Actor Suniel Shetty has opened up about why he rarely signs films from the South despite being a familiar name across industries. Speaking at the Lallantop Adda 2025 in Delhi, the Bollywood star revealed that while he regularly receives offers from filmmakers in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, most roles pitched to him fall into one category: villains.

According to Suniel, a trend has emerged in South cinema where Bollywood actors are frequently cast as antagonists to amplify the hero’s on-screen presence. “I do get offers from the South,” he said. “But you will notice that most of them are negative roles. They want to cast the Hindi heroes as powerful… from an antagonistic point of view. That may work for the audience, but it’s something I don’t enjoy doing repeatedly.”

The actor clarified that this pattern is the primary reason he turns down most such projects. However, he has made notable exceptions, especially when the project holds personal significance. Suniel revealed that he agreed to appear in Rajinikanth’s Darbar solely to fulfil a long-cherished dream. “I did a film with Rajini sir only because I wanted to tick that box of having worked with him,” he said, calling it a milestone moment in his career.

He recently appeared in a cameo in the Tulu film Jai, which has become one of the most widely screened Tulu releases in recent years. Suniel took up the role purely to support regional cinema from Karnataka. “I wanted to encourage the film and my language,” he shared.

Discussing the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, Suniel added that language no longer limits a film’s success. He said, “Today, there is no language barrier. If any barrier exists, it’s due to content. Good content crosses all boundaries.”

On the work front, Suniel was seen in Hunter 2, Kesari Veer, and Nadaaniyan. He will next feature in the multi-starrer Welcome To The Jungle and is also gearing up for the highly anticipated Hera Pheri 3, expected to begin filming early next year.

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