Vijay Deverakonda
He showed us his potential in Yevade Subramanyam and Pelli Choopulu . But as Arjun Reddy, he put up an audacious, brilliant performance. He’s the backbone of the film and owned every moment on screen with his uninhibited work. Definitely one of the most exciting actors in recent years.
Sai Pallavi
For those who had watched Premam (Malayalam), her work in Fidaa didn’t come as a surprise. Sai Pallavi nailed the part of ‘hybrid’ feisty Bhanumathi, rolling in unpredictability, innocence and a tinge of arrogance together. If director Sekhar Kammula took the leap of faith to weave a story around her character, Sai Pallavi lived up to it. Getting the Telangana accent right was simply icing on the cake.
Akhil Akkineni
He had a sort of re-launch through Hello and it helped him shine. Perhaps it has to do with director Vikram Kumar capitalising on Akhil’s strengths — an athletic personality and man-child like innocence — to give us a heart-warming love story, but it signals the arrival of a promising young actor who courts the camera with ease.
Nivetha Thomas
We saw the spark in her Telugu debut, Gentleman (2016). Once again, she proved she could be effortlessly natural and be a pillar of a film. In Ninnu Kori , which relies heavily on its three pivotal characters, Nivetha’s was a sure-footed performance.
Shalini Pandey
The debut actress was the perfect foil for Vijay Deverakonda’s unbridled act in Arjun Reddy . Her theatre background gave her an edge and she stole the show without much fuss. In fact, look at the film from Preeti’s (Shalini) point of view and her contribution becomes all the more evident.
Rahul Ramakrishna
He played the most sensible and patient friend in recent times. As the trusted friend of Arjun Reddy and the only one who stood the chance to knock some sense into his head, lyricist-turned-actor Rahul Ramakrishna was not just effective, but outstanding.
Eesha Rebba
She’s one of the underrated and under-utilised actors around today. The fact that she’s capable was proven in her earlier films with her mentor-director Mohanakrishna Indraganti. This year, Eesha sprang a surprise with her wit and ease with Telangana dialect in Ami Thumi .
Nivetha Pethuraj
Pethuraj’s was an impressive debut in Mental Madhilo . In her, writer-director Vivek Athreya found a befitting candidate to play the confident and empathetic urban woman who can handhold her man who has confidence issues, is at a loss with decision making and simply needs to grow up.
Sree Vishnu
Are certain parts written with certain actors in mind or do the actors own the parts so well that it fits them like a glove? We don’t know which one it is for Sree Vishnu in Mental Madhilo , but he fit the part of the indecisive, low-on-confidence guy in Mental Madhilo . He was effective in Vunnadhi Okkate Zindagi as well.
Anupama Parameswaran
As Nagavalli in Trivikram Srinivas’s A...Aa , she made an impression in her brief part. The Premam girl had reasons to cheer with Shatamanam Bhavati and a more significant part in Vunnadhi Okkate Zindagi . Cheers for dubbing her lines in Telugu as well!
Rithika
To do the same part thrice and present it with the same sincerity isn’t easy. Rithika reprised her part from the Hindi film Saala Khadoos ( Irudhi Suttru in Tamil) in Guru with such conviction that she looked and spoke like someone who had lived in the slum all her life, with a devil-may-care attitude to boot.
Anisha Victor
Jenny of Gruham is not really a likeable character — an adolescent infatuated with the next-door doctor and someone who symbolises trouble in this psychological thriller. Anisha Victor rose up to the need of a physically demanding performance and brought in the right mix of arrogance and naivety required for her part. To think that it’s her debut, it’s a remarkable piece of work indeed.
Been there done that: Among the established tribe of actors, there were several noteworthy performances: Prabhas, Anushka and Rana in Baahubali - The Conclusion , NTR in Jai Luva Kusa , Mahesh in Spyder , Venkatesh in Guru , Allu Arjun in DJ , Kajal Aggarwal in Nene Raju Nene Mantri , Rakul Preet Singh as Brahmaramba in Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam , Nani and Aadhi Pinisetty in Ninnu Kori , Varun Tej in Fidaa , Bhoomika Chawla in MCA , Kay Kay Menon and Atul Kulkarni in Ghazi , Karthi in Khakee and Siddharth in Gruham .
Comic brigade: Vennela Kishore stole the show in a string of films, especially Ami Thumi . His poker-faced, no-nonsense comedy seems to be getting better with each outing. Priyadarshi, switching between comic and other roles (remember him as a lawyer in Arjun Reddy ?), is riding high after last year’s roller coaster ride in Pelli Choopulu.
Impeccably supportive: Arun Adith in PSV Garuda Vega , Mumtaz Sorcar as the sister in Guru , Jogini Shyamala in Ami Thumi , Sai Chand and Geeta Bhascker as the elders in Fidaa , all added to the memorable cinematic moments this year.
