Tollywood lures Kollywood

Look’s like Tollywood has won over the hearts of Tamil film-makers, as Gautham Menon and Mani Ratnam’s next films will feature Telugu actors. Mani’s next stars actor Mahesh Babu, while Gautham has chosen actor Ram Pothineni for his film.

Coincidentally, both these films have been a closely-guarded secret from the media.

While the film-makers  have chosen to remain silent about their upcoming ventures, the actors have disclosed about being a part of these  projects. Mani’s next film, which is rumoured to be a period drama based on the magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, will see Mahesh in a pivotal role. “My dream is finally coming true. I will be working in a Mani Ratnam film. It’s one of the happiest times of my life,” says Mahesh.

Coincidentally, Villain, the Telugu dubbed version of Ravanan, was the most successful film last year, for Mani. His movies also have consistently gained good collections, when dubbed in Telugu. Rumours suggest that Mani may now  work on a Telugu version of his film.

Gautham, too has been witnessing a great run in Andhra recently. The remake of his Tamil film Vinnaithandi Varuvaayaa into the Telugu  version Yee Maaya Chesave, has won the hearts of Tollywood audiences worldwide. And Gautham, who promotes young talent, has zeroed in on Ram, this time. The actor, who is very excited with the opportunity, remarks, “Gautham is one of the best directors we have now.”

Tollywood has always remained India’s most lucrative industry. No wonder then, actors from every industry try their luck at Telugu films periodically. And when Bollywood actors such as Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone look at Hyderabad as a stopover for a quick buck, why shouldn’t Tamil film-makers do the same?