Between the 1960s and 1990s, buxom, beautiful heroines from the southern film industry made their way to Bollywood to carve a place for themselves.

Vyjayanthimala, Hema Malini, Jamuna, Sridevi, Jaya Prada and many more, though successful in the southern film industry, were determined to get a toehold, however small, in the Hindi film industry as well.

The tide has turned since. The lines have blurred and more and more Bollywood actresses are being lured to the South. Big bucks, unprecedented adulation, and strong scripts are some of the reasons.

Deepali Nandwani spoke to some of Bollywood's top heroines to find out more:

Not only are the scripts strong, the crew there is quite methodical. Would you believe, we completed the first half of Kandukondain Kandukondain in a week's time! That is the beauty of working in the South. Their punctuality and discipline are commendable.

One thing I must tell you, that after doing films like Iruvar, Jeans and Kandukondain, I have become very fluent in Tamil!

But over the years, I have done at least two films a year down South. In 1997, I acted in Mr Romeo, which was made in both Tamil and Telugu, with Prabhu Deva.

Then there was Azad, with Nagarjuna and Soundarya, in 2000 and, more recently, the Kannada film, Madhuve Agona Baa.

I don't think there is much difference between South Indian films and Bollywood. The audiences are different, but that's it. The adulation, fame, money are on par. At the end of the day, a good film is a good film, whether Bollywood or South.

When Mani offered me Bombay, everyone advised me not to do regional films. But for me, cinema does not have a language. I wanted to grow.

Thank God I did Mani's film. It was a brilliant experience. I keep telling everyone that the one thing we must learn from the South Indian industry is discipline. Their dedication is amazing.

Mani and Kamalji (Kamal Haasan) are two people I admire greatly. That is what keeps me coming back.

I am keen on doing the regular Hindi film, but I want strong, meaningful roles in my repertoire, which I get down South. I can devote equal time and attention to both, so I don't see the clash.

I would never want to miss out on the experience of working with some of the most brilliant people in the South.

For instance, I have worked with Mani Ratnam, which is an experience in itself. He is a perfectionist who knows exactly what he wants and refuses to okay a shot till he is absolutely satisfied. He explains the most difficult scenes to you so beautifully that your performance becomes effortless. He really knows how to handle and mould his artistes.

I was totally relaxed with him and gained immense self-confidence from doing Anandam with Mani.

You can't turn down directors like Mani or Rajiv Menon. So what if they are from the South?

Since I am originally from Hyderabad, I speak Telugu fluently. Tamil and Malayalam films need a little more effort. But since I have a flair for languages, I have not faced any problems on that front.

Many think that when actresses don't get enough work in Bollywood, they head South. But A lot of us opt to work in Tamil or Telugu films because we feel we have more to do there, that we are not purely glamour dolls. It's better to act in good films in the South, than to act as second leads or in bad films in Bollywood.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my stint in the Malayalam and Telugu film industry, and have also done a couple of Tamil and Kannada films. It is always a pleasure to work there because they respect artistes' talent and their time. Things work with clockwork precision there, with few delays. And films get completed on time.

The role I have most enjoyed doing is the title role in the Tamil film Azhagi (beautiful girl). I play Dhanalakshmi, a girl who is hesitant to speak about her feelings. The real me has shades of Dhanalakshmi.

That apart, what matters at the end of the day is a good role and a strong script, one which I am convinced about. The language is inconsequential.

Design: Rajesh Karkera