From Ram Charan to R. Madhavan: Top South actors who had flop Bollywood debuts
Even well-known South Indian celebrities like R. Madhavan and Ram Charan were initially turned down by Bollywood. Hindi success was not assured by their blockbuster status in the south, frequently because of poor scripts or miscasting. With better-chosen roles, many later found success.
Ram Charan Ram Charan made his Bollywood debut with Zanjeer after his success in the Telugu film industry. This remake of the iconic 1973 Amitabh Bachchan movie was highly anticipated. But the movie didn't impress audiences, making it a commercial and critical failure.
2/8
Prabhas A cameo dance in the movie Action Jackson marked the "Baahubali" star's official debut in Hindi cinema. After that, Prabha starred in the popular action thriller Saaho, which was a Telugu and Hindi bilingual production. Even though the movie had a large budget and received a lot of publicity, its complicated plot and poor delivery led to widespread criticism, which impacted its box office performance.
3/8
Naga Chaitanya The actor made his Bollywood debut with Laal Singh Chaddha, starring alongside Aamir Khan. The film was a remake of the Hollywood classic Forrest Gump. Naga played the role of Bala, who was a friend to the main character. The actor’s performance received decent reviews, but on the other hand, the film was a box office disaster.
4/8
Vijay Deverakonda Known for his role in the movie Arjun Reddy, the actor made his first Bollywood appearance with the action film Liger. The film also starred Ananya Panday in the lead role, was produced by Karan Johar. The film was a commercial flop because of its weak storyline and also failed to connect with the audience.
Suriya Well-known Tamil actor Suriya, who went on to win a National Film Award for Soorarai Pottru, made his Hindi film debut in Ram Gopal Varma's political drama Rakta Charitra 2 (2010). The movie was released in Telugu and Hindi didn’t do well at the box office marking an average beginning for Suriya in the Bollywood film industry.
6/8
Vikram Raavan (2010), directed by Mani Ratnam, marked the Bollywood debut of Tamil actor Vikram, who is often referred to as "Chiyaan Vikram." The movie, which was released in both Tamil and Hindi, was a bilingual version of the epic Ramayana. Vikram portrayed a police officer in the Hindi adaptation, but this was not the main character. The movie was a commercial failure and received mixed to negative reviews, which hurt his Bollywood career.
7/8
R. Madhavan R. Madhavan made his Bollywood debut in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Main, which was a romantic drama movie. The movie initially had a slow start a the box office and later became a cult classic over the years with its music still being popular today. The movie was not a box office hit, making it an unsuccessful debut for the actor.
8/8
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salman made his Bollywood debut with Karwaan, which was released in 2018. The film had a star-studded cast, including Irfan Khan and Mithila Palkar. Though the film received positive reviews from the audience for its storyline and performance but it didn’t perform well at the box office, making it an unsuccessful debut for Dulquer.
![Prabhas A cameo dance in the movie Action Jackson marked the "Baahubali" star's official debut in Hindi cinema. After that, Prabha starred in the popular action thriller Saaho, which was a Telugu and Hindi bilingual production. Even though the movie had a large budget and received a lot of publicity, its complicated plot and poor delivery led to widespread criticism, which impacted its box office performance.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250920090805_debut-flop-two.jpg "Prabhas A cameo dance in the movie Action Jackson marked the "Baahubali" star's official debut in Hindi cinema. After that, Prabha starred in the popular action thriller Saaho, which was a Telugu and Hindi bilingual production. Even though the movie had a large budget and received a lot of publicity, its complicated plot and poor delivery led to widespread criticism, which impacted its box office performance.")
![Vikram Raavan (2010), directed by Mani Ratnam, marked the Bollywood debut of Tamil actor Vikram, who is often referred to as "Chiyaan Vikram." The movie, which was released in both Tamil and Hindi, was a bilingual version of the epic Ramayana. Vikram portrayed a police officer in the Hindi adaptation, but this was not the main character. The movie was a commercial failure and received mixed to negative reviews, which hurt his Bollywood career.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250920090747_debut-flop-six.jpg "Vikram Raavan (2010), directed by Mani Ratnam, marked the Bollywood debut of Tamil actor Vikram, who is often referred to as "Chiyaan Vikram." The movie, which was released in both Tamil and Hindi, was a bilingual version of the epic Ramayana. Vikram portrayed a police officer in the Hindi adaptation, but this was not the main character. The movie was a commercial failure and received mixed to negative reviews, which hurt his Bollywood career.")
