Bollywood actors who began their career in regional cinema

Dhanush, Atul Kulkarni and Siddharth

Bollywood is known to lure talent from all corners of the country. And while there is no dearth of newcomers in this field, there is also a fair share of actors who began their career in regional cinema before landing roles in Bollywood. HitList points the few we want to see more of in Hindi films...

Dhanush

Last Hindi film: 'Raanjhanaa' (2013)
Active in: Tamil cinema
The X-Factor: In the recent past, no other South Indian male actor made a splash the way Dhanush did with his Hindi film debut, Raanjhanaa. The confidence he exuded in his role opposite Sonam Kapoor reeks of promise. He has already signed his second Bollywood venture, which will star Amitabh Bachchan and will be directed by R Balki.

Prithviraj

Last Hindi film: 'Aurangzeb' (2013)
Active in: Malayalam cinema
The X-Factor: Nothing about the film Aiyyaa (2012) was worth remembering, save for perhaps actor Prithviraj's chiseled body. He then delivered a better performance in Aurangzeb, where he played a Haryanvi cop. His next Bollywood venture is rumoured to be the remake of the Malayalam film, Shutter.

Atul Kulkarni

Last Hindi film: 'Zanjeer' (2013)
Active in: Marathi cinema
The X-Factor: This National Award-winning actor has effortlessly straddled cinema in different languages over the years. Debuting in a Kannada film, he went on to work in Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. However, he is yet to get a meaty role in Bollywood.

Saswata Chatterjee

Last Hindi film: 'Kahaani' (2012)
Active in: Bengali cinema
The X-Factor: One of the few Bengali acting imports in recent times, Chatterjee is popularly known as Bob Biswas thanks to the psycho-killer character he played in the National Award-winning film by Sujoy Ghosh. And though he earned critical acclaim for his role and inspired several Internet memes, he is yet to appear in another Hindi film.

JD Chakravarthy

Last Hindi film: 'Bhoot Returns' (2012)
Active in: Telugu cinema
The X-Factor: Often, he is mistakenly referred to as Satya, after the character he played in the eponymous film by Ram Gopal Varma. And like most of his contemporaries from the South film industry, he has stayed away from the Bollywood glare. Undoubtedly one of the finest method actors around, JD should also train his sights on Mumbai and Bollywood.

Parambrata Chatterjee

Last Hindi film: 'Kahaani' (2012)
Active in: Bengali cinema
The X-Factor: Kahaani earned Nawazuddin Siddiqui the limelight he deserved. His co-star Parambrata, however, didn't receive as much recognition. It may be recalled that the actor, who played second fiddle to Vidya Balan in the thriller, displayed his acting chops in a convincing fashion. His next Bollywood film is Rajesh Pillai's Traffic, where he's starring alongside Manoj Bajpayee.

Neeraj Kabi

Last Hindi film: 'Monsoon Shootout' (2013)
Active in: Gujarati theatre
The X-Factor: If his performances in Anand Gandhi's film, Ship of Theseus and Shyam Benegal's TV series Samvidhan are anything to go by, one can confidently say that Kabi's quest for onscreen perfection is admirable. Armed with a background in theatre, it will be great to see him take on mainstrea roles.

Adil Hussain

Last Hindi film: 'Lootera' (2013)
Active in: Assamese cinema
The X-Factor: Noted for his impressive performances in films like English Vinglish (2012) and Lessons in Forgetting (2012), this Assamese actor is gradually making his foray into Hindi cinema. Often relegated to the background with smaller roles, Bollywood should give him a fair chance.

Prosenjit

Last Hindi film: 'Shanghai' (2012)
Active in: Bengali cinema
The X-Factor: Known as the Shah Rukh Khan of the Bengali film industry, he is yet to find a foothold in Bollywood. His performance in Dibakar Banerjee's film, Shanghai, was appreciated but he hasn't appeared in a Hindi film since. His next Bollywood project is the Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit, Traffic.

Siddharth

Last Hindi film: 'Chashme Baddoor' (2013)
Active in: Tamil-Telugu cinema
The X-Factor: Despite debuting in a multi-starrer (Rang De Basanti), this actor's performanced was liked by critics and audiences alike. However, he didn't seem eager to leverage his big break as he didn't follow up with another Bollywood film for the next four years. Also, he's known to be vocal about his preference for South.

Vikram

Last Hindi film: 'David' (2013)
Active in: Tamil cinema
The X-Factor: Here's another actor who is known to be selective about his work, unlike his other peers down south. That said, he has amazing screen presence as evidenced by his last Bollywood outing, David. And while we'd love to see him in another Bollywood film, it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon.