There was a time when south Indian filmmakers functioned with marginal success in Bollywood.

Big names from Tamil and Telugu cinema like S.S. Vasan, L.V. Prasad and A. Subba Rao made many successful films during the 1950s and 60s.

In the 1980s, faithful recycling of Tamil and Telugu flicks by K. Raghavendra Rao and K. Bappiah, most of them featuring Jeetendra in the lead, were the order of the day. But none succeeded to the extent that they could threaten the hegemony of the Mumbai stalwarts.

In the recent past, big names from southern Indian cinema like K. Balachander, Bharathi Raja and Bapu who have virtually re-written the codes of Tamil-Talugu couldn't establish themselves as names to reckon with in Mumbai.

Even the mighty Mani Ratnam who is considered by many movie aficionados to be the ultimate Indian moviemaker faltered badly in Hindi. First the admirable "Dil Se" and then the rich and fascinating "Yuva" both slumped at the box office, leaving Ratnam awfully confused about his supposed supremacy as a visionary.

If Ratnam is really the best, how come Hindi-speaking audiences don't find him good enough to give his films a thumbs-up all over the country?

Another southern Indian filmmaker has emerged a clear winner in the nationwide sweepstakes. Priyadarshan has an interestingly chequered career in Hindi. Though earlier on he made remarkably textured Hindi films like "Muskurahat", "Kala Pani" and "Saat Rang Ke Sapne", success came to him in Bollywood a few years ago with the freak comic hit "Hera Pheri".

At a time when everyone thought comedies don't click Priyadarshan has proved the cynics wrong not just once but thrice over. After "Hera Pheri" and "Hungama", Priyadarshan has just delivered more mirth. "Hulchal" is all set to be one of the biggest hits of the year. It completes a hat trick of comic hits for Priyadarshan.

But his next venture tentatively titled "Rang" isn't a comic film. Featuring the director's new favourite Kareena Kapoor with Salman Khan, it's going to a serious look at the relationship between a doctor and her mentally disturbed patient. Says an actor who has worked repeatedly with Priyadarshan: "It's stupid of him to move away from comedy when farce is obviously his forte. No one will accept him in a non-comedy mould now."

Famous southern Indian filmmakers of the past, however, were known and recognised for their versatility. No two films of L.V. Prasad were similar in content. Should Priyadarshan tow the line only to cling on to his hard-found success? Will he remain our only successful southern Indian filmmaker in Bollywood?

The rule of the Punjabi brigade of filmmakers in Bollywood has been broken only by Ram Gopal Varma in the true sense so far. The filmmaker from Hyderabad not only broke all the ground rules of Bollywood but also invented his own rules of success. His new dream film "Naach" didn't do well. But Varma is going right ahead making the kind of films he believes in. Would Priyadarshan exercise the same kind of creative freedom to join Varma as the only successful Hindi filmmaker from the south in recent years?