South Actresses Shriya Saran, Genelia D' Souza and Asin Film's Diary

Beautiful women, they say, have an astounding propensity to draw attention. But 'drawing attention' takes on a totally different meaning in showbiz as Shriya Saran, Genelia D' Souza and Asin Thotumkal, would have found out. The stage has just gotten bigger for the leading ladies of South Indian cinema with offers luring them into national and even international reckoning. As they look to scale new heights,

SHRIYA 'BOMBSHELL' SARAN


Many believe that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder but with Shriya it's more a matter of seeing is believing! Call her voluptuous, curvaceous or simply sexy — she's made of all that triggers naughty thoughts. No wonder, she has salacious sentiments hurled at her but she's maintained her poise. With two Hollywood flicks lined up for release along with a Mission Istanbul in Bollywood, Shriya Saran seems all set for success and this time the noise, it seems, will be for all the right reasons!

STAR IS BORN A forgettable Ishtam. Got noticed in Santosham with Nagarjuna in Telugu. HIGHLIGHT: Sivaji with Rajnikanth in Tamil, dubbed in Hindi and Telugu. It's the highest grosser of South Indian cinema.

MOMENT OF RECALL: Faced charges for obscenity in Chennai for turning up in a knee-length dress! HOT MOVE: While Chennai cried hoarse over her alleged obscenity, Shriya remained incommunicado and went ahead to shoot the sensational mag cover in a bikini.

GENELIA, THE GIRL-NEXT-DOOR


The word 'vivacious' must've been invented for her! The cute girl-nextdoor comes with limitless energy and a melt-your-heart smile… Riding on the success of Ready, Mr Medhavi, Dhee, Bommarillu, Genelia is today one of the most bankable leading ladies down South. The chirpy, bubbly and earnest actress is what the old timers would call 'the kind you can take home to meet your mum!' With a clutch of high profile releases lined up, Genelia certainly is sitting pretty in Bollywood and has unwittingly challenged the position of Preity Zinta and her thin tribe.

STAR IS BORN Boys with Siddharth in Tamil. Was dubbed in Hindi and Telugu. HIGHLIGHT: Bommarillu, also with Siddhartha in Telugu. MOMENT OF RECALL: After playing Hasini, she's inspired parents to name their daughters after her. SMART MOVE: She got her foot into Mumbai much before the rest. Moving down South after her first two films in Bollywood didn't click was clever too. And now she's back and on top.

ASIN, AAMIR'S 'IT' GIRL


Her name means pure in Sanskrit. Her perfectly symmetrical features represent everything that is considered beautiful about the conventional South Indian woman. In fact she would make the perfect muse for a painter. She's got an hourglass, (of a different kind though) and has great screen presence. She wouldn't be playing the lead opposite Aamir Khan in the Hindi remake of Gajini if she didn't have that something. We hear, that Aamir insisted having her on board. The 22-yearold- has done over a dozen movies without a single flop so far.

STAR IS BORNAmma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi with Ravi Teja in Telugu HIGHLIGHT: Gajini in Tamil with Surya, was later dubbed in Telugu. MOMENT OF RECALL: She's on the cover of a celebrated international fashion magazine and is Aamir Khan's 'it' girl. SMART MOVE: She impressed the right people, read Aamir Khan! And more importantly, kept her cool when he called her. She also makes the transition from regional to national cinema look effortless.