‘Baahubali’ stars and their Bollywood connection

SS Rajamouli's epic drama ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’, has become a national phenomenon within hours of its release. All the stars connected with the film are now enjoying nation-wide recognition. Prabhas, who has stuck to the south film industry, has now got his big Bollywood break after starring in the ‘Baahubali’ franchise. While this will be the star's debut project in the Hindi film industry, the other members of the cast happen to share an old connection with B-town. Here is a look at a few such ‘Baahubali’ stars who have been involved in Hindi films one way or the other…

Known as the queen mother Sivagami, Ramya Krishnan actually has quite a connection with Bollywood. In fact, her Hindi debut was in the film that co-starred late veteran actor Vinod Khanna. ‘Dayavan’, was a crime drama based on a Mumbai-based man named Dayavan who goes on to become a mafia head. She featured in a steamy item song titled ‘Chahe Meri Jaan Tu Lele’ featuring Vinod Khanna and director Feroz Khan. Later on, she played small roles in many famous Bollywood films like Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Khalynayak’, Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda’s ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ and Nana Patekar starrer ‘Wajood’.

Although predominantly based in Telugu cinema, Rana has been actively involved in Hindi films over his acting career of over seven years. He made his Hindi debut in 2011 with the crime thriller ‘Dum Maaro Dum’, where he was paired opposite Bipasha Basu. However, the film was a dud at the box office and his next outing ‘Department’ also had suffered a similar fate. The actor then went on to make a cameo in Ranbir and Deepika’s romantic drama ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’. However, his big break came through with ‘Baby’, where he played Jai Singh Rathore opposite Akshay Kumar. The success of ‘Baby’ and ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ finally bagged him the underwater war film the ‘The Ghazi Attack’. With ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ also out, Rana is expected to become a familiar face in the industry.

Being born and brought up in Mumbai, Tamannaah Bhatia shares a long history with Bollywood. In fact, her debut in the world of cinema was back in 2005, with the Hindi flick ‘Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ which didn't do as well as expected at the box-office. She later shifted her focus to Telugu and Tamil films and only returned to Bollywood after eight years with ‘Himmatwala’ opposite Ajay Devgn. However, even after her return, her appearance in Hindi films has been sporadic at best, the latest being Prabhudheva’s horror comedy ‘Tutak Tutak Tutiya’. Hopefully, the actress will feature in a big-ticket Hindi film soon and build her fan base here.

The veteran actor, known for his sass and superior acting prowess has mostly steered clear of Bollywood and would have continued to do so, had it not been for Rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai Express’. This being the only Hindi film he has ever acted in, he ironically played a Tamilian in that movie. He was quite impressive as Deepika Padukone’s father and held his own against superstar Shah Rukh Khan when he shared the frame with him. It remains to be seen if his character of Kattappa, which has been lauded by one and all will earn him more roles in Hindi films in the future.

Kannada actor Sudeep owes his entry in Bollywood to director Ram Gopal Varma. He has been a part of five Hindi films in total, all of which have been directed by RGV. He made his Bolly debut in 2008 with the horror film ‘Phoonk’, which was not well received by the audience. With the exception of ‘Rakhta Charitra 1’ and ‘Rakhta Charitra 2’, the other three films have tanked at the box office. But, thanks to a cameo in ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, he is beginning to get noticed by many and his performance in his previous Telugu film ‘Eega’ is also getting critical acclaim.

Nasser, who plays the role of the scheming Bijjaladeva in ‘Baahubali’ is also no stranger to Hindi cinema. He made his debut in the industry as early as 1995 in Sunny Deol’s ‘Angrakshak’ in a cameo. He subsequently appeared in many Hindi films over the years like ‘Chachi 420’, ‘Hey Ram’, ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘D-Day’, ‘Saala Khadoos’ among others. Surprisingly, for a man who has appeared in over seventeen Bollywood films, his name doesn't show up on the list of B-town A-listers. Hopefully, the SS Rajamouli epic will give him the recognition he deserves.