Highlights:
- Tamannaah says she views dance tracks as “party songs,” not “item songs.”
- She praised Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif for creating iconic performances.
- The actor described South cinema as having a “patriarchal sort of vibe.”
- Tamannaah began her rise to stardom through Telugu and Tamil films before succeeding in Bollywood.
- She believes female stars in South Indian cinema often face stricter expectations than their Hindi-film counterparts.
For more than two decades, Tamannaah Bhatia has been one of the few Indian actors to successfully navigate multiple film industries, building a career that spans Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil cinema. Now, the actor is opening up about the realities of working across those industries, from the lasting impact of dance numbers to the gender dynamics she says continue to shape commercial filmmaking in South India.
Speaking to Forbes India, Tamannaah reflected on her career, her relationship with glamour, and the challenges female actors face in balancing performance-driven roles with the demands of mainstream commercial cinema.
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While many popular dance tracks in Indian films are often labeled “item songs,” Tamannaah said she has never viewed them that way. Instead, she believes they function as cultural touchstones that often become more memorable than the films in which they appear.
Drawing on examples from Bollywood, she pointed to performances by Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif that have remained embedded in popular culture years after their releases.
“Like when I see Kareena or Katrina do songs in a film… You might not remember those movies, but you will always remember a ‘Chammak Challo’, ‘Shiela Ki Jawani’ or ‘Kamli’. You remember these songs that these wonderful women have done. They look like goddesses, they move like goddesses. They are just beauty personified. They are graceful and they really celebrate themselves.”
According to Tamannaah, the enduring popularity of such songs stems from their ability to connect with audiences across generations. Whether at weddings, family gatherings, or celebrations, these tracks continue to bring people together long after a movie leaves theaters.
“I have seen everyone, from elderly uncles to grandmoms to kids to everyone just dancing on them. It’s a party number, it’s a dance number. So for me, that’s how I look at this space. I don’t look at it like an item because I feel these eventually become party songs,” she said.
Tamannaah’s perspective is informed by her own experience performing in some of Indian cinema’s biggest dance numbers. She explained that glamour is not something she adopts solely for the camera but an intrinsic part of her personality.
“For me, glamour is very innate. I wake up wanting to feel glamorous. It’s not something that I am doing just for the camera because now I am just like… This is a part of me. I can’t get rid of it. This is a great way to channel it. And I enjoy it and love it.”
The actor also emphasized the creative work that goes into such performances. Discussing “Aaj Ki Raat” from Stree 2, she said she approached the song through the lens of her character, Shama. Similarly, for “Ghafoor” from The Ba***ds of Bollywood, she imagined herself as a woman attending an after-party.
“It’s borderline comical because ‘Ghafoor’ did not have sexy steps, but it had a very glamorous vibe, but the steps were not like that,” she said.
Perhaps the most revealing part of the conversation centered on the differences Tamannaah has observed between Bollywood and South Indian cinema.
Before becoming a pan-Indian star, Tamannaah built her career primarily in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. After making her screen debut as a teenager, she found major success in South Indian cinema through films that established her as one of the industry's leading commercial stars. Her popularity in Telugu and Tamil cinema eventually paved the way for major Bollywood projects, making her one of the rare actors to sustain relevance across multiple industries simultaneously.
Reflecting on those experiences, Tamannaah suggested that Bollywood often provides actors with greater freedom to choose between artistic and commercial paths.
“In the Hindi film industry, there are two kinds of actors. Those who have a little more artistic take on things, are better off playing certain kinds of characters. They might not certainly do a glamorous song and dance. The Hindi film industry actually gives you the opportunity to do either/or, and the ones who do both inevitably become superstars,” she said.
By contrast, Tamannaah argued that commercial South Indian cinema has historically placed female actors within a more restrictive framework.
“When I entered the south industry, I understood why people might call it many names. Like it’s a very specific gaze. It’s a patriarchal sort of vibe or it’s a gaze that’s not very complimentary. I felt like I had understood the musical aspect of it.”
Her comments touch on a long-running debate within Indian cinema regarding the portrayal of women on screen. Critics have often argued that commercial films, particularly in male-star-driven industries, frequently frame female characters through a male perspective, emphasizing appearance and glamour over agency or narrative depth.
Tamannaah stopped short of condemning the industry outright, noting that her observations stem from personal experience. However, she acknowledged that female actors often face unique pressures if they want longevity in South cinema.
“The south needed to have that star quality to be able to pull that off, so I personally feel like that cinema is as or more restrictive in that sense. I am talking about when you sort of want to make it from a commercial standpoint. This is my personal experience. I am sure it’s different for different people, but I am talking about people who have had a long career even within female actors who have extended for say 10-15 years. They have been able to fit into performance-oriented roles and at the same time, they have been able to do commercial song and dance.”
Her remarks arrive amid renewed discussions about the portrayal of women in Indian cinema following criticism of promotional material for Peddi, starring Janhvi Kapoor and Ram Charan. The controversy prompted edits to certain scenes and a public apology from director Buchi Babu Sana.
For Tamannaah, however, the conversation is not about rejecting glamour or commercial entertainment. Instead, it is about recognizing the complexities female actors navigate while balancing artistic ambitions, audience expectations, and industry realities—an experience she has managed to sustain across more than 20 years in the spotlight.
