The Hindi or Bollywood film industry is at the top in terms of movie production and box office revenue. The South Indian film industry is the most successful in terms of earnings and movie production. Here are the Top 99 South Indian Heroes, not in a particular order.
#99: John Victor Kennedy
One of the most recognized actors in Tamil films is John Victor Kennedy. He has received awards such as Tamil Nadu State Film Award, Filmfare Awards South, and a National Film Award.
#98: Saravanan Sivakumar
With the screen name Suriya, Saravanan Sivakumar has received several recognitions from various award-giving bodies.
#97: Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar is a South Indian actor who has a sizable fan base worldwide and is one of the highest-paid actors in India. He also played the lead role in 65 films.
#96: Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun is one of the highest-paid actors in Southern India. He became a household name in the region because of his outstanding performance in “Arya,” a Sukumar cult classic.
#95: Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju
Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju whose screen name is Prabhas is one of the highest-paid actors and is included in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100. His breakthrough film is “Varsham.”
#94: Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu
An Indian film producer and actor Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu is an uncle of Prabhas. He rose to fame because of his successful movies such as “Bhakta Kannapa,” and “Trishulam.”
#93: Naveen Kumar Gowda
With the screen name Yash, Naveen Kumar Gowda stars in Kannada Films. He rose to fame because of his caliber performance in “Googly,” wherein he is the leading actor.
#92: Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu with the screen name Mahesh Babu is the son of Krishna. Like his father, Mahesh works mainly in Telugu Cinema. Heis also a producer who owns his own production company, G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment.
#91: Karthik Sivakumar
Karthik Sivakumar has received an Edison Award, a SIIMA Award, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, and three Filmfare Awards South.
#90: Vishal Krishna Reddy
Vishal Krishna Reddy, otherwise known as Vishal, is a famous South Indian actor and film producer who owns his own production company Vishal Film Factory.
#89: Konidela Ram Charan Teja
Konidela Ram Charan Teja is also known as Ram Charan, He is one of the highest-paid actors in the South India. He is also a producer who mainly works on Telugu films.
#88: Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is one of the most famous South Indian actors, he works mainly in Tamil films. He is also a professional car racer and has participated in international racing competitions.
#87: Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., known as NTR is one of the highest-paid actors in Telugu films. He came from a family of actors; his grandfather was a matinee idol during his prime years in the entertainment industry.
#86: Ravi Teja
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju, also known as Ravi Teja, is one of South Indian cinema’s highest-paid actors. He is best known for his roles in comedy movies. He is also a movie producer for the Telugu film industry.
#85: Jamshad Cethirakath
Jamshad Cethirakath goes, by the stage name Arya, appeared in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 for 2015, a list of the Indian celebrities with the highest salaries.
#84: Deverakonda Vijay Sai
Deverakonda Vijay Sai has received a SIIMA Award and a Filmfare Award.
#83: Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas
Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas, son of Telugu film producer Bellamkonda Suresh was known for his character in the comedy film “Alludu Seenu,” where he earned various prestige and various awards.
#82: Pawan Kalyan
Konidela Kalyan Babu, also known as Pawan Kalyan in the entertainment industry, comes from a family of actors and politicians. He became president of a political party, Yuvarajyam.
#81: Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao
Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao has won two National Film Awards, three Filmfare South Awards, and nine state Nandi Awards. He got a Special Mention on Ninne Pelladata, which won Best Feature in Telugu Film.
#80: Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, known by his stage name Dhanush has appeared in 46 films and garnered several awards, including four National Film Awards, 14 SIIMA Awards, and five Edison Awards.
#79: Nivin Pauly
Nivin Pauly is a South Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam films. His debut film, “Neram,” paved his way to Tamil stardom, wherein he received Best Male Debut award.
#78: Akkineni Naga Chaitanya
Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, also known as Naga Chaitanya in the South Indian Telugu entertainment industry. He appeared in various successful films such as “100% Love,” and “Love Story.”
#77: Daggubati Venkatesh
Daggubati Venkatesh is one of the major actors in Telugu films with his almost four decades in the South Indian film industry. He is born to a family in film production and politics.
#76: Ramanaidu "Rana" Daggubati
Ramanaidu “Rana” Daggubati is one of the few who can portray various roles, from leading roles to supporting characters, because of his versatility in acting.
#75: Mohan Ravi
Mohan Ravi is a South Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil Films. He is born to a family who works in the entertainment industry. He began his career in acting when he was a kid.
#74: Ranganathan Madhavanis
Ranganathan Madhavanis, known as Ranganathan Madhavan in Tamil and Hindi films. Aside from being one of the most famous actors in South Indian films, he is also a director, producer, and screenwriter.
#73: Nithin Kumar Reddy
Nithin Kumar Reddy, also known as Nithiin, has been recognized for his efforts with two Filmfare Awards for Best Actor-Telugu nominations and one Filmfare Award.
#72: Akhil Akkineni
Akhil Akkineni has won two South Filmfare Awards. He serves as the team captain for the Celebrity Cricket League’s Telugu Warriors cricket team.
#71: Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu
Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu, also known as Vishnu Manchu, works as an actor and producer in Telugu films. He co-owns a production company, 24 Fames Factory, and is the chairman and founder of New York Academy.
#70: Jai Sampath
Jai Sampath is a South Indian actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. Sampath gained prominence because of his outstanding performance in the hit movie, “Subramaniapuram.”
#69: Amar Choudary
Amar Choudary, also known as Jiiva, is the first Tamil actor to have won an award at the Cyprus International Film Festival after Sivaji Ganesan, especially for his role in Raam.
#68: Bobby Simha
Jayasimha goes by the stage name Bobby Simha. His performance as Madurai mobster Sethu in Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda later won him plaudits from the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
#67: Atharvaa Murali
Atharvaa Murali has won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Tamil for his breakthrough portrayal of a rural villager.
#66: Arun Vijay
Arun Vijay’s screen name was Arun Kumar when he joined the South Indian entertainment industry, specifically in Tamil cinema. His career was not successful at first, so he decided to change his name to his given name, which is Arun Vijay, and achieved prominence as an actor.
#65: Vijay Antony
Vijay Antony is one of the most famous South Indian actors in Tamil cinema. He gained prominence not only because of his versatility as an actor but also as a musician, audio engineer, and playback editor.
#64: Vishal Kudawla
Vishal Kudawla, also known in the entertainment industry as Vishnu Vishal, is a South Indian actor and producer who predominantly performs in Tamil films. His role in “Ratsasan,” a psychological thriller, pave his way to stardom.
#63: Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar. T. R.
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar. T. R., also known as Simbu, started acting when he was a little child in South indian movie made by his father, T.
#62: Ram Pothineni
Ram Pothineni made his feature film debut, With Devadasu, and took home the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut-South.
#61: Tottempudi Gopichand
Tottempudi Gopichand is a South Indian actor who mainly works in Telugu action films. T. Krishna is Gopichand’s father, who is a filmmaker in Telugu cinema.
#60: Ghanta Naveen Babu
Ghanta Naveen Babu goes by the stage name Nani and has received two Filmfare Best Actor nominations, one Filmfare Critics Best Actor Award, two state Nandi Awards, and the Best Hero medal at 2013 After Dark Film Festival in Toronto.
#59: Sudeep Sanjeev
Sudeep Sanjeev, also known as Sudeepa, is a South Indian actor who mainly works in Kannada films. He has been included in the Forbes list of the top 100 highest-paid Indian actors for several years, starting in 2013.
#58: Sivakarthikeyan
Sivakarthikeyan has received two Vijay Awards, four Edison Awards, four SIIMA Awards, and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
#57: Panja Sai Dharam Tej
Panja Sai Dharam Tej won the SIIMA Award and CineMAA Award for Best Male Debut in his acting debut in Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham.
#56: Prithviraj Sukumaran
Prithviraj Sukumaran has worked in Tamil fIlm industry, Telugu, and Hindi. He played in over 100 movies and won numerous honors.
#55: Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan is a very famous South Indian actor who works with Malayalam films. Aside from being a versatile actor, he is also a singer ang film producer.
#54: Konidela Varun Tej
Konidela Varun Tej performs as an Indian actor in Telugu movies. In the movie Hands Up!, directed by his father, Nagendra Babu.
#53: Siddharth Suryanarayan
Siddharth Suryanarayan also known as Siddhart in the South Indian entertainment industry. Aside from being a famous actor, he is also a screenwriter, singer, and film producer.
#52: Darshan Thoogudeepa
Darshan Thoogudeepa founded the production company Thoogudeepa Productions in 2006.
#51: Vimal
Vimal played the lead part in Pandiraj’s critically praised film Pasanga after making acknowledged appearances and playing a supporting role in the movie Kanchivaram.
#50: Srinivasa "Arjun" Sarja
Srinivasa “Arjun” Sarja is a South Indian actor who works in Tamil films. Aside from being coined “Action King,” Sarja is also a director and producer.
#49: Naga Shaurya
Naga Shaurya is a famous South Indian actor who works mainly with Telugu films. He struggled for five years doing auditions before he got his first role. He is also a writer and producer.
#48: Meka Srikanth
Meka Srikanth is one of the most famous actors in South India who works primarily on Telugu films. For his over three decades of being in the entertainment industry, Srikanth has performed in 120 movies since 1991.
#47: Sharwanand Myneni
Sharwanand Myneni is a well-known South Indian actor who works in Telugu and Tamil films. His appearance in the Thumbs Up commercial paved the way to his stardom.
#46: Upendra Rao
Upendra Rao, otherwise known as Upendra in Kannada films of Southern India is an actor, producer, writer, and politician.
#45: Vikranth Santhosh
Vikranth Santhosh made appearances in several romantic drama movies. He moved on to work on more significant motion picture projects.
#44: Sarathkumar Ramanathan
Sarathkumar Ramanathan, one of the most famous South Indian actors, has appeared in more than 130 films throughout her three-decade career in the entertainment industry. He is also a singer, filmmaker, and politician.
#43: Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Rao Chowdary
Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Rao Chowdary, known by his screen name Jagapathi Babu predominantly works in Telugu films. However, he appeared in several film industries in Southern India. Throughout his three-decade career as an actor, he starred in 170 movies.
#42: Navdeep Pallapolu
Navdeep Pallapolu appeared in movies like Run, Ala Vaikunthapurramloo, Arinthum Ariyamalum, Gowtam SSC, Chandamama, Arya 2, Baadshah, and Run.
#41: Nandamuri Kalyan Ram
Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is most known for being an action star and producer in Telugu films. He comes from a family of politicians and owns a film production company NTR Arts.
#40: Aditya Pudipeddi
Aditya Pudipeddi, also known as AAdi in the South Indian entertainment industry, is an actor who works mainly in Telugu films. He comes from a family of actors.
#39: Nikhil Siddhartha
Nikhil Siddhartha was cast in leading roles in well-known movies like Yuvatha, Swamy Ra Ra, Karthikeya, Surya versus Surya, Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada, Kesava, and Arjun Suravaram.
#38: Harish Kalyan
Harish Kalyanis a very famous actor in South India who works both on Telugu and Tamil films. His acting debut was with a very controversial film, “Sindhu Samaveli.”
#37: Bharath Srinivasan
Bharath Srinivasan appeared in the musical sensation, and Kerala box office smashes four the People, a Malayalam vigilante film.
#36: Allu Sirish
Allu Sirish moved on to star in movies like Kotha Janta, Srirastu Subhamastu, and Okka Kshanam.
#35: Nandamuri Balakrishna
Nandamuri Balakrishna is a South Indian actor who received three Nandi Awards. He is also a politician who has served in a legislative assembly since 2014.
#34: Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail, also known as Mammootty in the South Indian entertainment industry, has been an actor for fifty years and has starred in more than 400 films.
#33: Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan, a South Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil films, started his career in the entertainment industry as a child actor. He has been in the industry for more than six decades and has received 116 awards throughout his career.
#32: Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair
Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair, also known as Mohanlal in the South Indian film industry. He is an actor, singer, and film producer in Malayalam films.
#31: Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, known as Rajinikanth in the South Indian entertainment industry, is an actor, film producer, and screenwriter who works in Tamil films. With his contribution to the industry, he is called the “Superstar.”
#30: Sibi Sathyaraj
Sibi Sathyaraj, also known as Sibiraj, was slated to make his acting debut in Swami, the Tamil version of Renjith’s Nandanam, a Malayalam film.
#29: Jeedigunta Varun Sandesh
Jeedigunta Varun Sandesh is one of the most famous actors in South India who works with Telugu films. He began his journey in acting through online auditions.
#28: Sundeep Kishan
Sundeep Kishan is a South Indian actor and producer who works in Telugu and Tamil films. He is also an entrepreneur who owns a restaurant and salon business.
#27: Gautham Karthik
Gautham Karthik got his acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s film Kadal. Rumors from 2003 stated that actor Karthik was considering directing a movie starring his kid.
#26: Ganesh Venkatraman
Ganesh Venkatraman is a South Indian actor who starred in Tamil and Telugu films. He started his career as an actor in television before he was given a break to act on the big screen.
#25: Jayaram Subramaniam
Jayaram Subramaniam is famous for his screen name Jarayam in the South Indian entertainment industry. Before becoming an actor, he works as a mimicry artist.
#24: Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is also known as Prabhu in Tamil films of South India. He has starred in 215 films in his four-decade career in show business. He is also a businessman and film producer.
#23: Narayanan "Vijayaraj" Alagarswami
Narayanan “Vijayaraj” Alagarswami, famous by his screen name Vijayakanth, is a South Indian actor who starred in Tamil films. He is also a producer, director, and politician who served as the opposition leader.
#22: Rangaraj Subbiah
Rangaraj Subbiah, famous by his screen name Sathyaraj is a South Indian actor who starred in Tamil films. He is also a producer and director.
#21: M. P. Michael
M. P. Michael, a South Indian actor famous for his screen name Lal works in Malayalam films. Aside from being one of the most well-known actors in South India, he is also a director, producer, and screenwriter.
#20: Veeraswamy Ravichandran
Veeraswamy Ravichandran goes by the name Ravichandran and works as an editor, music director, lyricist, director, and producer.
#19: Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swamy went on to star in the Netflix anthology series Navarasa. He made his directing debut with the episode titled “Project Agni (Adbhutha – Wonder).”
#18: Yarlagadda Sumanth Kumar
Yarlagadda Sumanth Kumar, also known as Sumanth in the South Indian entertainment industry, has starred in Telugu films. He comes from a family of actors.
#17: Fahadh Fazil
Fahadh Fazil has appeared in over 50 films and won numerous honors, including three Filmfare Awards South, four Kerala State Film Awards, and a National Film Award.
#16: Manchu Manoj Kumar
Manchu Manoj Kumar, also known as Vishnu Manchu, won the state’s Nandi Special Jury Award for his work in the financially successful movie Bindaas.
#15: B R Vijay Kumar
B R Vijay Kumar, known professionally as Duniya Vijay or Duniya Viji, appeared in modest roles like Chanda, Junglee, Johny Mera Naam Preethi Mera Kaam, and Jayammana Maga.
#14: Jayasurya
Jayasurya is a famous actor who starred in more than 100 Malayalam films throughout his career in the South Indian entertainment industry. He is also a singer, impressionist, and film producer.
#13: Kunchacko Boban
Kunchacko Boban goes by the name Chackochan and has appeared in over 90 movies. He is a Kunchacko family member.
#12: Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy
Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy, better known by his stage name Shiva Rajkumar is a famous actor and matinee idol in Kannada during his prime years in the South Indian entertainment industry.
#11: Rahul Ravindran
Rahul Ravindran made his acting debut as the protagonist in the Tamil film “Moscowin Kavery,” followed by leading parts as a mechanic in Soorya Nagaram and a guy with cerebral palsy in Vinmeengal.
#10: Sushanth Anumolu
Sushanth Anumolu, known as Sushanth, is well known for his Telugu film roles. With “Kalidasu,” he made his acting debut. His famous works include “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo,” “Chi La Sow,” and “Current.”
#9: Indrajith Sukumaran
Indrajith Sukumaran is a singer and actor from India. He primarily contributes to Malayalam movies.
#8: Nara Rohit
Nara Rohit is known for films including “Jyo Achyutananda,” “Rowdy Fellow,” “Prathinidhi,” and “Baanam.” He is the owner of the studio Aran Media Works.
#7: Arulnithi Tamilarasu
Arulnithi Tamilarasu was portrayed in the South Indian film as a young man who avoided getting involved in his village’s politics despite demanding that he avenge his father’s death.
#6: Tovino Thomas
Tovino Thomas made his cinematic debut in Prabhuvinte Makkal. In the movies “ABCD,” “7th Day,” and “Ennu Ninte Moideen,” he had his first lead role.
#5: Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan Pillai
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known by the screen name Dileep, is a South Indian actor who starred in more than 150 movies in his more than four-decade career in the entertainment industry.
#4: Asif Ali
Asif Ali is a South Indian actor and producer who starred in several Malayalam films. He had the most significant break in his career when he became one of the lead stars of the successful movie “Ritu.”
#3: Shane Nigam
In Malayalam films, Shane Nigam is one of South India’s most famous actors. He went on to gain more recognition for his roles in several popular drama movies.
#2: Ravi Mohan
Ravi Mohan, also known as Jayam Ravi, debuted in the year 1993 with the Telugu film Bava Bavamaridi and in the year 2003 with the Tamil film “Jayam.”
#1: Lohit Rajkumar
Lohit Rajkumar, also known as Puneet Raj, primarily appears in Kannada movies. In the 2002 Kannada film “Appu,” Puneet Raj made his acting debut. He died at the age of 46.
References
- P Nandhini, South Indian Actors Name List With Pictures, Top 50 South Indian Actors With Photo 2022, retrieved from https://latestnews.fresherslive.com/articles/south-indian-actors-name-list-with-pictures-top-50-south-indian-actors-with-photo-2022-508673
- RBM, Top 100 South Indian Actor Name with Photo 2022, retrieved from https://www.mrdustbin.com/en/cinema/south-indian-actor-name-with-photo/
- Sandeep, 90 Best Tollywood Telugu Film Actors Photos with Names 2022, retrieved from https://stylesatlife.com/articles/list-of-all-tollywood-telugu-cinema-heroes/