Charme upset with rumours of her being dropped from Zilla Ghaziabad

By Subhash K. Jha -

August 10, 2011 - 12:00 AM IST

Charme upset with rumours of her being dropped from Zilla Ghaziabad

The Southern Invasion has started all over again. After Vyjanthimala, Padmini, Hema Malini, Sridevi and Jaya Prada there was a lull of sorts as far as South Indian heroines in Bollywood went... until Asin. Her debut opposite Aamir Khan in Ghajini was followed by stories of how arrogantly dismissive she was of most Hindi projects. Now with another blockbuster Ready to her credit, she is back in the reckoning...the first among several Southern heroines who are on their way.

The talented Trisha fell short of expectations in Priyadarshan's Khatta Meetha. Maybe not her fault as she was completely miscast as a district collector trying to bring Akshay Kumar to task. Priya Mani in Raavan was noticed. But not enough to make a place next to her cousin Vidya Balan in Bollywood.

Kajal Aggarwal lately made her high-profile debut in Singham. But like many of the other Southern swapna sundaris, she has big banners and heroes backing her in Bollywood. Ditto Ileana D'Cruz who has bagged a plum assignment opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Anurag Basu's Barfee.

Next in line is Tamil actress Tapasee, who makes her Hindi debut in David Dhawan's Chashme Buddoor. Anushka Shetty from the Telugu blockbuster Arundhati, would have been seen opposite Ajay Devgn in Singham if she hadn't been beaten to the role by Kajal Aggarwal.

Oh yes, these South Indian girls are fiercely competitive.

A strange story suggesting that Telugu actress Charme Kaur who made her debut ni Big B's Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap was ousted from her second Hindi film Zilla Ghaziabad because her co-star Vivek Oberoi didn't want to work with her, had the girl and Vivek fuming, he for yet another attempt to malign his name.

Says a source close to Vivek, "He has never interfered in the casting. Why should he do so now? He is in fact shooting with Charme in Phaltan outside Mumbai. And he is completely comfortable with her."

So where did the stories of Charme's rude expulsion from her second Hindi film come from? Apparently, the sabotage rumours were part of a whole new Southern wave of competition that has swept down on Bollywood.

Says a source, "Another Southern invasion has started. There's a whole new brood of Southern glamour girls descending on Bollywood. Kajal Aggarwal, Ileana D'Cruz, Taapsee, Anushka Shetty...These are all glamour girls from the South who are all set to find a place in Mumbai. I wouldn't like to say much about their ambitions except that they are fiercely competitive and know they're fighting for the same roles with the same A-lister heroes."

Apparently, the rumour that Vivek was unwilling to work with Charme was started by one of the new lot of South Indian glam-dolls looking to leap into a pan-India attention with a big Hindi blockbuster.

Confirms the film's producer Vinod Bachchan, "Charme is here shooting with Vivek in Phaltan. She was recommended to me by Sonu Sood who worked with her in Bbuddah and found her very spontaneous and professional. We don't know who started the rumour that Charme was out of our movie. She plays Vivek's girlfriend and later his wife."

Charme seems pretty annoyed by these attempts to shorten her screen life even before it's started. "It was all a fabrication. I was always doing the part. Now that we're shooting, trust me we're having a great time on location. Vivek, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawalji and the whole crew is so sweet."

Regarding the new Southern invasion, Charme shoots, "I'm not here because the other girls from the South are here. I am here because I want to be here. There is a difference between the Tamil-Telugu actresses and me. I am a Punjabi girl from Mumbai."