One good thing about the new crop of actresses imported from Chennai and Mumbai is that they make efforts to converse in Telugu. Many of these leading ladies, who are making a killing with fat remunerations for acting in Telugu films, seem to have realized the need to go local. Most of the sought after stars such as Tamanna, Shruthi Haasan, Kajal, Samantha and Tapsi never fail to say a few words in Telugu during film promotions.
It was no sometime back. From Shipa Shetty to Katrina Kaif, many Mumbai imports acted in Telugu films, but they don’t have a clue about the language they were supposed to be speaking on screen. Dubbing was the easy option, and directors never insisted that they pick up the language.
But the new breed of actress are different. They know the importance of being in Telugu film industry for a longer period. They know its box-office potential and its ability to pay filthy amounts. They also know that by speaking the local language, they can get closer to the audience. Many of these actresses are taking lessons on the sets to get a feel of the spoken language.
None of the actresses – except may be Tapsi – is giving her own dubbing for Telugu films even now. But they understand the dialogues and hence their lip sync is better and their acting is more credible. But almost all of them make viewers happy by their smattering of Telugu in audio release functions and television promotions.
What cultural prejudice cannot change, economics can!
