Bollywood stars may have now been forced to look beyond mainstream cinema with quality non-Hindi films being steadily churned out.

Once a stepchild of the mega buck Bollywood industry, regional cinema has been enjoying its time under the sun. And what's more, mainstream celebs have been looking at non-Hindi films with interest - not as remake opportunities, but as genuine cine buffs. Some of them have been going out of their way to push regional cinema and create awareness among movie-lovers.

Yesterday, Aamir Khan tweeted about how he is floored by upcoming Kannada film, 'Thithi', which was screened in the city recently. He wrote: "Hey guys, just saw one of the most amazing films I have seen in a long time! 'Thithi'. It's a Kanada film, with subtitles in English. It's an absolute MUST WATCH! It's releasing in theatres on 3rd June. Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE performance! And all non actors in the film. And how funny is it?!!! It's a little difficult to slot it into a genre, but it's really funny. Don't miss it. Love. a. (sic)."

Earlier, the star had tweeted in praise of Marathi blockbuster, 'Sairat', which has shattered all box office records in the state. So had Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Marathi cinema had also caught the attention of director Imtiaz Ali, who claims to regularly watch films in that language for its "fresh style of storytelling" and "poignant approach to filmmaking".

hitlist spoke to four young guns from the Hindi filmdom about the regional resurgence:

Richa Chadha | actress
As an actor, I am thrilled to find cinema that is so content-rich and entertaining. Bahubali and Sairat, in particular, have redefined the space of regional cinema. So, why should anyone not support them?


Arjun Kapoor | actor
It's always great to encourage and promote all kind of cinema. Language isn't a barrier when emotions connect. And Indian cinema is on the cusp of a revolution and regional talent is playing its part in improving the quality of films.

Bejoy Nambiar | filmmaker
I completely endorse the thought and if, as an audience, we are becoming more aware of cinema other than just Bollywood and Hollywood, it's definitely encouraging. Kalki Koechlin | actress
There has been amazing regional cinema in the last few years, especially Marathi films like 'Fandry', 'Court' and 'Killa'. Then there's 'Thithi' and 'Kaaka Muttai' from the South.