Very few are aware that Urmila Matondkar, the glam queen of Bollywood, made her debut as heroine opposite Kamal Haasan in the Malayalam film Chanakyan.  Pooja Batra was a nobody in Bollywood till Priyadarshan directed Chandralekha  happened to her. Her major breakthrough in Hindi films - Virasat  - followed soon after. Her affair with Malayalam movies like that of many others, however, continued unabated. Tabu, Juhi Chawla, Nandita Das and Anjala Zhaveri to name a few, are among those who have made a beeline for Malayalam films.

One begins to wonders about this influx in Malayalm cinema as heroines can never hope to be paid as much as in Hindi or even other regional films. The only major attractant can then be the undisputed thematic and technical superiority of Malayalam cinema in India. The professional and dedicated attitude of filmmakers here, which helps in timely wrap up of schedules, and payments as well, also serve as a major plus.

Lately, the entry of directors and cameramen like Priyadarshan, Rajeev Menon, Rajeev Kumar, Shaji Karun, Santosh Sivan and Madhu Ambat from Kerala into Bollywood has also resulted in Hindi actresses getting film offers in Kerala. Moreover, these heroines also see Kerala filmdom's hi-tech directors and their cameramen as a passport to better Hindi offers. One Malayalam film, Kaala Paani,  with Priyadarshan, for instance, secured for Tabu Virasat  and Hera Pheri  in Hindi and Cover Story, her second Mal film.

Malayalam trade however views the import of Mumbai girls more as an indication of the diminishing importance of heroines in films rather than import of better talent. With the domination of hero-centric films where heroines have limited scope for performance, Mal directors prefer to opt for out-of-work heroines from Mumbai. Top rung heroines of Bollywood like Karishma Kapoor or Rani Mukherjee have never acted in a Malayalam movie because of the low price factor. Juhi Chawla, who had acted in Harikrishnans  with Mohanlal and Mammootty had done it at a time when she was slipping down the ladder in Hindi and was on the verge of matrimony.

Fresh and glamourous look rather than acting talent remains to be the main criterion for selection of Mumbai heroines. In fact, Smita Patil in Chidambaram,  directed by the award winning G Aravindan is the only instance of a Mumbai actress who was not selected for her glamour. Rather she suited the role of tribal girl Shivakami to the tee.

Sometimes the selection is allegedly made to please the film's hero. Veteran comedian Jagathy, for instance, had reportedly complained that Juhi was selected in Harikrishnans  because the producer, director and others were interested in pleasing the superstars and not because of the need for a Mumbai girl to do the role. Even actress Urvashi feels that Mumbai heroine fixation is totally unwarranted. However, director Priyadarshan justifies it as freshness vis-à-vis routine faces. Of course in the process of promoting variety, it is the native heroines who get a raw deal. While a Malayalam film heroine gets paid Rs 5 - 7 lakh for a film her Mumbai counterpart commands Rs 10 lakh plus hotel and STD bills. Are Mumbai actresses really to be blamed for this situation?

Even heroines from other south Indian languages make their way into Malayalam movies when they lose their market in their native states. Ravali, Roja, Sanghavi and others made inroads into Malayalam cinema once their market in Tollywood started slipping. Moreover even Malayalam actresses like Vani Vishwanath and Meena never cared to do Malayalam films when the going was good for them in Tamil and Telugu films.