Tollywood’s rising stars under 30

Every given year, plenty of fresh-faced enthusiasts arrive in Tollywood dreaming of becoming a star. But only some of them rise to the top of the competitive world of cinema with their sheer hard work, choices of their films and their acting prowess. Here we take a look at some such budding stars.

We all watched him grow from a precious 1-year-old to a college-bound 20-year-old in ‘Manam’. This young actor, born in Hyderabad to actor parents Nagarjuna Akkineni and Amala, made it on the silver screen when he was only 1-year-old with the Siva Nageswara Rao’s directorial film ‘Sisindri’. The movie was a blockbuster hit at the box-office and has garnered rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. The young Akhil made waves last year with the intense romantic love story ‘Hello’. He grabbed attention for his role in the fantasy drama ‘Akhil’. He will be next seen in the Venky Atluri directorial 'Mr Majnu'.

He is probably the young man who could become an actual Tollywood royalty after his action-packed performance in ‘Arjun Reddy’. He also starred in ‘Pellichoopulu’, which was released in 2016. The movie was a sleeper hit and his portrayal as a carefree guy garnered applause.

He also has films like ‘Nuvvila’ and ‘Life is Beautiful’ to his credit. Vijay proved his range in the coming-age-of-drama ‘Yevade Subramanyam’ in which he was one of the leads along with talented actor Nani.

Raj Tarun is one of the most popular faces among the film buffs. The Visakhapatnam native had his most challenging role in ‘Kumari 21F’ (2015). He showed off his amazing comic timing in ‘Cinema Choopista Maava’ (2013) and starred as the boy-next-door in ‘Uyyala Jampala’ (2013), ‘Kittu Unnadu Jagratha’ (2016) and ‘Andhhagadu’ (2017). Raj Tarun was last playing the lead in the Sanjana Reddy’s 'Rajugadu', which was failed to entertain the audience.

Varun Tej is popularly known for his role in Venky Atluri’s ‘Tholi Prema’. He also played the lead in ‘Kanche’ and also had a big role in the monsoon blockbuster ‘Fidaa’ (2017). He made his debut in the Srikanth Addala’s ‘Mukunda’ (2014) and later starred in ‘Loafer’ (2015), and ‘Mister’ (2017). He also happens to be the son of the actor Konidela Nagendra Babu and nephew to Megastar Chiranjeevi.

Naga Shaurya had become the talk of the town after his super performance in romantic comedy ‘Oohalu Gusagusalade’ (2014). Shaurya played the lead in the oddly enjoyable and surprisingly deep ‘Dikkulu Choodaku Ramayya’ (2014), and was also a pivotal part of ‘Jyo Achyutananda’ (2106). He broke through with a hilarious role in ‘Kalyana Vaibhogame’ (2015). He was also known for his performance in 2018’s ‘Chalo’.