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Art has no barrier. But don’t actors feel the alienation when they cross over from the land of their birth and move to cinema of other languages to make a career? Most actors who have made it big and rule in the industry, that is dissimilar to their language, culture or background, say that art is art and that they don’t feel isolated in any way in the industries they have adopted.
Actor and director Prabhu Deva, a Kannadiga, was born in Mysore and lived there in his early years. He got his first break in Tamil films and soon was an established dancer in the Tamil industry. “It was by chance that I got a break in the Tamil film industry. Offers kept coming in one after another and I didn’t think twice before settling down here,” Prabhu Deva told Metrolife. However, ever since Prabhu turned director he has been contemplating directing a Kannada movie, “I have always wanted to give something back to the land of my origin. I have a script in mind and will direct a Kannada movie someday,” says Prabhu. Hasn’t he got any acting offers from Sandalwood? “There were a few but none that appealing,” he observes.
Most of Tamil action hero Arjun Sarja’s family is settled in Bangalore. A Kannadiga, he too says, it’s a sheer chance that he got into the Tamil film industry.
Arjun recently produced his first Sandalwood film, Vayuputra which was a tribute to the land he came from. “The offers I got from the Tamil industry suited my character and I chose one film after another and then there was no stopping me,” he says. Arjun has plans to direct another Kannada film soon.
It’s the same story with actor and director Prakash Raj whose directorial debut Nannu Nanna Kanasu, is his way of paying back to the land of his origin. “It’s taken me a while but this is my first directorial debut. It’s not like I planned to remain in the Tamil industry. I have acted in several Kannada films as well. If you want to be a versatile actor you should never remain pitched in one single industry,” he advises.
It’s no different with actresses who are more prone to switch to as many languages as they can. Actress Amrita Rao, a Mangalorean, says she cherishes vivid memories of spending most part of her vacation down South in Bangalore but has grown up in Mumbai. She says her foray in Bollywood was purely coincidental. “It all began when I did a short TV commercial. Post that, I started receiving ad and film offers. I began acting,” she observes. How has it been thus far? “The competition gets nasty at times but as long as you are unaffected by criticism, you are good to go,” she says.
Model-turned-actress Neetu Chandra, a Bihari says she always wanted to debut in Bollywood in a big way, establish herself there and then promote and popularise Bhojpuri films. “My father was dead against me acting but I was encouraged by my mother. If you are from Bihar then you are considered backward. I have worked very hard to prove that notion wrong and get to where I am,” Neetu signs off.