Spotlight: Top Buck For The Hot Gals!

They are now catching up with the top heroes when it comes to big earnings. We checks out which southern actresses are raking in the most moolah.

Ileana D’cruz
The 18-year-old Goan may be a recent entry, but she’s already being projected as the next big thing in the Telugu industry. Ileana shot to fame with her second film, Pokkiri, opposite Mahesh Babu. And the bubbly, fun-loving image from the film has stuck — it’s a trademark in all her films. Apparently, that’s Ileana’s off-screen persona too; she’s media-shy and remains elusive for interviews, compensating with her spectacular performances on screen.

Rumoured price: Rs 60 lakh.

Expert take: “Ileana is extremely photogenic and looks ravishing on screen,” says Kala. “She’s got an innocent face, but a beautiful body, which makes a great combo. Of course, she’s a good actor too.”

Shriya Saran
She’s the Sivaji girl — that’s what everyone’s calling her these days. Shriya’s also currently one of the most-searched among southern sirens on the Net. The actress is popular for her perfect 10 body, her doe eyes and dancing skills. Shriya’s being asset is her ability to effortlessly switch from playing the desi kudi in Awarapan to a modern babe matching moves with Rajnikanth in Sivaji. No wonder that Shriya Saran is on every filmmaker’s must-have list these days.

Rumoured price: Rs 50 lakh.

Coming up: Azhagiya Thamizh Magan with Vijay, Kandasaamy with Vikram, and Sangeet Sivan’s Ek.

Expert comment: Kala says Shriya is one of her faves. “She’s extremely talented, dedicated and is very graceful. Shriya’s a trained Kathak dancer, so it’s a pleasure watching her dance. She’ll go a long way.”

Nayanthara
If she’d pursued her ambition of becoming a chartered accountant, she’d have been the best-looking CA around! And now Diana Kurien aka Nayanthara rocks the glam world of southern films. The actress has come a long way from playing pavadaisporting village belle to uber chic gal.

She’s one of the first contemporary heroines to star alongside Rajnikanth and do two films, Chandramukhi and Sivaji, with the superstar. Ghajini propelled her into a different league and upped her market value. Nayanthara had the most releases among southern heroines in 2006 and she commands big openings for her films.

Rumoured price: Rs 45 lakh. Coming up: Yaaradi Nee Mohini with Dhanush, Billa with Ajit and another one with Nagarjuna.

Expert speak: Chandru, trade expert and film publicist, says Nayanthara has great screen presence. “She’s very good-looking and has a fantastic body. She’s also a very good dancer; she is the first heroine to star in a Rajnikanth opening song.”

Trisha
She’s one heroine who’s acted with all the top heroes in both Tamil and Telugu industries — from Vijay and Vikram to Venkatesh and Chiranjeevi.

Trisha’s also one of the few heroines who starred in a Mani Ratnam film in the early stages of her career. A former model, she’s been reigning in both Tamil and Telugu for the past few years.

Rumoured price: Rs 40 lakh. Coming up: Bheema with Vikram and another Prakash Raj production.

Expert take: “She’s a hard worker and a great dancer,” says Kala Master, choreographer and stylist, “Trisha’s a natural and slips into a character effortlessly.”

Asin
She’s been signed for the Hindi remake of Ghajini opposite Aamir Khan. Aamir apparently even ousted Ayesha Takia from the film to cast Asin, who also starred in the Tamil original. The actress, who debuted in Malayalam and is also a top star in Tamil, is well on her way to becoming a sensation in Bollywood now. After all, it’s not every day that Aamir Khan insists he wants a southern heroine in his film!

Rumoured price: Rs 40 lakh. Coming up: Ghajini with Aamir, Vel with Surya and Dasavatharam with Kamal Haasan.

Expert take: Kala finds Asin extremely hardworking. “She’s a perfectionist and even dubs for herself, which is rare among heroines. She had a great voice and is an excellent artiste.”

Genelia
It’s not just the fairness cream ad that put her in the spotlight; the girl-nextdoor tag suits Genelia perfectly. Not surprisingly, this girl is the first choice when it comes to playing teenage heroines. Genelia’s popular for her ‘cute and lively’ image — it fetched the actress her debut, Boys, which made waves at the box-office. All her successive films have seen the actress playing the college-goer in love and they’ve all been hits. Her acting’s very subtle. That coupled with her casual style and attitude is what makes up Genelia’s allure.

Rumoured price: Rs 35 lakh. Coming up: Santosh Subramanyam with Jeyam Ravi and Satya in Love with Shivrajkumar.

Expert take: “She’s such a naughty girl and that’s translates on screen too,” says Kala. “Genelia’s very chilled out and laid-back and enjoys her work. She’s an extremely good artiste and human being.”

Courtesy: TimesOfIndia