Bollywood stars head south

Bollywood's top actors are heading south because movies made in Madras and Kerala provide larger pay packets than those made in Bombay.

Tabu is the latest in a long line of south-bound actors, and is currently acting in a remake of the Robin Williams hit Mrs Doubtfire. Her co-star is South Indian superstar Kamal Hasan.

'It is exciting to be recognised and accepted in different languages,' Tabu said.

'Besides, I don't see so much of a difference between films made in Bombay and in the south. It is fusion.' Some say it is more like confusion.

'Hindi hits are remade in Tamil, and vice versa,' says a Madras-based film critic. 'It is all very chaotic and confusing.' Top stars such as Karishma Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Raveena Tandon have appeared in a string of South Indian blockbusters.

They often lip-sync the language, without understanding what the words mean.