Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author Ann Handley who is also a pioneer in digital marketing, quotes that, ‘Good content isn’t about story-telling but telling a true story well.’ This seems so true and some of the Pan-India films originated from the south, that went on to be blockbusters recently, are a testament to that.
For example, let’s take RRR, which has turned out to be the biggest grosser. The story isn’t something we’ve not seen before, but it’s SS Rajamouli’s vision and how he decided to tell this story that mattered. The way some of these films have been presented is so impressive that they’ve surpassed Hindi cinema even, in some ways. Be it Baahubali, KGF, Pushpa: The Rise, or RRR – the grandeur, magic, narrative, visual effects and scale of these films has been extra-ordinaire and that perhaps made them such an integral part of the Indian pop culture. With that, there are some actors from the south, whose popularity has hit the sky and they’ve emerged as the biggest superstars of the country.
Let’s quickly take a look at some of these south actors who are now a big brand as they’ve become Pan-India stars!
Allu Arjun
Pushpa: The Rise emerged to be the much-needed rain showers which farmers await during a drought. When the business had hit rock bottom in the middle of the pandemic, it was Pushpa which brought in huge footfalls and money back to the business. It’s not just the money part of it, but the film emerged into the pop culture with everyone mouthing Allu Arjun’s dialogues from the film and his signature style. Arjun’s charm was hard to resist and his larger-than-life screen presence has converted almost all of India into his fan!
Prabhas
Prabhas has become a household name ever since Baahubali and its sequel were released. It has proven to be a major game changer when it came to blurring the lines between Hindi cinema and the south industry. The film and Prabhas’ stardom haven’t gotten unnoticed which explains why, many more films began to follow suit. This whole phenomenon started with none other than this magnum opus. Prabhas will be seen next in Adipurush after getting much appreciated for Radhe Shyam.
Ramcharan
With RRR, Ramcharan’s stardom has gone to the next level and it’s not surprising because the actor was so good in this Rajamouli biggie. The actor’s on-screen presence and aura straight away sunk deep in our hearts and it’s not something I would get over soon. From being a strong police officer on the outside while portraying the vulnerability through his eyes, Ramcharan pulled this off with so much grace that I’m a fan now! On the other hand, Jr NTR’s performance was also equally top-notch and not something we get to experience often as a movie-going audience. I can’t wait to see more of these actors on-screen.
Yash
With KGF, Yash reminded us of the ‘Angry Young Man’ of Hindi cinema from the 70s. Yash has made a name for himself amongst even the Hindi audiences and his larger-than-life on-screen aura has won hearts. He’s certainly become one name to look forward to. Which explains why, there’s immense anticipation for KGF Chapter 2 and the response to the trailer has been phenomenal.
Rashmika Mandanna
Rashmika Mandanna is referred to as the national crush, so what more can one even say about the actress? Her Sami Sami act from Pushpa to her south movies like Geetha Govindham being appreciated all over, Rashmika’s fan-following is huge. She’s set to make her Hindi film debut with Mission Majnu, followed by Goodbye with Amitabh Bachchan and one certainly looks forward to that.
Vijay Deverakonda
While he is set to make his Bollywood debut with Liger which is shot simultaneously in Telegu and Hindi, Vijay Deverakonda rose to stardom with films like Arjun Reddy and Geetha Govindam. He already enjoys a Pan-India popularity now and that’s evident from the fact that even before Liger hits the screens, his next project JGM (Jana Gana Mana) with Puri Jagannadh has been announced and it will release in five languages.
These actors certainly have all the shine and mettle that stars are made of and they surely are leaving the audiences in a frenzy. I’m so looking forward to seeing more of these actors on the big-screen!