By Haricharan Pudipeddi
Chennai, July 5 (IANS): With a perfect combination of beauty and brains, actresses from the Telugu film world have gained a strong foothold in Tamil filmdom in the recent past. Some of these stars have even picked up the language to add to their appeal while the rest have impressed audiences with their looks.
Here are some names:
Anjali: Born in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Anjali moved to Chennai at a very young age to stay with her step mother. She started her career with two unsuccessful Telugu films "Photo" and "Premalekha Rasa", and then went on to make her Tamil debut in the 2007 critically acclaimed, award winning "Kattradhu Tamizh". For the next five years, Anjali was busy in Tamil filmdom with hits such as "Angadi Theru", "Mankatha", "Engeyum Eppothum" and "Kalakalappu". In 2013, she returned to Telugu cinema with blockbuster family-drama "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu". She's currently busy with Telugu film "Geethanjali" and two films in Kannada.
Bindu Madhavi: Born in Hyderabad, Bindu later shifted to Chennai and completed her B.Tech from Vellore Institute of Technology. In 2008, Bindu made her cinematic debut with Sekhar Kammula-directed "Avakai Biryani". For the next two years, she did four Telugu films, and finally returned to Tamil films in the role of a sex worker in "Veppam". Since 2011, she has worked in six Tamil films, completely distancing herself from Telugu filmdom. She currently has three Tamil films in her kitty.
Sri Divya: For Hyderabad-born Sri Divya, who started her career as a child artiste in Telugu films such as "Hanuman Junction" and "Yuvaraju", the big break as a heroine came in the 2010 film "Manasara" in the same language. Two years later, she tasted her first commercial success with the 2012 Telugu film "Bus Stop", followed by critically acclaimed drama "Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu". In 2013, Sri Divya made her Tamil debut in commercial blockbuster "Varutha Padatha Valibar Sangam". Since then there has been no looking back for her. Right now, she has seven Tamil films in the offing.
Swathi Reddy: Telugu girl Swathi started her career as television host in a popular show called 'Colors', hence earning the moniker Colors Swathi. In 2005 and 2007, she featured in brief roles in Telugu films "Dangera and "Adavari Matalaku Arthale Verule", respectively. A year later, she made her first full-length heroine debut in Tamil romantic-drama "Subramaniapuram", which became a commercial and critical success, catapulting her to great heights. But for the next three years, she was busy with Telugu films such as "Ashta Chamma" and "KSD Appalaraju". With two recent hits in Tamil with "Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara" and "Vadacurry", Swathi has also worked in a few Malayalam films. Currently, she has two Tamil films.