Asin on the rise... next with salman

INDIA – Asin Thottumkal must be heaving a big sigh of relief this week.

That big ensemble comedy, Housefull 2, despite the mauling from the critics, is considered a bona fide box-office hit. It made Rs43 crores (S$10.5 million) in its first weekend.

The actress, popularly known as Asin, can now frame that letter from director Sajid Khan which said: "Welcome to the biggest hit of your career."

Mr Khan's confidence aside, Asin was already doing pretty well for an actress who managed a hit with her debut Bollywood film – a remake of her Tamil hit of the same name, Ghajini – co-starring with the most serious of the Bollywood Khan trishula, Aamir.

She also shares good on-screen chemistry with the muscular Khan, Salman, in Ready, which was also a hit.

Mind you, working in Housefull 2 must have been a challenge for someone used to being the only leading lady in the cast… she had to share major screen time in what is essentially a testosterone-driven film.

But the doe-eyed actress who was in Singapore with the rest of the cast for the film's premiere, presented by SingTel at Resorts World Sentosa, told tabla! that she bonded with her female co-stars: Sri Lankan beauty queen Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan and Shahzahn Padamsee.

"We handled it by grouping together. We were co-sympathisers and co-supporters," she said.

It looked like she really bonded well with Jacqueline as they were thick as thieves during the press meet.

Asin also said she is enjoying her Bollywood career thus far. And, really, what is there to be unhappy about?

She is currently wrapping up her next film, another comedy titled Bol Bachchan, where she co-stars with Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Prachi Desai and she told tabla! it is due for a July 6 release.

And she will be co-starring once again with Salman in Most Wanted as well as with Shah Rukh Khan in a film based on Chetan Bhagat's novel Two States.

All this success is not surprising given that, since she made her acting debut in Sathyan Anthikkad's 2001 Malayalam film Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka, Asin has been logging up many hit films: The first was Telugu movie Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi in 2003 which garnered her a Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award; its remake M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi in 2004, her debut Tamil film, also became a big hit and won her another best actress gong at the South Filmfare Award.

Since then she has logged a number of Tamil blockbusters, holding her own against stars like Kamal Hassan in Dasavathaaram and Vijay in Pokkiri.

Her talent clearly shines in the Hindi cinema arena as Asin is already getting kudos for her acting chops.

Critic Taran Adarsh said of her role in Housefull 2: "Amongst the female leads, Asin has the meatiest role and gives a decent account of herself. Jacqueline, Shazahn and Zarine act more as eye candy."

While her Bollywood career is on a good trajectory, Asin is not letting go of her hold on south Indian cinema.

She claimed she is waiting for the right roles to come along: "I am waiting for something that has not been done by me. The south Indian film industry is my parent industry, that's what brought me this far."

As for catering to both north and south Indian audiences, well, it's a balancing act, according to her: "It is a tight rope walk, balancing the tastes the south Indian audiences as well as the north Indian audiences. But so far, so good.

Most Wanted's cast has not been finalized, so it's a rumor... I would love 2 see her with Salman in any film... 🥳

late 80's vs late 2000's.. That's a good 20 years gap!!