Is regional cinema to Bollywood an easy route? Taapsee Pannu, Rakul Preet, Tamannaah Bhatia open up about their transition tales

Many actors who came to Bollywood after doing a sizeable amount of work in regional film industries feel that one is expected to start from scratch even if they have been successful elsewhere.

In a recent interview with HT, actor Taapsee Pannu opened up about her experience when she transitioned from the South films to Bollywood in 2013, and said that she was given the “south ki heroine” tag.

ActorTamannaah Bhatia, who has starred in Tamil and Telugu films before shifting base to Mumbai, feel there should be no demarcations. (PHOTO: Viral Bhayani)

“I was treated like a newcomer and made to feel like a struggler. Despite the fact that I had already done 10 films in South and I was a successful name there, I had to start from the scratch in Bollywood,” she revealed.

While the ongoing debate about insiders vs outsiders in Bollywood is raging on, Pannu’s statement added a different perspective to it. While many have spoken up about the prejudices and hurdles, people coming from a non-film background, face in Bollywood, what happens to actors, who switch to Hindi films after doing a sizable amount of work in a regional film industry, say Punjabi, Bengali, Bhojpuri or the south film industries?

Tamannaah Bhatia, who has starred in Tamil and Telugu films before shifting base to Mumbai, feel there should be no demarcations.

“There’s always resistance initially but if you position yourself correctly, the transition can be smooth. Luckily, today, audiences are more evolved and are open to the idea of variety because of the advent of the OTT platforms in India,” she says.

A popular face in the Bengali films and TV, actor Swastika Mukherjee feels that prejudices exists mostly when it comes to actors who come from east. “People behave as if we don’t exist. You aren’t recognised, even if we’ve received recognitions and even National Awards. I’ve been to several auditions and this has been the usual reaction. I think they sometimes forget that east is a huge market for Hindi films,” says the Paatal Lok actor, who is seen in the recent film, Dil Bechara.

Many regional actors feel that one shouldn’t really rely on their star status and expect the same treatment elsewhere.

Sharing her transition story, actor Rakul Preet Singh had told us, “ Your stardom matters to you only if you take it in a wrong way in your head. I don’t know Bhojpuri or Bengali actors, so I can’t expect people in Bollywood to know me as well. I know I’ve to explain people that I’ve already done 18 films down South. I’ve to work from scratch here and that’s all right.”

Baahubali actor, Bhatia, echoes a similar sentiment and feels there’s nothing wrong in starting from scratch even when you’re an established name from another industry. “You need to build a connect with the audience first before just thrusting your repertoire down their throats. Even if you have done 50 good films, you’re as good as your last film,” she opines.

Language is another factor that regional actors feel becomes a hurdle when they try their luck in Hindi films.

For Malayalam actor Tony Luke, who made his Bollywood debut with Badla(2019), the transition wasn’t as much a hassle as was the challenge of mastering the Hindi language.

“It’s a lot better now than it was ten years back, to work in Mumbai. All these ongoing discussions and debates are for the good because it’s going to change the industry in a positive way, and for everybody. The turmoil, pain and suffering will only bring a good change. It’s actually opening up a way for people from outside,” points Luke.

While Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan has no sob story to share about his journey in Bollywood, he admits that there’s a bit of a difference you notice when you transition.

“When you come from the so-called Hindi belt, there’s a bit of attitude change, but I’ve done films in all languages in the country. I don’t look at films like that. In my life, I’ve had no nobody who supported me. I supported myself to survive in Mumbai. I continued staying here as I wanted to act. I’m proud that I brought the Bhojpuri film industry to the forefront,” says the actor-politician.

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