Remo D'Souza: In 1974, Remo was born as a Hindu, identified as Ramesh Gopi in Palakkad. He did his schooling at Air Force School, Jamnagar in Gujarat. He was an athlete too and developed an interest in dance. After he fell in love with a Mumbai based costume designer and an Anglo-Indian woman he converted and changed his name to Remo D'Souza after his wedding. This artist with Malayali roots is the most sought-after dance choreographer in Bollywood.
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Vidya Balan: She too is from Palakkad and has carved a niche for herself in Bollywood where directors seek her out for female-centric films. The 41-year-old actress first appeared in the TV serial Hum Paanch. She got a break in films much later and debuted with a Bengali film. However, her role in Parineeta and Lage Raho Munna Bhai cemented her position in Bollywood and she went on to do films like Paa, No One Killed Jessica, Kahani and Dirty Picture. She has also won a National Award. This actress with an Iyer background has made Malayalis proud with her achievements.
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Malaika-Amrita Arora: Actress Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora are well known Bollywood faces. But fans knew very little about their Malayali connection. The sisters born in the 1970s may have studied and found a career in Mumbai but their love to connect with their roots surfaces every now and then. The actresses’ mother Joyce Polycarp is a Keralite who married Punjabi Anil Arora. Both sisters recently visited their mother's home for Onam.
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John Abraham: The 1972 born actor from Mumbai (Bombay) has a connection with Syrian Catholic in Kerala as well as Parsi Community of Mumbai. His father is from Kerala. The actor who was first a model would visit his paternal grandparents' house. He says he loved the appam served here and feels great about different communities coexisting without much trouble.
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Asin Thottumkal: The 34-year-old actress born in Cochin in 1985 has her mother's support in everything she did. To support her dreams, her mother, a surgeon, moved to Chennai and to Mumbai to ensure Asin found a place in the film industry. The actress is from the Syro-Malabar Christian family. The actress made her debut with a Malayalam movie in 2001. However, her success came in 2008 with Gajani in Tamil opposite Suriya. The remake in Hindi starring Amir Khan allowed the actress to venture into Bollywood too as the makers decided to retain the leading lady for the remake. The actress has acted with leading actors in Tamil and Bollywood which includes Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Amir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.
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