Since the late 2000s, there have been a good number of Telugu talents who have flourished in Tamil cinema. From Swathi Reddy to Anjali to Anandhi recently and others like Vaibhav, Aadhi Pinisetty, Tamil cinema has been integral to the career progress of many Telugu-speaking actors. Now, it looks like the reversal of a similar trend is happening in Telugu cinema.
We all know how Vijay Sethupathi enjoyed popularity among Telugu people even before the release of his first direct Telugu film Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. While the actor’s dubbed version of Pizza was a reasonable success in Telugu too, Sethupathi’s popularity skyrocketed after Super Deluxe. The timing of Master and the director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s superb characterisation of Bhavani, the part played by the actor contributed to his fame. Uppena was just the icing on the cake for the actor and there’s no stopping him now. Sethupathi has his calendar full but is in talks to sign Jr NTR’s film with Trivikram next.
Equally surprising is the growth of Samuthirakani in Telugu cinema. The director only happened to act by chance in Tamil but it changed the direction of his career overnight and now, his presence is a must in every second film made in Tamil cinema. The director-turned-actor has shown great skill in lending a distinction to each of his portrayals and it was Alaa Vaikunthapuramulo that turned the tide for him in Telugu. Krack was a major boost to his Telugu cinema prospects. He’s currently shooting for Aham Brahmasmi and things are only expected to get better with his appearance in Rajamouli’s RRR later this year.
Varalakshmi Sarathkumar hasn’t taken the conventional heroine approach from her very first film Poda Podi. Just when many wrote her off, she reinvented herself as a character artiste and a villain with intelligent choices like Sarkaar, Vikram Vedha, Pandem Kodi 2. In Telugu, though she made her debut with Tenali Ramakrishna BABL, audiences saw the fiery performer in her with Krack and now the recently released Naandhi, where she played an advocate.
Someone like Sai Pallavi needs no introduction at all. The Coimbatore-girl, despite making her debut with the Malayalam film Premam, found her footing in Telugu cinema with films like Fidaa and MCA. Though commercial success has eluded her recently, no one has ever doubted the potential of the actress. 2021 promises to be a big year for her in Telugu, with films like Love Story, the untitled Ayyappanum Koshiyum remake, Virata Parvam and Shyam Singha Roy.
Madurai-born Nivetha Pethuraj, though not as illustrious or popular as the aforementioned examples, has had a reasonably good start to her Telugu career with Mental Madhilo alongside Sree Vishnu. The actress has tasted consecutive hits in the form of Chitralahari, Brochevarevura, Ala Vaikunthapuramulo and the 2021 Sankranti release Red. She has a film with director Chandoo Mondeti, Paagal opposite Vishwak Sen in addition to Virata Parvam.