Tollywood stars then and now

Most of our favourite celebrities of Tollywood have been in the industry for years now. Right from the film that marked their debut in the film industry to their latest outings, they all have come a very long way. Not only in terms of their career graphs and performances but also the way they look and their personality as a whole. Here we take a look at how some celebs have changed over the years...

Power Star Pawan Kalyan, younger brother of Mega Star Chiranjeevi, is a film legend. He was encouraged by his brother’s wife Surekha to foray into the film industry. The actor-cum-politician made his debut in the 1996 film ‘Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi’, directed by EVV Satyanarayana. Later on, he starred in consecutive hits such as ‘Suswagatham’, ‘Tholi Prema’, ‘Thammudu’, ‘Badri’ and ‘Kushi’. He has created his own style by the release of ‘Kushi’, which was an industry hit at the box-office. Most recently he appeared in the Trivikram Srinivas directorial film ‘Agnyaathavaasi’. Now, active in politics as well, the actor is still going strong.

Mahesh Babu was young and fresh-faced in ‘Raja Kumarudu’ (1999), but it was his role in the 2003 film ‘Okkadu’ that stole our hearts. People got thrilled by his charm in his first film. He gradually developed his acting prowess and made a niche for himself in the south Indian film industry. Since then Mahesh became a household name and went on to star in several blockbuster hits such as ‘Murari’, ‘Athadu’, ‘Pokiri’, ‘Dookudu’, ‘Businessman’ and ‘Srimanthudu’. He’s also remembered by cult film audiences for his role in ‘1: Nenokkadine’.

Hailing from Nandamuri clad, Jr NTR never failed in showing his acting dexterity so far. Even though his movie does not reach the expectations, he definitely makes his mark without any doubt. He was a young star in the 2001 film ‘Ninnu Choodalani’. Whenever people saw him on the big screen, they remembered their favourite yesteryear star Viswa Vikhyata Nata Sarwabhouma Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. He starred in several hit films such as ‘Aadi’, ‘Simhadri’, ‘Yamadonga’, ‘Brindavanam’, ‘Temper’, ‘Nannaku Prematho’ and ‘Jai Lava Kusa’. His passion in these roles turned him into a heartthrob for the younger generation.

Being a star kid, Mega Power Star Ram Charan forayed into the film industry with massive fame. He made his debut in ‘Chirutha’ (2007), directed by Puri Jagannadh. The movie was a super hit and from there, his career skyrocketed with smash hits like ‘Magadheera’, ‘Racha’, ‘Nayak’, ‘Yevadu’ and ‘Dhruva’. He recently starred in the Sukumar directorial film ‘Rangasthalam’, was a ground-breaking hit and he was simply brilliant in the role of Chitti Babu. No one can expect such performance from Ram Charan and he nailed it. With this thunderous hit, no one can stop him in the world of cinema.

Stylish star Allu Arjun’s long career started in 2003 film ‘Gangotri’ to be directed by K Raghavendra Rao. He starred in ‘Arya’ (2004) which was one of the most successful films of all time. He continues to star in the world of cinema by showing his acting prowess in hits films like ‘Happy’, ‘Desamuduru’, ‘Parugu’, ‘Julai’, ‘Iddarammayilatho’, ‘Race Gurram’, ‘S/o Satyamurthy, ‘Sarrainodu’, and ‘Duvvada Jagannadham’. Each of these roles paved the way for him to become the biggest star in South India that he is today.

Prabhas is an international superstar now. He began his career with the 2002 film ‘Eeswar’ and his last outing ‘Baahubali’ series was magnificent hits. The SS Rajamouli directorial film brought in millions of dollars internationally. Before he was ‘Baahubali’, Prabhas was just another young actor trying to make it in Tollywood. In between these films, Prabhas was starred in many hit flicks such as ‘Varsham’, ‘Chatrapathi’, ‘Pournami’, ‘Darling’, ‘Mr Perfect’, and ‘Mirchi’. With these films, he has emerged the biggest action stars of Tollywood and these roles cemented him as a superstar.