From Mahesh Babu to Prabhas and NTR Jr, the heroes who ruled Telugu cinema in 2015

Some of the heroes of Telugu cinema ensured not only that they entertained the audience with their acting ability, but also worked on good scripts and made their producers money.

Latha Srinivasan

Updated : Dec 19, 2015, 10:37 AM IST

The Telugu film industry has had some wonderful releases in 2015. There have been many big as well as small films that saw success. Some of the heroes of Telugu cinema ensured not only that they entertained the audience with their acting ability, but also worked on good scripts and made their producers money. Here’s a look at the top five heroes of Tollywood in 2015.

Mahesh Babu

The Prince of Tollywood is known for his blockbusters rather than his failures. Mahesh Babu is an actor who takes it personally when a film fails and in 2014, his film bombed at the box office. But 2015 was his year as he came back with a bang with Srimanthudu. This movie collected Rs 150 crore at the box office turning out to be one of the biggest hits in his career. The actor is a star and idol to his fans and he realises the responsibility he carries on his shoulders. In fact, during the audio release of Srimanthudu in July this year, the star got on stage and said, “You are always in my heart. I disappointed you the last time (Aagadu) so if you think I made a mistake, please forgive me.” The audience was stunned, but this humility is what makes Mahesh Babu the superstar of Telugu cinema.

The Prince of Tollywood - Mahesh Babu

Prabhas

Before SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning, actor Prabhas was known only in Telugu cinema. Since 2012, he has also been doing just one film a year. But Baahubali has changed everything. Today, the 36-year-old is a global star who has fans worldwide. The Rs 600-core grossing film by director SS Rajamouli has catapulted him into the global arena and his career is likely to take a different trajectory post the release of the second part of the film. In fact, we hear Hindi filmmakers are waiting to sign him now.

Actor Prabhas

NTR Jr.
The son of politician Nandamuri Harikrishna and nephew of AP CM Chandrababu Naidu has done 27 films since he started his career. In 2015, it was Puri Jagganadh’s Temper that saw him shine. The movie grossed nearly Rs 70 crore at the box office and proved that NTR Jr is a big draw that BO yet again.

Actor NTR Jr

Rana Daggubati

This 31-year-old handsome hunk has been in the Indian film industry for just five years now, but he made his mark. Rana Daggubati had four film releases in 2015 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. But it was his portrayal of Bhallala Deva in SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning that got everyone’s attention. His role in this film had negative shades, but with his acting, physique and good looks, the actor won the hearts of all (especially the women). People are now looking forward to the second part of Baahubali.

Actor Rana Daggubati

Nani

This actor had three releases in 2015 - Janda Pai Kapiraju, Yevade Subramanyam and Bhale Bhale Magadivoy – and also put in some cameos. But it was Nani’s Bhale Bhale Magadivoy that turned out to be a superhit with critics and audience raving about the film. It made more than US $1 million at the US box office and turned out to be the biggest blockbuster in his career. 2015 has definitely been special for him.

Nani
Actor Nani