Remarkable actors/actresses do go through intense training specifically so you can’t tell how hard they’re working, so you can’t see the years and years of training that got them to this point. There is a disguised virtuosity in the complex craft of acting that doesn’t show itself in skilled acting. The goal of great actors ? To act so naturally—yes, acting naturally requires acting—that their skills are invisible quotes, Celebrated Entertainment Strategist Cum Film Advisor Hirav Shah, who is also the top influencer for the Film, Real Estate, Sports and Business World.
On that note, let’s discuss the Hirav Shah’s top 10 picks – leading actresses down south who are very successful today !
Table of Contents
1.Rashmika Mandanna
Photo Credit
Madhuram Videos, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rashmika Mandanna (born 5 April 1996) is an Indian film actress and model who works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada-language films. She is popularly dubbed by the media and Kannada film industry as the ‘Karnataka Crush’.
Past Work:
Mandanna made her acting debut in Kannada 2016 film Kirik Party. In 2017 she starred in two commercially successful films, Anjani Putra and Chamak. Later she made her Telugu debut with romantic drama Chalo in 2018.
Turning Point:
In 2018, she also starred in the romcom film Geetha Govindam, which has become one of the highest profit earners in Telugu cinema, which earned her wide recognition. Her third Telugu venture was the big budget film Devadas. It marked her third consecutive successful film in the same year in Tollywood.RashmikaMandanna is showing her supremacy in both Tollywood and Kollywood industries. She is one of the highly paid actress in South India after delivering some super hit blockbusters like “Geetha Govindam” (Telugu), “Kirik Party” (Kannada), “Dear Comrade” (Telugu), “SarileruNeekevvaru” (Telugu) etc. The media has sensationalized this beauty by calling her “Karnataka’s Official Crush”.
USP:
Mandanna is one among very few actresses to have a film gross ₹1 billion in such a short span, and she is one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in Telugu and Kannada cinema.Her films set to release in 2021 are Sultan (Tamil), Pogaru(Kannada ), Pushpa(Telugu) and Aadaalloo Meeku Johaarlu (Telugu).
2.Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu, now Samantha Akkineni (born- 28 April 1987 ) is the uncrowned queen of the South Indian film industry. She is one of the most sought-after actresses in the Telugu and Tamil industry.In fact, we believe that Samantha has transcended beyond the number game and her position will be unclaimed, at least for a couple of years!
Past Work
Right from her first movie “YemMaayaChesave” opposite her now husband Naga Chaitanya, Samantha has delivered consistently good performances and even won four filmfare awards.
Turning Point
Samantha became the second actress ever to win both the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress in the same year, for her performances in the films Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012) and Eega (2012). Since then, she has primarily opted to appear in the leading female role in hero-centric Telugu and Tamil films, earning box office success with films including Dookudu (2011), the family dramas Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2012) and Attarintiki Daredi (2013) and AR Murugadoss’s Tamil action film, Kaththi (2014). Her work in the film A Aa (2016) also won positive reviews and won Samantha her fourth Filmfare Award, while her next films Theri (2016), 24 (2016), Mersal (2017), and Rangasthalam (2018) also were commercially successful.
USP
Being able to speak both Tamil and Telugu, Samantha has often been cast in bilingual films and has juggled her commitments between the Tamil and Telugu film industries.Her upcoming projects for 2021 are Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal(Tamil), an untitled Aswin Saravanan project and Family Man-Season 2.
3.Nayanthara
Photo Credit
Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nayanthara(born-18 November 1984 ) is undoubtedly one of the most popular actresses in South India. Infact, her fans and even the media have given the title “Lady Superstar”, because of her acting prowess and the unique selection of movie scripts.
Past Work
She made her debut in 2003 in a Malayalam film and since then, there was no looking back for this beauty. She has a long list of successful movies like “Chandramukhi” (2005), “Adhurs” (2010), “Raja Rani” (2013), “Naanum Rowdy Dhaan” (20150, “PuthiyaNiyamam” (2016) etc. .
Turning Point
Her performance in Bapu’s “Sri Rama Rajyam” (2011) as Sita won her a Nandi Award and Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress.
USP: She was the only South Indian female actor to have made it to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 2018 list, with her total earning credited at ₹ 15.17 crores.Her upcoming films to be released in 2021 are Tamil Films-Netrikan, Annaatthe, Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal and Nizhal(Malayalam ).
4. Trisha Krishnan
Photo Credit
InandoutCinema, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Trisha Krishnan(born-4 May 1983) is a Chennai-based model and actress who has made her mark in the Telugu and Tamil industry with her immense talent and extraordinary looks.
Past Work
After appearing in a supporting role in the 1999 Tamil film Jodi, she had her first lead role in the 2002 film Mounam Pesiyadhe. She later rose to fame starring in the successful films, Saamy (2003), Ghilli (2004) and Aaru (2005) in Tamil cinema and Varsham (2004), Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005) and Athadu (2005) in Telugu cinema
Turning Point
She secured her first South Filmfare Best Actress Award for Varsham in 2004[9]. She went on to win the award two more times for Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005) and Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule (2007). In 2010, she made her Bollywood début in Khatta Meetha.[10] She was seen in her career best performances in Abhiyum Naanum (2008), Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), Kodi and ’96 (2018) for which she won critical acclaim and various accolades.
USP
She is having half a dozen releases lined up Paramapadham Vilayattu, Garjanai, Raangi, Sugar, Ponniyin Selvan (All Tamil Films ) and Ram (Malayalam).
5. Keerthy Suresh
Photo Credit
https://silverscreen.in, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Keerthy Suresh was born (born-17 October 1992 ) to Malayalam film producer and director G. Suresh Kumar and Tamil actress Menaka. She has an elder sister Revathy Suresh. Until class four, Keerthy did her schooling in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.[8] She then studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram before coming back to Chennai to join the Pearl Academy, where she completed her degree in fashion design. She also spent time on an exchange program in Scotland for four months, before completing a two-month internship in London. Despite making a career in acting, she has stated that she was also “seriously considering a career in designing”.Keerthy also plays the violin.
Past Work
She started her career as a child artist and returned back to the industry in 2013 with the Malayalam movie “Geethanjali”. Irrespective of how her movies fared, Keerthy’s performances were always appreciated and highlighted by the critics.
Turning Point
She went on to star in films such as Ringmaster (2014), Idhu Enna Maayam (2015), Rajini Murugan (2016), Remo (2016), Nenu Sailaja (2016), Bairavaa (2017), Nenu Local (2017), Thaana Serndha Kootam (2018), Mahanati (2018), Sandakozhi 2 (2018) and Sarkar (2018). She will be forever remembered for her role as the Great Savithri in “Mahanati” (Telugu, 2018).
USP
She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for portraying actress Savitri in the Telugu biopic film Mahanati (2018).
Marakkar : Arabikadalinte Simham(Malayalam) , Rang De(Telugu), Annaatthe(Tamil), Saani Kaayidham(Tamil) and Sarkaru Vaari Paata(Telugu) are her upcoming releases in three different languages.
6. Kajal Aggarwal
Photo Credit
Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kajal Aggarwal(born -19 June 1985) is an established South Indian actress who has a dominance in Telugu and Tamil industries. She is known for her strikingly good looks and of course, her natural acting skills. Kajal recently got married to entrepreneur Gautam Kitchlu.
Past Work
Aggarwal made her acting debut with the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na… and had her first Telugu film release in 2007, Lakshmi Kalyanam. In the same year, she starred in the box office hit Chandamama, which earned her recognition.
Turning Point
The 2009 historical fiction Telugu film Magadheera marked a turning point in her career, earning her critical acclaim. It ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time and fetched her Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies including Filmfare.
She subsequently starred in Telugu films such as Darling (2010), Brindavanam (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Naayak (2013), Baadshah (2013), Govindudu Andarivadele (2014), Temper (2015) and Khaidi No. 150 (2017).Kajal also played the female lead in the high-profile Tamil projects Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), Maattrraan (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Jilla (2014), Vivegam (2017) and Mersal (2017). She made a comeback to Hindi cinema with Singham (2011), which was a hit, while another film Special 26 (2013) was also a box office success.
USP
In 2020, a wax figure of Aggarwal was put on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore, making it the first of an actress from South Indian cinema.
Mosagallu (Telugu), Acharya(Telugu), Mumbai Saga(Hindi), Hey Sinamika(Tamil), Indian 2(Tamil) and Paris Paris (Tamil) are her upcoming projects including a Bollywood film, that her fans must be eagerly awaiting.
7. Anushka Shetty
Photo Credit
https://www.filmibeat.com/, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Anushka Shetty(born- 7 November 1981) is the Queen Bee of the South Indian Film industry. She is also one of the highest-paid actresses in Telugu and Tamil industries and even received many awards & accolades.
Past Work
She made her acting debut in Puri Jagannadh’s 2005 Telugu film Super,[2] and appeared in Mahanandi, released later the same year. The following year, she had four releases, the first being S. S. Rajamouli’s Vikramarkudu, which helped her gain recognition,[3] followed by Astram (a remake of the 1999 Hindi film Sarfarosh),[4] the Sundar C.-directed Rendu, (which marked her debut in Tamil cinema),[5] and a special appearance in AR Murugadoss’ Telugu film Stalin.[6] She had two releases in 2007: Lakshyam and Don.[7] In 2008, she appeared in six films, including Okka Magaadu, Swagatam and Souryam. In 2009, Shetty played two roles in the fantasy Arundhati.
Turning Point
Her stellar performances in the movies – “Arundhati”, “Bahubali” and “Bhagamathi” will be remembered forever by the audience. In fact, her fans and even the critics opine that no South Indian actress of today’s times have her commanding screen presence and nature flair for acting!
USP
She has received several accolades, including three CineMAA Awards, a Nandi Award, TN State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards from eight nominations. Anushka, who has appeared in over 50 films, is one of the highest-paid actresses in India[3] and is popularly referred as Lady Superstar of South Indian cinema.
8.Tamannaah
Photo Credit
Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Intro With Birthday
Tamannaah (Born-21 December 1989)
has created a sensation in the South Indian film industry with her drop-dead gorgeous looks and acting talent . She has delivered powerpacked performances in both Telugu and Tamil languages.She has been working since the age of 13, when she was spotted at her school’s annual day function and offered a lead role, which she took up, and then also became a part of Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre for a year.
Past Work
In 2005, she made her acting debut at the age of 15 in the Bollywood film Chand Sa Roshan Chehra and appeared in the Abhijeet Sawant album song “Lafzon main” from the album Aapka Abhijeet, which was also released in 2005, before working in Telugu cinema and Tamil cinema. In the same year, Tamannaah made her Telugu film debut in Sri, and the next year she appeared in her first Tamil movie, Kedi. In 2007, she starred in two college-life-based drama films, Happy Days in Telugu and Kalloori in Tamil.
Turning Point
The turning point in her life came due to release of her successful Tamil films- Ayan (2009), Paiyaa (2010), Siruthai (2011), Veeram (2014), Dharma Durai (2016), Devi (2016), Sketch (2018) and her Telugu films include 100% Love (2011), Oosaravelli (2011), Racha (2012), Thadaka (2013), Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Bengal Tiger (2015), Oopiri (2016), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), F2: Fun and Frustration (2019), and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019). She thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.
USP
She received the “Dayawati Modi” Award in 2017. She also received an honorary doctorate from CIAC, in association with KEISIE International University, South Korea for her contributions to Indian cinema.Her upcoming films are That is Mahalakshmi (Telugu), Bole Chudiyan(Hindi) and Seetimaarr (Telugu ).
9.Rakul Preet Singh
Photo credit
Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rakul Preet Singh(born-10 October 1990)is an Indian film actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films.She received three Filmfare Awards South nominations and won a SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu.
Past Work
She started career as a model while in college, during which she also made her acting debut in the Kannada film Gilli (2009). In 2011 she participated in the Femina Miss India pageant, in which she was placed fifth and won five pageant titles including People’s Choice Miss Indiatimes, Pantaloons Femina Miss Fresh Face, Femina Miss Talented, Femina Miss Beautiful Smile and Femina Miss Beautiful Eyes.
She subsequently opted to become a full-time actress, making her Telugu debut in Keratam the same year and her Tamil debut in Thadaiyara Thaakka, the following year. In 2014 she also made her Hindi debut in Yaariyan in which her performance was better received.
Turning Point
Her turning point came when she acted in the commercially successful films like Venkatadri Express (2013), Current Theega (2014), Rough (2014), Loukyam (2014), Kick 2 (2015), Sarrainodu (2016), Nannaku Prematho (2016), Dhruva (2016), Spyder (2017) and Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017).
USP
She is the only South Indian actress to be very active in Bollywood apart from her South Projects. Her upcoming films in 2021 are Attack(Hindi ), Ayalaan(Tamil), Sardar and Grandson(Hindi ), Check (Telugu ), Indian 2(Tamil) and untitled Krish project (Telugu )
10. Shriya Saran
.jpg)
Photo Credit
Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shriya Saran ( born-11 September 1982)also known as Shriya, is an Indian actress and model who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi language films. Saran was born in Dehradun and spent most of her childhood in Haridwar. In 2001, her dance master gave her the opportunity to appear in Renoo Nathan’s debut music video “Thirakti Kyun Hawa”, which brought Saran to the attention of many Indian filmmakers.
Past Work
Although Saran aspired to become a well-known dancer, she was offered a leading role. Thus, Saran made her film debut in 2001 with the Telugu film Ishtam, and had her first commercial success with Santhosham (2002).
Turning Point
Saran subsequently appeared in several more Telugu films while making in-roads in the Hindi and Tamil industries. In 2007, Saran starred in Sivaji, the highest-grossing Tamil film at that time. She also gained critical acclaim for her role in the 2007 Hindi film Awarapan. In 2008, Saran played the lead role in her first English film, the American–Indian co-production The Other End of the Line. Her following projects included popular films such as Kanthaswamy (2009) in Tamil and Pokkiri Raja (2010) in Malayalam — roles that established her as one of the leading actresses in the South Indian film industries.[4] In 2012, she was cast in the British–Canadian film Midnight’s Children, under the direction of Deepa Mehta, based on Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, for which she received international critical acclaim. She achieved further commercial success by starring in films such as Pavitra (2013) and Chandra (2013). In 2014, Saran starred in the critically acclaimed Telugu film Manam, which brought her accolades for her performance.
USP
Saran is an accomplished dancer. She was first trained as a child by her mother in Kathak and Rajasthani folk dance, and later trained in the Kathak style by Shovana Narayan.
She has a film releasing next year named Gamanam in 5 languages simultaneously like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. She has a lot of other projects lined up as well.
Conclusion
There are thousands of actresses running from pillar to post to reach to the top or get that one chance or break. despite having the needed talent and looks and despite being hard working.
We bet all of them wonder- ‘Am I on the right path’ ???
Well for them,
Moral and Astro-Strategical support is ‘Need Of The Hour’ – Concludes Hirav Shah, The Most Famous Entertainment Strategist cum Film Advisor Of India
