Till
a
fortnight
ago,
there
was
nothing
that
I
knew
of
this
Punjabi
film
called
Mel
Karade
Rabba.
Even
though
Jimmy
Shergill
-
the
lead
hero
of
the
film
-
sounded
mighty
excited
during
one
of
our
informal
chats,
I
had
no
clue
about
the
euphoria
round
the
corner.
When
Jimmy
said
-
'Bro,
picture
bahaut
garam
ho
gayi
hai'
-
I
felt
that
this
was
the
pre-release
excitement
that
was
making
him
say
those
words.
When
the
film
released
-
there
was
no
buzz
in
major
cities
like
Mumbai,
Delhi
or
Bangalore
since
its
prints
were
dispatched
only
in
theatres
across
Punjab,
Haryana
and
overseas
-
there
was
no
hoopla
in
the
national
level
media
either.
And
then
a
day
passed
by
and
what
followed
next
was
akin
to
a
volcano
being
erupted.
Records
started
getting
broken
not
just
in
the
Punjab
belt
but
even
US,
UK,
Canada
and
Australia.
Films
likes
3
Idiots,
Ghajini
and
Gadar
were
being
spoken
about
in
the
same
breath.
There
was
a
new
overseas
superstar
who
seemed
to
have
been
born,
courtesy
the
humungous
success
of
Mel
Karade
Rabba
and
I
was
soon
set
thinking
-
'Has
Bollywood
ignored
Jimmy
Shergill
for
way
too
long?'
It
was
this
very
thought
that
set
me
thinking
about
many
other
actors
who
got
a
far
lesser
star
status
for
themselves
in
last
few
years
but
delivered
whenever
an
opportunity
came
their
way.
In
this
week's
edition
of
'Reflections'
series,
let's
look
at
the
way
some
of
the
actors,
despite
their
commercial
bent,
have
somehow
not
seen
favourable
acceptance
in
the
world
of
Hindi
cinema
and
instead
have
found
their
bearing
in
regional
cinema.
A
word
of
caution
here
though.
In
this
write
up,
emphasis
is
only
on
those
actors
who
have
been
indeed
quite
talented
or
have
at
least
shown
sparks
of
brilliance
-
whether
through
sheer
acting
skills
or
attitude
-
in
their
earlier
outings.
One
of
the
first
such
names
is
of
course
the
subject
under
consideration,
Jimmy
Shergill,
who
has
been
around
for
a
decade
and
a
half
but
has
never
ever
got
his
due.
For
someone
who
had
a
supporting
role
to
play
in
Maachis,
he
did
enjoy
a
big
outing
in
the
form
of
Mohabbatein.
However,
he
somehow
got
slotted
as
a
second
lead
or
a
supporting
actor,
something
that
has
continued
to
plague
his
standing
till
date.
Recent
example
is
My
Name
Is
Khan.
No
wonder,
while
the
actor
does
a
A
Wednesday
and
proves
himself
all
over
again,
he
also
turns
out
to
be
the
biggest
superstar
in
Punjabi
cinema
with
a
hat
trick
of
successes
in
Mel
Karade
Rabba,
Munde
UK
De
and
Tera
Mera
Ki
Rishta.
It's
time
for
Bollywood
to
wake
up
and
see
the
talent
that
may
just
be
absorbed
by
regional
cinema
where
he
is
getting
the
respect
that
he
deserves.
Same
holds
good
for
another
actor
Sonu
Sood,
who
though
(talent
wise)
restricted
by
the
characterisation
that
he
can
fit
into,
still
has
it
in
him
when
it
comes
to
edgy
roles.
Pick
up
the
films
where
he
got
a
chance
to
perform
-
Yuva
or
Jodhaa
Akbar
-
and
had
a
well
etched
part
to
play.
He
did
quite
well
and
showcased
a
new
side
of
his
persona.
Of
course
whenever
he
has
half
baked
roles
coming
his
way,
he
has
been
awkward.
Hence,
a
role
has
to
be
in
his
zone.
No
wonder,
when
he
goes
down
South
and
turns
into
an
out
and
out
villain
for
a
Telugu
film
like
Arundhati,
he
enjoys
a
celebrity
status
for
himself.
No
wonder,
the
man
is
absorbing
himself
big
time
into
South
cinema
while
giving
himself
that
once-a-year
opportunity
in
Hindi
cinema
by
picking
on
an
antagonist's
role
opposite
Salman
Khan
in
Dabangg.
Genelia
D'Souza's
case
has
been
even
more
puzzling.
She
does
well
practically
every
time
(save
an
effort
like
Life
Partner
where
she
was
totally
OTT)
and
in
fact
made
her
debut
with
a
Hindi
film
(Tujhe
Meri
Kasam)
years
ago.
However,
somehow
Bollywood
hasn't
proved
to
be
too
accommodating
for
the
pretty
girl
who
went
on
to
deliver
multiple
hits
down
South.
Now
that
she
has
done
a
dozen
films
out
there,
there
is
some
recognition
finally
coming
her
way
post
Jaane
Tu
Ya
Jaane
Naa.
Still,
the
girl
is
not
taking
her
chances
when
it
comes
to
her
stint
down
South,
especially
so
with
two
stuck
films
It's
My
Life
and
Hook
Ya
Crook.
Can
we
offer
her
better
roles,
soon,
before
she
again
disappears
for
long?
In
that
aspect,
Sameera
Reddy
is
pretty
much
playing
a
smart
game.
If
there
is
one
actress
who
is
turning
out
to
be
a
Jack
(or
shall
I
say
Jill?)
of
all
trades
when
it
comes
to
working
in
regional
cinema,
Sameera
could
well
be
a
front
runner.
Tamil,
Telugu,
Bengali,
Malayalam
-
you
name
it
and
she
has
done
it
all.
Of
course
she
didn't
find
huge
recognition
for
her
acting
skills
when
she
started
off
in
Bollywood.
Moreover,
some
of
her
recent
outings
like
De
Dana
Dan
too
haven't
been
extraordinary
enough
to
be
written
home
about.
Still,
the
girl
has
the
'X' factor,
something
that
Sanjay
Gupta
explored
to
the
fullest
in
Musafir.
However,
none
of
her
subsequent
directors
harnessed
this
quality
of
hers,
something
that
made
her
look
for
something
new
in
the
regional
circuits.
She
may
not
be
a
superstar
in
her
new
found
market
but
an
effort
as
put
on
display
in
recent
release
Red
Alert
-
The
War
Within,
makes
one
wonder
if
film
makers
before
ever
took
her
seriously.
Someone
who
is
definitely
not
being
taken
seriously
is
an
actress
from
down
South
who
is
trying
to
make
her
presence
felt
in
Bollywood
-
Sada.
An
experienced
actress
with
close
to
a
dozen
odd
films
behind
her,
all
she
gets
to
do
is
the
Love
Khichdis
and
the
Clicks
of
the
world.
For
someone
who
has
worked
with
none
less
than
Shankar
and
Vikram
in
Tamil
cinema,
she
could
well
be
a
good
addition
to
Hindi
cinema
if
only
the
requirement
was
that
of
an
innocent
face
and
a
dignified
persona.
But
seems
the
wait
may
only
continue
for
the
pretty
girl!
The
same
holds
good
for
Shreya
Saran
who
just
like
Genelia
D'Souza
has
been
hanging
on
for
close
to
a
decade
but
not
quite
making
headway
into
Bollywood.
Of
course
a
start
opposite
Arya
Babbar
in
(have
you
have
ever
heard
about
it?)
Thoda
Tum
Badlo
Thoda
Hum
was
not
quite
a
beginning
that
Shreya
would
have
been
happy
about.
No
wonder,
she
immersed
herself
neck
deep
into
South
films
and
managed
to
rise
up
the
ladder
and
worked
with
none
less
than
Rajnikanth
in
Sivaji.
An
established
star
in
Tamil
cinema,
she
has
made
on
and
off
appearances
in
Hindi
films
like
Ek
-
The
Power
of
One,
Mission
Istanbul
and
Awarapan,
only
to
loose
heart
and
walk
back
into
her
comfort
zone.
However,
someone
who
is
doing
all
to
resist
this
temptation
and
give
a
solid
fight
is
Asin,
who
despite
her
dozen
and
a
half
films
in
South
is
determined
to
make
it
big
in
Bollywood.
After
the
high
of
Ghajini,
she
had
to
suffer
the
low
of
London
Dreams.
For
many,
Ready
with
Salman
Khan
may
just
be
a
hopeful
outing
that
would
turn
around
her
fortunes.
If
not,
the
lady
who
has
worked
with
Kamal
Hassan
not
too
many
moons
ago
may
well
find
a
safe
abode
just
a
flight
away.
On
the
other
hand,
someone
who
would
certainly
be
looking
at
cancelling
all
her
flights
to
South
for
at
least
a
few
more
years
to
come
would
be
Kangana
Ranaut.
Tired
with
all
the
roles
hinting
of
schizophrenia
coming
her
way,
Kangana
did
bite
the
bait
with
a
couple
of
regional
films
like
Dhaam
Dhoom
and
Ek
Niranjan.
However,
she
is
one
individual
for
which
Bollywood
has
indeed
taken
notice
fast,
a
result
of
which
is
half
a
dozen
films
which
are
up
for
release
and
nearly
the
same
number
which
is
slated
to
go
on
floors
soon.
Perhaps
her
two
regional
films
were
just
a
threat
good
enough
for
filmmakers
to
insist
that
she
stays
back!