With regional cinema gaining prominence for its powerful story and cultural depth, many Bollywood actors are stepping beyond Hindi films to embrace the roles that celebrate various languages, traditions and emotions.
From Gujarati to Telugu, these stars have entered the new cinematic regions – left a permanent mark.
Jackie Shroff – Ventilator (Gujarati): Jackie Shroff, known as “Bhidu”, proudly proud of her Gujarati heritage in the remake of the Marathi film ventilator. Playing the lead with Pratik Gandhi, Jackie brought authenticity and heart in his role. Coming from a Gujarati family in Mumbai, he expressed great pride in performing in his mother tongue, making the project deeply individual as well as artistic.
Alia Bhatt-RRR (Telugu): Celebrated for films like Alia Bhatt, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Highway and Raazi, started Telugu with SS Rajamouli’s Oscar winning epic RRR. As Sita, the role of Alia, the fiancé of Ram Charan’s character, was relatively brief, but was filled with grace and emotional depth. Even in a film dominated by grand action and spectacle, his performance stood out and left an impression.
Kangana Ranaut-Thalaiva (Tamil, Telugu, Hindi): Kangana Ranaut, known for her fearless role, started her South Cinema with Thalaiva-iconic actress-Raja-Rajneeta J. A biographical drama on Jayalalith’s life. Directed by Al Vijay and filmed in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, Bhumika demanded that Kangana symbolize both the charisma and political power of her subject. Initially, he later revealed that the story echoed with his own journey, making it one of his most important performances.
Shah Rukh Khan-Hey Ram (Tamil): A discussion became long before the word “Pan-India”, Shah Rukh Khan appeared in Kamal Haasan’s O Ram, which is a bilingual film released in Tamil and Hindi. His cameo was a labor of love – he allegedly refused to charge a fee, purely out of passion for his meaningful story. The film is now considered a classic, and SRK later acquired its remake rights, showing how deeply it resonates with him.
Amitabh Bachchan – Fakt Mahilao Maate (Gujarati): Shahcheshah of Bollywood made a poignant start in Gujarati cinema with Fakat Mahano Matte. More than lending his voice, Amitabh Bachchan provided a special appearance at an important point in the story, in which the main character, which impressed the journey of Chinton (starred by Yash Soni). The film became a blockbuster and later released in Hindi as an unfolded woman on Shemrom. Once again, Big B proved that the language is not an obstacle to the inspirational audience. (All image: special arrangements)
Published on: 11 August 2025 03:47 pm (IST)
