Child artists who turned into successful Tollywood stars

Various actors in the film industry started young. Not only did they win hearts as child artists but also grew up to be some leading actors in films. Here we give you a rundown of popular leading actors in Tollywood who started their film career as a child artiste and have now turned into successful stars in Tollywood.

Mahesh Babu was just six-years-old when he starred in his star father Krishna’s film ‘Needa’ (1979), directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It was hard to picture Mahesh in anything but the family drama, in which he played the spunky child. This is his acting debut and later on, he had starred in several hit films, including ‘Poratam’, ‘Sankharavam’, ‘Bazaar Rowdy’, ‘Mugguru Kodukulu’, ‘Gudachari 117’, ‘Kodukulu Diddina Kapuram’, ‘Anna Thammudu’ and ‘Bala Chandrudu’. So, it was easy for the audience to become accustomed to his happy, wholesome roles. As he got older, though, he started to get an itch to switch over to more lead roles. He made his lead debut with the 1999 film ‘Raja Kumarudu’ directed by K Raghavendra. Now, he is one of the A-list actors of Telugu cinema.

Akhil Akkineni became the youngest actor to have made his acting debut in films at the age of one. He got his start as the cutie in Shiva Nageswara Rao directorial ‘Sisindri’, which is said to be based on a Hollywood film ‘Baby’s Day Out’. He became an overnight sensation after he starring in Vikram K Kumar’s multi-starrer ‘Manam’ alongside his father Akkineni Nagarjuna, his brother Akkineni Naga Chaitanya in a supporting role. He gradually started his transition by appearing in several independent films such as ‘Akhil’ and ‘Hello’.

Tarun was the youngest ever actor to be nominated for a National Award for his performance as Arjun in +‘Anjali’ in 1990 to be directed by Mani Ratnam. He even won a Nandi Award for Best Child Actor in ‘Manasu Mamatha’ for his role in the film. He followed the hit with roles in ‘Bujjigadi Babai’, ‘Surya IPS’, ‘Pillalu Diddina Kapuram’, ‘Aditya 369’, ‘Teja’, and ‘Vajram’. His big break came with his lead debut ‘Nuvve Kavali’, directed by K Vijay Bhaskar. Released on October 13, 2000, the rom-com was screened for a year (365 days).

Tanish was an extraordinary talent from a very young age, appearing in different roles in various movies. But it was his performance at the age of 10 as the young worshipper in Kodi Ramakrishna’s ‘Devullu’ in 2000 that put his on the map. He’s highly impressive and old beyond his years in a role which gained the attention of Lord Ayyappa. Gradually, Tanish shed his baby skin and slowly began finding his place in the lead Tollywood world. However, Tanish’s big break came when he starred in the 2008 film ‘Nachavule’ directed by Ravi Babu.