From Mohanlal’s commanding act in Company to Dulquer Salmaan’s chilling turn in Chup, these Malayalam stars proved they could shine far beyond Mollywood.
Key Points
- Prithviraj and now elder brother Indrajith Sukumaran are leaving an indelible mark in Bollywood, with the latter starring in this week’s release, Bandar.
- From Malayalam legends like Madhu, Mammootty and Mohanlal to newer actors Dulquer Salmaan and Roshan Mathew, multiple generations have starred in Hindi films.
Malayalam actor Indrajith Sukumaran will grace the screen this week in a Hindi film when he appears as a prison inmate in Anurag Kashyap’s new movie, Bandar .
Contrary to popular belief, Bandar is not the actor’s Hindi debut.
His younger brother Prithviraj Sukumaran may have had a more visible Bollywood journey, but Indrajith had already made his Hindi debut in the indie thriller Waiting Room (2010), which was shot in Kerala. The film’s limited reach, unfortunately, ensured that his Bollywood outing slipped under most radars.
While we wait to see how Indrajith fares in his sophomore Hindi venture against actors like Bobby Deol and Raj B Shetty, Sreeju Sudhakaran picks 15 stars from Malayalam cinema who delivered notable performances in their transition to Hindi films.
Madhu
The granduncle of Malayalam cinema made his Hindi debut in K A Abbas’ Saat Hindustani (1969), where he played one of the seven titular ‘Hindustanis’ carrying out a mission to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule.
One fascinating aspect about Saat Hindustani is that it also marked the acting debut of a ‘little-known actor’ called Amitabh Bachchan, who played another member of the group.
Bharat Gopy
Aghaat (1985) remains one of Govind Nihalani’s under-rated works from the 1980s, often overshadowed by masterpieces like Aakrosh (1980), Ardh Satya (1983), Party (1984) and Tamas (1987).
Dealing with trade union politics, the film featured the legendary Bharat Gopy as the ruthless Krishnan Raju, a sycophantic aide to the opposing union leader played by Naseeruddin Shah.
Gopy had earlier appeared in Mani Kaul’s avant-garde drama Satah Se Uthata Aadmi (1980).
Mammootty
Mammootty attempted to make a big splash in Hindi cinema with Dhartiputra (1993), a masala potboiler where he played an honest jail warden.
Despite the hype, the film failed at the box office, thus curtailing Mammootty‘s prospects of winning over Hindi audiences.
Dhartiputra was not the superstar’s first Hindi film though, as he had earlier appeared in a guest role in Triyatri (1990). He later acted in Hindi films like Swami Vivekananda (1998) and Sau Jhooth Ek Sach (2005). He also played Dr Ambedkar in Jabbar Patel’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000).
Mohanlal
Mohanlal’s most notable Hindi role also happened to be his Bollywood debut.
In Ram Gopal Varma’s gangster drama Company (2002), the Malayalam superstar played IG Srinivasan, the Malayali supercop determined to dismantle the underworld’s grip over the city.
The role won him Best Supporting Actor honours at both the IIFA and Screen Awards in 2003.
Mohanlal later appeared in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007) in the equivalent role of Thakur from Sholay (1975), and also had an extended cameo in Priyadarshan’s thriller Tezz (2012).
Revathi
Revathi has delivered several notable performances in Hindi cinema, including roles in Love (1991), Muskurahat (1992), Tarpan (1994), Ab Tak Chhappan (2004), 2 States (2014), Tiger 3 (2023), Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders (2025), and even this year’s Assi.
However, in my humble opinion, her finest Hindi performance remains her chilling turn as the possessed college girl in Ram Gopal Varma’s slow-burn horror thriller Raat (1992).
That sinister grin she flashes at her helpless victims remains deeply frightening even decades later.
Revathi has also directed Hindi films like Phir Milenge (2004) and Salaam Venky (2022), apart from the English-language film Mitr: My Friend (2002).
Babu Antony
Malayalam cinema’s action king Babu Antony first grabbed attention playing the silent hitman in Fazil’s thriller Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal (1986).
The film was remade in several languages, with Babu Antony reprising his role in four versions, including the Hindi remake Hatya (1988), starring Govinda and Neelam.
He later appeared in Hindi films like Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), where he again played a silent assassin, and Ekk Deewana Tha (2012).
Prithviraj Sukumaran
The handsome star made an eye-catching entry into Hindi cinema with Aiyyaa (2012), opposite Rani Mukerji.
As the object of the heroine’s lustful infatuation, Prithviraj was presented in an unusually glamorous manner for a male lead, firmly through the female gaze, especially in songs like Dreamum Wakeuppam and Aga Bai.
Though the film failed commercially and was met with bad reviews, Prithviraj left quite the indelible mark in the film.
He later appeared played the parallel lead roles in the under-rated thriller Aurangzeb (2013) and the terrorism drama Sarzameen (2025), while also playing antagonists in Naam Shabana (2017) and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024).
Dulquer Salmaan
Like his legendary father Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan also made his foray into Hindi cinema first through a feel-good road trip drama.
Karwaan (2018), which also starred the late Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palkar, saw Dulquer play a reticent IT employee trying to retrieve his father’s misplaced body. Though Irrfan stole several scenes, Dulquer held his own.
He later starred opposite Sonam Kapoor in The Zoya Factor (2019), and was one of the leads in Raj & DK’s Guns & Gulaabs (2023).
Dulquer’s finest Hindi performance, however, came in R Balki’s Chup: Revenge Of The Artist (2022), where he played a psychotic serial killer with a murderous vendetta against film critics.
Innocent
Priyadarshan has always enjoyed casting Malayalam actors in his Hindi films, from Jagadish in Hungama (2003) and Billu (2009), to Cochin Haneefa in Gardish (1993) and Kabhi Na Kabhi (1998), and Nandu in Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), Hungama and Hungama 2 (2021), among others.
Malayalam’s legendary comic actor Innocent also featured in a couple of Priyadarshan’s Hindi outings, as the eccentric former army colonel in Doli Saja Ke Rakhna and quite notably, as the perpetually drunk Anthony in Malamaal Weekly (2006).
Though his speaking role was rather limited (his dialogues were dubbed by Tiku Talsania), the character remained central to the film’s events.
Interestingly, Innocent also played one of the leads in the Malayalam remake of Malamaal Weekly (Aamayum Muyalum), albeit in a different role.
Shobhana
The graceful Shobhana won one of her National Awards for Best Actress for her Hindi debut in Revathi’s Mitr: My Friend (2002), though the film itself was made in English.
Another notable Hindi role came in Priyadarshan’s Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008), the remake of the Malayalam hit Ishtam (2001), where she played Paresh Rawal’s former lover whom he tries to reconcile with after several years.
Vineeth
Shobhana’s cousin actor-dancer Vineeth had a memorable role in Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), playing Shashi Pradhan, whom the mentally-disturbed Avni imagines as Monjolika’s lover.
His Bharata Natyam skills particularly stood out in the song Mere Dholna.
Interestingly, Vineeth was originally supposed to play the equivalent role in the Malayalam classic Manichitrathazhu (1993), though the part eventually went to Kannada actor Sridhar Sreeram.
Vineeth later bagged the role in both Bhool Bhulaiyaa and the Tamil remake Chandramukhi (2005).
Nimisha Sajayan
The immensely talented Nimisha Sajayan caught nationwide attention with her incendiary performance in The Great Indian Kitchen (2021). Since then, she has steadily expanded into other languages, including Hindi.
Her most prominent Bollywood role came in Poacher (2024), though the series featured both Malayalam and Hindi dialogues.
She also played one of the leads in Netflix’s Dabba Cartel (2025), and appeared in the Hindi anthology Lantrani (2024).
Parvathy T
Parvathy Thiruvothu, acclaimed for Malayalam films like Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015), Charlie (2015), Take Off (2017), Virus (2019) and Uyare (2019), made a striking Hindi debut opposite Irrfan Khan in the romcom Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017).
While the performances were praised, the film struggled commercially.
She later appeared in Kadak Singh (2023) and even had a cameo this year in Bejoy Nambiar’s crocodile thriller Tu Yaa Main.
Neeraj Madhav
Actor-rapper Neeraj Madhav was primarily known for his comic and youthful Malayalam roles in films like 1983 (2014), Oru Vadakkan Selfie (2015), Kunjiramayanam (2015) and Adi Kapyare Kootamani (2015).
So he surprised many with his Hindi debut in Raj & DK’s acclaimed series The Family Man (2019), where he played the deceptively manipulative terrorist mastermind Moosa.
The role became one of the first season’s highlights, and many fans missed his absence in the latter seasons.
Neeraj also had a fun cameo in An Action Hero (2022), apart from appearing in shows like Feels Like Ishq (2021) and Showtime (2024).
Roshan Mathew
The still-under-rated bundle of talent Roshan Mathew made his Hindi debut in Anurag Kashyap’s underwhelming demonetisation black comedy Choked (2020).
He earned stronger appreciation for his role as the lovelorn Zulfi in Darlings(2022), sharing screen space with Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah.
Roshan was also among the very few bright spots in the spy thriller Ulajh (2024), where he starred opposite Janhvi Kapoor.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff