This year, we saw big stars make a bigger splash — Rajini ascertaining his superstardom with Jailer, Sunny Deol decimating the box office with Gadar 2, Dharmendra bringing a nostalgic warmth to Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, and Mammootty redefining stardom with films like Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam. However, 2023 was also the year when we saw promising actors finally getting to unleash their full potential, established stars crossing state lines to sweep a new army of fans, and debutants charming the hearts of millions.
As the year winds down, let us take a look at all the breakout talents from across India, who made a lasting impression with their stellar performances this year.
Malayalam
Anaswara Rajan (Neru)
Getting noticed for an intrinsic performance in a film headlined by a superstar is no mean feat. But Anaswara Rajan has pulled off just that with the portrayal of a blind rape survivor in Neru, which saw director Jeethu Joseph reuniting with Mohanlal for what has now turned out to be a successful effort. The film gives Anaswara’s Sara the deserved dignity, etching her role as one marked by resilience and vulnerability and treats her with a commendably sensitive approach we rarely see in Malayalam cinema. It’s a performance that eventually makes way for applause and victory after a long spell of pathos.
Vishnu Agasthya (RDX)
One of the year’s most memorable faces is Vishnu Agasthya, who broke out with three distinctive performances in 1001 Nunakal, O Baby and RDX. In 1001 Nunakal, Vishnu played a wealthy host encountering a harshly disrupting truth-telling situation at a birthday party that gives rise to absolute chaos. O Baby, on the other hand, showcase a side of Vishnu that’s diametrically opposite of the reserved, more polished side in 1001 Nunakal. Facing off against O Baby’s leading man, Dileesh Pothan, Vishnu unleashed a wild, drug-addled psychopath hellbent on achieving his goal by any means necessary. Interestingly, Vishnu played a different kind of psychopath, nearly unrecognisable, in one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, RDX. These three roles are testaments to the actor’s astonishing range.
hindi
Wamiqa Gabbi (Jubilee)
This year, OTT was Wamiqa Gabbi’s world and we were just living in it. After being a part of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Mumbai Dragon for Modern Love: Mumbai in 2022, the actor made some ripples in the southern seas with her performance in auteur Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s segment Ninaivo Oru Paravai, for Modern Love: Chennai. Next up was the goofily graceful act in Vikramaditya Motwane’s period drama Jubilee, where Wamiqa essayed the role of a courtesan who is trying her luck at the movies. No Wamiqa year can be without one Vishal Bhardwaj tale, 2023 had two. She broke the fourth wall with her mischievous charm as the Punjabi expletive-spewing detective in the series Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of the Solang Valley and exacted revenge against a deceiving husband (Ali Fazal) in Bhardwaj’s lyrical spy-thriller Khufiya.
Bobby Deol (Animal)
What’s in a screen time? Although brief, Bobby Deol delivered a bone-chilling performance as the antagonist in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. His entry song (Jamal Kudu) became a fodder for social media memes and reels. Without a single-word of dialogue, Lord Bobby’s act made a lot of noise. It was an exceptionally benevolent year for the Deols. The in-house intellectual Abhay Deol was sombre and ruminative in Trial By Fire, while Dharmendra was warm and cuddly as the lovelorn grandfather in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. And let’s just say Sunny Deol’s Tara Singh wreaked some havoc at the box office with Gadar 2. Sweet or sour, the year was surely Deolicious.
Tamil
Sahasra (Chittha)
The find of the year in this list is undoubtedly baby Sahasra, the mainstay in Chithha. The movie is incomplete without someone to call Siddharth’s character that, and Sahasra as Sundari ensured that we can say the same about her as well. With child sexual abuse at the core, most of the film depended upon Sahasra’s performance. While she was just as adorable as any young kid in the initial scenes of the film, it was in the scenes of abuse that he true talent came to light. Be it the actual scene of abuse, or when she goes on ranting ‘Chittha… Chittha..’ In her semi-conscious state, her talent made us forget that she was a mere child dealing with such a difficult subject. Sahasra took upon herself a heavy subject for her debut and has now proven that lighter themes are perhaps a cakewalk.
Preethi Asrani (Ayothi)
In Mandhira Moorthy’s Ayothi, Preethi played the role of the deceased woman’s daughter, Shivani, who is the older sister to a brother. She was also grieving her mother’s unexpected demise but had to take up the responsibility of being her brother’s second mother. While Preethi aced her part as a timid and naive Shivani all throughout the film, she also had one strong scene to show her full potential. In a scene where her father insists on following rituals even during a tough time, she strongly calls her father out for mistreating her mother when she was alive and requests him to at least let her rest in peace. That scene in particular, and her portrayal of an innocent grieving motherless teenage girl, got her name out, as she deserves.
Seyon (Yaathisai)
Yaathisai, helmed by Dharani Rasendran, is a representation of debut projects as the film’s entire cast and crew are made up entirely of novices. Out of the lot, rebel King Kodhi, rendered by actor Seyon is arguably the most challenging debut of 2023. Seyon was tasked with portraying a multi-layered anti-hero, and he more than excelled at ensuring that his transition from a grounded leader to a narcissistic dictator was organic. The tougher part was to orate the heavily philosophical monologues in archaic Tamil which he handled with ease, along with the blood-thirsty fight sequences. If given the right chances and guided by the right filmmakers, Seyon has a great future looking forward.
Nimisha Sajayan (Chittha, Jigarthanda Double X)
We have seen Nimisha Sajayan in important films like The Great Indian Kitchen, Nayattu and Malik, in Malayalam. In Chittha, her Tamil acting debut, she essays the role of Shakthi, a woman with a past, who wants to give life another chance. While her performance only demanded subtlety through the course of the film, her monologue right at the end of Chittha sealed the deal for what many victims have always wanted to convey to their loved ones. Cut to her sophomore Tamil performance in Jigarthanda Double X, in which she plays the bold and loud-mouthed Malayarasi, the only one who doesn’t fear her don husband. With two contrasting performances, Nimisha has not only established her versatility but has also made it amply clear that she will be seen in many Tamil films henceforth.
Kannada
Rukmini Vasanth (Sapta Sagaradaache Ello)
Rukmini Vasanth, who made her debut with Birbal, came to National prominence with her role as Priya in Side A of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello. The Rakshit Shetty-starrer, directed by Hemanth M Rao received a lot of acclaim, and Rukmini’s Priya won many hearts. She also had a significant role in Side B of the romantic thriller.
The actor also got to shine in her role in Ganesh’s Baanadaariyali, directed by Preetham Gubbi. Post these two films, Rukmini has become the talk of the town, and it seems to be the first step in what could be a long and fruitful career. She is all set to make her Tamil debut with Vijay Sethupathi’s next, and in Kannada, she has big projects lined up including Bagheera alongside Sriimurali, and Bhairathi Ranagal with Shivarajkumar.
Chaithra Achar (Toby)
Chaithra Achar received immense praise for her role in Gilki. Known for her choice of roles that reflect her values and accomplishments, Chaithra prides on her diligent preparation. It shone through in her portrayal as Jenny in Raj B Shetty’s Toby. Her versatility came to the fore with her performance as Surabhi in Side B of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello. Acting alongside the powerful characters of Rukmini Vasanth and Rakshit Shetty, she offered something beautiful in the film and the audiences are growing fond of her with every passing film.
Telugu
Vaishnavi Chaitanya (Baby)
Vaishnavi has been a household name even before joining films. After brief appearances in Ala Vaikuntapuramuloo (where she played Allu Arjun’s sister) and the Ajith starrer Valimai, Vaishnavi starred in Baby, which was also her maiden lead role.
Playing a woman torn between the affections of two men as well as the turbulent socio-economic dynamics of her working-class family and her elite college, Vaishnavi Chaitanya’s Vaishnavi was a seething rendition of naivety, vulnerability and angst. Despite being on the receiving end of some vicious trolling post the film’s release, Vaishnavi stands tall as a leading lady—a leading lady of Telugu origin at that—to watch out for in Tollywood.
Sumanth Prabhas (Mem Famous)
After foraying into the world of storytelling through short films, in 2023, Sumanth made his feature film debut, as an actor and a director with the coming-of-age rural comedy Mem Famous. Co-starring a host of newcomers including Mourya Nalagatla Chowdary, Mani Aegurla, Kiran Macha and Saarya Lakshman, Sumanth combined autobiographical elements in his film by telling a story of three no-good young boys in rural Telangana who turn over a new leaf and earn the respect of their fellow villagers through running a successful youtube channel.
Mem Famous was produced by Anurag Reddy and Sharat Chandra under the banner Chai Bisket Films, a production house with a focus on launching new talent. 20-something Sumanth Prabhas, born as Sumanth Reddy, changed his last name as a tribute to his favourite superstar.
(Abhilasha Cherukuri, A Sharadhaa, Jayabhuvaneshwari B, Sajin Srijith, Kartik Bhardwaj)