Bobby Deol plays a negative role in the South film, Kanguva, which released on November 14 all over. And that’s made big news after his robust turn as Abrar in Animal. The same is true of Saif Ali Khan in NTR Jr.’s Devara Part 1. But this is not about playing baddies alone. After all, Amitabh Bachchan played a strong positive role in Kalki 2898 AD. In the recent past we have had Sanjay Dutt as the baddie in KGF 2 as well.
Today, when a Prabhas, Rana Dagubatti or anyone else steps into a Hindi film or a Bobby, Saif, Amitabh or Sanjay do a South movie with their top stars, it becomes blazing news. However, there have been several such examples in the past where such importance was not given as it was not considered headline material for the social media and the label of the so-called “Pan-Indian” film did not exist!
(In this context, we do not consider South actresses in Hindi films, as there has always been a free exchange between the South and us in that department from Vyjayanthimala down!)
Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth were the first two South heroes to really make it big, albeit transiently, in Hindi cinema. Let us first see how they came in movies featuring Mumbai heroes as well!
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan at first co-starred with Hindi film heroes in 1984 in not one but four films. He did Ek Nai Paheli (which had Raaj Kumar), Yaadgaar (Sanjeev Kumar) and in a cameo in Yeh Desh (with Jeetendra and also Vinod Mehra in another cameo), which were all undistinguished movies. The fourth was the biggest of them all and also flopped: Raaj Tilak, a Rajkumar Kohli ensemble with Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Dharmendra and Raj Kiran. The first three films were made in the South, though.
In 1985, Kamal Haasan was cast with Rishi Kapoor in Saagar and Amitabh Bachchan in Geraftaar, both hardcore Mumbai products, with the latter having Rajinikanth in a guest appearance. Both did average business.
After this, Kamal Haasan was never seen in a primary Hindi film, but his shelved films included a movie with Dev Anand (mostly directed by Prakash Verma) and Yash Johar’s John Jani Janardhan with Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan and Naseeruddin Shah were cast by Kamal Haasan in the 2000 Hey!Ram, which Kamal produced and directed!
Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth’s first film in Hindi was Andhaa Kaanoon (1983) with Amitabh Bachchan in a scene-stealing special appearance. Dharmendra too made a one-scene cameo in the film.
The South superstar, however, thanks to his stylized action image, became a favorite in two-hero or multi-hero films, and his long list of Hindi movies extending to the year 2000, apart from Geraftaar above, includes Gair Kanooni (Shashi Kapoor and Govinda), Hum (Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda), Uttar Dakshin (Jackie Shroff), Chaalbaaz (Sunny Deol), Bulundi (Anil Kapoor), Khoon Ka Karz (Vinod Khanna and Sanjay Dutt), Insaniyat Ke Devta and Police Mujrim (both with Raaj Kumar and Vinod Khanna), Tyagi (Raaj Kumar), Insaaf Kaun Karega? (Dharmendra), Brashtachar (Mithun Chakraborty), Aatank Hi Aatank (Aamir Khan), Jeet Hamaari, Mahaguru and Bhagwan Dada (Rakesh Roshan), Bewafai (Rajesh Khanna), Dosti Dushmuni (Jeetendra and Rishi Kapoor), Tamacha (Jeetendra and Sumeet Saigal) and Farishtay (Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna)!
The majority of these films were Mumbai-made movies, but only the ones marked in bold font succeeded to varying extents!
On the other side, when Rajinikanth signed Akshay Kumar as the antagonist in his bi-lingual home production, 2.0, it grabbed attention!
But such collaborations, though very rare, happened earlier as well.
Mammootty
Mammootty, in the 1990s, made his only Hindi appearance in the Rishi Kapoor film, Dhartiputra, a hardcore Mumbai product.
Mohanlal
The only Hindi film he did was Company in 2002, which also featured Ajay Devgn and Vivek Oberoi.
Sivaji Ganesan
The South thespian acted in his own Hindi production, Dharti, with Rajendra Kumar in a small role.
Gemini Ganesan
Known more famously as actress Rekha’s father, Gemini Ganesan co-starred with Kishore Kumar in the comedy, Miss Mary, in 1958. He also did a guest role in Nazrana (1961) with Raj Kapoor.
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