The South Indian film industry has delivered some of the most iconic blockbusters in Indian cinema, creating cinematic moments that are cherished for a lifetime. Collaborations between Bollywood stars and South filmmakers have become increasingly common, with actors like Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Raveena Tandon starring in some of the industry's biggest hits.

Speaking about the remarkable rise of South cinema, Raveena Tandon—who has acted in both Telugu and Kannada films—shared her thoughts on what’s driving this phenomenal growth.Raveena Tandon is making her return to Tamil cinema after 24 years with Lawyer, co-starring Vijay Antony. Speaking about her comeback, an excited yet nervous Raveena shared with Hindustan Times, “I’m thrilled, but also a bit anxious—I know I’ll need to brush up on my Tamil all over again.”Praising the South industry, she added, “I have always worked in the South industry, right from the beginning in ’92, because I always found their films intriguing. This is not that I'm saying now, you could pick up any of my interviews from the ’90s and I have said the same thing. Their stories are so deeply rooted with their culture and heritage, and they are not trying to serve the west. That’s why somehow most of their films are hits.

”“The films that I've done there, they still believe so much in their traditions and rituals. They are rooted at the ground level, which is very important to have a mass connect. They have a ratio of probably more hits, because of the reason that they cater to what their masses want, and they can identify it”, the actress added.Even after all these years, Raveena Tandon remains one of the few actors who continue to stay relevant and land substantial roles. Ask her the secret behind this longevity, and she candidly replies, “Honestly, I haven’t made a conscious effort to stay relevant. But in both life and career, what truly matters are the choices you make—and how much you’ve evolved as a person. If you’ve grown with the times, it shows. It’s really about maturity.

Some people remain stuck in their old ways of acting and thinking. But as a human being, you need to evolve first—and once that happens, the right choices tend to follow naturally.”