The actress pooh poohs the presumption that she is only interested in working in Hindi films
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; July 19, 2017)

Ileana D’Cruz started her film career in the South in 2006 with a Telugu film, and even won the Best Debut award that year. She has done over 15 films (including Kannada and Tamil) and has worked with the top heroes there. But ever since she made her Bollywood debut with Barfi (2012), the actress hasn’t done a film down South.

She has two releases coming up, with Mubarakan releasing next week, says, “I am not doing any South film right now, but I would love to. I did get offered a couple of films, but they didn’t work out because of terms and conditions, creative problems or something else. We would finish films so quickly there. I have done four films a year there. I remember attending Chiranjeevi’s birthday last year, and I met a lot of my former co-stars and I remember the one I love the most is Ravi (Teja). I did Kick with him in South and he was so sweet and he was like ‘Why aren’t you doing films here’ and I asked him ‘Why isn’t anyone offering me films anymore?’ He said, ‘We all think you don’t want to work here anymore.’ Why would they think that?”

She further adds, “I have not gone on record and said that I do not want to work. He said, ‘Yes, you know how it is here, they think it’s a step up and once you start acting in Hindi films, then actors are not interested in South films’.

Even with Bollywood that happens to a certain degree. Makers think when an actress gets into Hollywood, then she won’t be interested in Hindi films anymore. They assume that the actors are too big for Bollywood now. I don’t know why that is. But let me state this: I would love to do a South film.”