Cinema VinesActor Kajal Aggarwal, who has spent almost twenty years straddling the South Indian and Hindi film worlds, recently opened up about why she has favored Telugu and Tamil projects over Bollywood. In a chat with Shubhankar Mishra, she explained that the roles offered to her in the South were consistently stronger and more varied than the average offers she received in Hindi cinema. “I didn’t want to take on the average roles in Bollywood,” she said, adding that the South gave her the kinds of characters she was looking for in abundance.
When asked what Bollywood could learn from the South, Aggarwal singled out punctuality. “Bollywood should learn punctuality from the South,” she said. “In Hindi films, nothing is on time. In the South, they work by the clock. I am used to reaching on time, and I like it that way. In Hindi, the timings are very off.” The actress, who is known for her disciplined approach, cited her experience on the set of the Salman Khan film Sikandar as a stark illustration. She recalled waiting for the superstar for the longest period she had ever endured on a set, often spending the time exercising at the gym while she awaited his arrival in the afternoon or evening.
Beyond scheduling, Aggarwal noted that South cinema is evolving to tell more liberal, coming‑of‑age stories centered around female protagonists. She said the industry is no longer fixated on “focusing on female actors' navels,” hinting at a broader shift toward substantive roles for women. This change, she believes, is part of why she has remained loyal to Telugu and Tamil films.
Aggarwal’s filmography reflects her dual‑industry career. She debuted in the Hindi film Kyun…! Ho Gaya Na (2004) but found major success in the South with blockbusters such as Magadheera (2009), Darling (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Mersal (2017) and Vivegam (2017). In Bollywood she is best remembered for Singham (2011) opposite Ajay Devgn and Special 26 (2013) with Akshay Kumar.
Looking ahead, Aggarwal has two big releases lined up. She will appear in The India Story, directed by Chettan DK and starring Shreyas Talpade, which is slated for a July 24 release under Zee Studios. She also has Nitesh Tiwari’s epic Ramayana on the horizon, a multi‑part film featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh, Ravie Dubey and Anupam Kher. The first part is set to hit theatres on Diwali 2026, with the second part following on Diwali 2027.
