran" hit the screens as "Puliveta" in AP.
The actresses in the industry are the true South superstars. These queen bees don't distinctly belong to any industry. All the heroes romance the same set of leading ladies, be it Kajal Agarwal, Tamannaah, Illeana, Hansika, Shriya or Trisha.
One Big Family
Stars who are eyeing markets in all the states down South are creating a formidable brand of South cinema. All these four languages put together make over 500 films a year which is more than double the number of movies produced by Bollywood. Stories, directors, technicians, choreographers are swapped on a regular basis, making Brand South all the more united. Music directors too are not far behind. Devi Sri Prasad from Telugu industry is popular in the Tamil film industry, while Yuvan Shankar Raja and S S Thaman from Tamil Nadu are a big hit here.
The movie market has never been bigger for the film fraternity down South "I can try any role in Tamil, breaking free from the comedy image I have here," says Allari Naresh whose next is a tri-lingual that is being shot in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada
Actress Bindu Madhavi who is shuttling between AVM studios in Chennai and Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad for shoots says this trend is a by-product of necessity. "We have become a united South industry because everyone wants to make profits. With such high budgets for each film, no one wants to take chances or miss the opportunity of releasing their films in two or more languages," says Bindu.
Bigger And Better
South Indian cinema collaterally makes over 500 films every year.
Increase in film budgets have made bi-linguals and tri-linguals viable options.
Stars who work well in more than one industry have erased boundaries of language.
A new breed of Southern audience are watching movies in all South Indian languages.
Every South hero has organised fan associations across many states.
Swapping stars,music directors and scripts has brought in a multi-cultural flavour,impressing even B-town into buying South film rights.
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