2008: Top 10 actors of South India

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10. Priyamani: Up there with the best!

The beautiful Malayali actress is in great demand after 'Paruthiveeran's amazing success, both artistically and commercially. This year saw Priyamani bag the National Award for the Best Actress for her performance as Muthazhagu in 'Paruthiveeran'. She sprang a surprise with her brilliant performance in the Malayalam film 'Thirakkatha' by Ranjith.

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9. Mohanlal: Master of B.O.!

The Mollywood superstar seems to have regained the midas touch this year. Almost all his films did good business and 'Aakasha Gopuram', a film based on Henrik Ibsen's 'Master Builder', won him rave reviews. His first hit of the year was 'Madambi', directed by B.Unnikrishnan. It was followed by super hits in 'Kurukshetra' and 'Twenty20'. His B.O rival for the last two decades, Mammootty, had a huge hit in 'Annan Thambi', directed by Anwar Rashid. But, 'Raudram', 'Parunthu', 'Maya Bazaar' and 'One Way Ticket' (guest role) failed to stir the B.O.

8. Sudeep: ...For all seasons!

Sudeep made 'Mussanje Mathu' an unforgettable experience with his nuanced performance as a radio jockey. Directed by Mahesh, the movie told the story of Pradeep (Sudeep), who runs a radio programme called 'Mussange Maathu' for "depressed people". In 'Ghooli', Sudeep played the title character. 2008 also saw him in the lead in Ram Gopal Varma's horror flick 'Phoonk'.

7. Ganesh: Marquez of the marquee!

The magic touch of 'Golden star' Ganesh at the Kannada B.O. remained intact in 2008. 'Gaalipata', directed by Yograj Bhat, almost recreated the stupendous B.O. Success of his own 'Mungaru Male', one of the biggest hits ever in South Indian Cinema. If 'Gaalipata' had Ganesh at his charming, talkative best, 'Aramane' had the actor essaying a more sensitive, serious role. In 'Bombaat', he played the action hero role with élan. Ganesh faced stiff competition from Shivaraja Kumar (who had two big releases -- 'Satya in Love' and 'Maadesha'), and Darshan to retain the top slot.

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6. Ram: Ready to Rock!

Ram is only three films old. But he has already registered one of the biggest Telugu hits of the year, 'Ready'. The film, directed by Srinu Vytla, also features the flavour of the season, Genelia D'Souza. But it is Ram, in the role of an impetuous college student, who steals the show.

5. Ravi Teja: Big R?

A great fan of Amitabh Bachchan, Ravi Teja alias Bhoopatiraju Ravishankar Raju had always dreamt of emulating the feats of Big B. After debuting in 1991 with 'Karthavyam', Ravi became an assistant director to Ram Gopal Varma. 'Nee Kosam', directed by Srinu Vaitla, happened in 1999. After delivering a string of hits, Ravi is now one of the most popular stars in Telugu. V.V.Vinayak's 'Krishna', released last January, is being hailed as Ravi Teja's biggest hit till date.

4. Suriya: blazing hot!

We have seen Suriya's brilliance in 'Kakka Kakka', 'Pitamagan', 'Nanda' and 'Aayutha Ezhuthu'. In 'Vaaranam Aayiram', the soft-spoken actor came up with a spectacular performance. He portrayed four distinct phases in the life of a man, with consummate ease. Truly, one of the best performances Indian Cinema has seen this year. Bravo!

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3. Pawan Kalyan: Powering his way!

The youngest brother of Chiranjeevi wields almost the same magic at the B.O. as his ‘anna’; even his flops collect much more than the hit films of many Tollywood stars! 'Jalsa' (meaning fun), released early this year, toppled all box-office records in Telugu. The film collected Rs 42 crore in its first 50 days. Called 'Power Star', Pawan had one of his best roles in 'Jalsa'.

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2. Genelia: Teen icon!

The Goan beauty was one of the biggest and brightest things to hit the Indian screen, this year. In 'Santosh Subrahmanyam', a remake of her own hit in Telugu, 'Bommarilu', Genelia delivered an amazingly cool performance. She charmed the box-office in Hindi with 'Jaane

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1. Kamal Haasan: 10 Ka Dum!!


The 'Ulaga Nayagan' did it again. Prosthetic excess or not, 'Dasavatharam' had a mighty outing at the B.O. Kamal Hassan played 10 characters, ranging from a persecuted Vaishnavite of the 13th century to the (ex) US president, George Bush. Some of the roles were poorly etched. The director of the film, KS Ravi Kumar, admitted later that it was the "10-role idea" that came first! We anoint Kamal Haasan South Cinema's Hero No.1 for 2008, for making an impossible movie mint money at the B.O!