Nikhil Siddharth
This young actor had his fair share of struggles too, before he rose to fame with Sekhar Kammula’s Happy Days in 2007. Nikhil started his career as an assistant director for the film Hyderabad Nawabs. With no godfather in the industry, he had to wait a while for his big break. Even after the success of Happy Days, Nikhil’s career took a while to get going and the actor suffered a string of flops before his career was resurrected in 2013 with crime-comedy film Swamy Ra Ra. Since then, Nikhil has delivered two more hits with Karthikeya and Surya vs Surya and now enjoys fame and stardom that a mainstream actor commands in Tollywood.
Sharwanand
This multi-lingual heartthrob, actor and producer started his career as a character artist and made it to the silver screen through sheer passion and hard work. His breakthrough movie as a solo actor was Prasthanam in 2010, in which he worked with veteran actor Sai Kumar. He later acted in several low-budget films, before striking gold with Run Raja Run and Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju. His latest film Express Raja was also a hit.
Harshvardhan Rane
In his own words, Harshvardhan Rane does not have the luxury of choosing his own projects, having a ‘pipeline’ or the comfort of only doing roles that appeal to him. And yet, Harsh uses this as an advantage since it means he doesn’t have to be restricted to a certain ‘image’ as an actor. “I don’t have my father’s legacy to protect in films have to carry a massy or commercial genres. I don’t have any such pressures on me and that’s an advantage. The only criteria (while choosing films) is that this film should be better than the last,” he says. For someone without any godfather or friend in the industry, Harshvardhan has not just managed to make a mark for himself in the south, but has also earned his Bollywood debut (With Sanam Teri Kasam) earlier this year. In Telugu, the actor is best known for his roles in Avunu, Prema Ishq Kadhaal and Anaamika.
Raj Tarun
Dreams do come true, even if you aren’t powerful or well-connected. Well, that’s certainly the case for actor Raj Tarun, who came out of nowhere to become a household name across the Telugu states. Having started his career with short films, Raj Tarun was spotted by Akkineni Nagarjuna, who gave him a break in his home production Uyyala Jampala. There was no turning back for Raj Tarun from there and the actor went on to produce a hattrick of hits.
Nani
In an age when inheritance gives one their recognition, the natural star made it into the Telugu film industry all by himself. His charming looks and his brilliant acting skills being his assets, Nani, never failed to win the heart of the telugu film industry. Despite his unconventional choice of films, what has worked for Nani is that he stuck to his image and has now become of the most bankable stars of the Telugu film industry.
Naga Shourya
This young aspiring actor, struggled for five long years before he made his first appearance on screen. Not one to back down, Naga Shourya continued to strive hard and finally got the recognition he deserves. The actor got his first hit with Oohalu Gusagusalade in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since. His charming looks and acting skills has earned him the tag of a ‘perfect boy-next-door’. This year started on a decent note for the actor with his film Kalyana Vaibhogame opening to mixed reviews.