Wondering who are the most popular South Indian Actors in 2023 is winning hearts? Well, you have arrived at the right place. In this article, we have listed the top 10 most famous and best South Indian Actors in 2023.
In recent years, Best South Indian Actors and movies are giving tough competition to Bollywood. From the high-budget film Bahubali to the action-packed KGF, the craze of South Indian actors and movies is all around the world. Among the plethora of popular South Indian actors, they are idolized not only on screen but also in real life for example Rajnikanth. He is one of the most famous South Indian actors of all time.
Not only the makers of successful movies are appreciated, the actors too deserve appreciation. Hence, we have curated a list of the top 10 best and most famous heroes of South India that are reigning right now. Have a look!
The Top 10 South Indian Actors in 2023
10. Suriya Shivkumar
9. Joseph Vijay
8. Vijay Deverakonda
7. Dhanush
6. Ram Charan
5. N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
4. Allu Arjun
3. Yash
2. Mahesh Babu
1. Rajnikanth
10. Suriya Shivkumar
Saravanan Sivakumar is the 10th and most popular South Indian Actor in 2023. He is popular by his stage name Suriya and is one of the highest-paid actors. Born in the year 1975, he is an actor, producer, TV presenter, and philanthropist. He made his debut in 1997 with the film Nerukku Ner and got his breakthrough Nandha in 2001. He gained success with the thriller Kaakha Kaakha in 2003, followed by Pithamagan and Perazagan.
For his outstanding performances, he has won two National film Awards. six Filmfare Awards South, five Vijay Awards, etc. While his other notable works are such as Ghajini, Singham 2, S3, Ayan, 7aum, and many more.
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 In addition to acting, Suriya is involved in social and philanthropic activities. He along with his family has extended help to Sri Lankan Tamil via Sivakumar Charitable Trust. He founded the Agaram Foundation in 2008 which helps dropout children. Suriya is an ambassador of brands such as Intex, Nescafe, Quikr, and so on. His recent film Etharkkum Thunindhavan was released in four languages.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Popular Bollywood Singers in 2023
9. Joseph Vijay
When talking about popular South Indian actors in 2023, Joseph Vijay’s name deserves to be on every list. This multitalented South Indian celeb is a singer, philanthropist, and dancer born in Chennai. With his superb acting skills and amazing dialogue delivery, he has been ruling the southern industry since the 90s. Hence, he has acted in 65 films as a lead actor.
Also one of the highest-paid actors, he has a fan base globally. He made his debut at the age of 10 in 1984 as a child actor in the film Vetri. However, he rose to prominence as a romantic hero and his first blockbuster came in 1996 with Poove Unakagga. His other well-doing films are Thirumalai, Priyamudan, Nanban, Master, Beast, Sarkar, Bigli, and many more. With an earning of $30 million from overseas markets, he makes one of the best South Indian superstars after Rajnikanth.
He has won numerous awards including eight Vijay Awards, and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards from the government of Tamil Nadu. Forbes India listed him several times in Celebrity 100 list based on earnings. In addition to acting, he has founded a production company named V.V. productions and is the brand ambassador of brands such as the American Embassy, IPL, etc. Indeed, he is one of the popular South Indian actors in 2023.
8. Vijay Deverakonda
Next on the list, we have “Cheeseee Platter” and also the most handsome artist and producer Vijay Deverakonda. He is one of the most talented and famous South Indian actors. He made his debut with the film Nuvvila in 2011 and got praise for his role in the 2015 film Yevade Subrahmanyam.
In a short time, he established his name in the industry with his killer looks and acting skills. He has acted in the film Arjun Reddy and received Filmfare Best Actor Awards. Today he has more than 17 million followers on Instagram. His other best films are Mahanati, Dear Comrade, Taxiwaala, etc. In addition, in 2022 he made his Bollywood debut with the film Liger opposite Ananya Pandey but it didn’t do much at the box office. But, he gained a lot of attention from Bollywood actresses including Sarah Ali Khan and Janvi Kapoor. They called him “CHEESEEE!” in Koffee with Karan talk show.
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Deverkonda endorses several brands and products. In 2020, he designed his own fashion brand named Rowdy Wear which premiered on the online shopping app Myntra. Due to his income and popularity, Forbes India has featured him on Celebrity 100 list in 2018. Undoubtedly, he deserves to be among the top 10 most popular South Indian Actors in 2023.
7. Dhanush
Why This Kolaveri Di? singer Dhanush is the 7th most popular South Indian actor in our list. He is an Indian actor, playback singer, producer, director, and lyricist. In 2002, he made his debut with his father-directed film Thulluvadho Illamai. But he gained success with Polladhavan (2007) and Yaaradhi Nee Mohini (2008), both films were commercially successful. While his 2010 release Aadukalam got him the Best Actor Award at the 58th National film Awards, and the Best Tamil Actors Award.
His song Why This Kolaveri Di? became the first Indian music video to cross 100 million views on Youtube. He made his Bollywood film debut with the 2013 release Ranjhaana and he became one of the most loved Bollywood actors in 2023. VadaChennai and Maari 2 are his highest-grossing films while Atrangi Re is his third Bollywood release which received appreciation from fans.
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 Dhanush made his Hollywood debut with the action thriller film The Gray Man which was released on Netflix on July 2022. He along with his ex-wife Aishwarya(Rajnikanth’s daughter) owned a production house named Wunderbar Films. The couple got separated in January 2022 and has two boys.
6. Ram Charan
Konidela Ram charan Teja is an Indian actor, producer, and businessman who works in the telugu industry. This famous south Indian actor is the son of megastar Chiranjeevi.
Ram made a successful début with Chirutha (2007) alongside receiving Filmfare’s best debut male. He is one of the highest-paid south Indian actors. His hit movie Maghadheera received the Filmfare best actor – Telugu which is the highest-grosser film till 2013. While his other notable work is Yevadu, Nayak, Racha Dhruva, and many more. In his 2022 release, S.S. Rajamouli directed RRR along with NTR Jr.broke all the records. the film collected over $150 million. Besides, the film Natu Natu song won the 80th Golden Globe Awards. It became the first Asian and first Indian song to win the award. Soon after its Golden Globe win the song was nominated for Oscars 2023, and it won and became the first Indian film song.
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 In addition to acting, this best South Indian actor has a production house named Koindela Productions Company. He also owns the polo team Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club and c0 owns the regional airline service TruJet.
5. N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
NTR Jr successfully holds the fifth place in this list of the top 10 most popular South Indian Actors in 2023. Born and raised in Hyderabad, he was born on 20th May 1983. He is the grandson of Indian matinee Idol N.T. Rama Rao Sr. who was also the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. NTRjr made his debut in his grandfather-directed film Ramayanam in 1997.
He then made his debut as a lead actor in the film Ninnu Choodalani which was a flop. In 20021, he rose to stardom after starring in Student No 1. followed by the action drama Aadi, which became the highest-grossed film. Soon, he established himself as a lead actor and has worked in films such as Temper, Badshah, Jai Lava Kusha, RRR, etc. Besides, RRR’s Natu Natu song won the 80th Golden Globe Awards. It became the first Asian and first Indian song to win the award. Soon after its Golden Globe win the song was nominated for Oscars 2023, and it won and became the first Indian film song.
Belonging to the political party Jr NTR took part in a 2009 campaign for Telegu Desam Party. Other than being the highest-paid actor, he is also a philanthropist who takes part in social activities and often donates funds. In addition, to films, he is quite popular on TV as a host. He has hosted a Telugu version of Bigg Boss and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
4. Allu Arjun
The 4th place for most popular South Indian movie actor goes to none other than Allu Arjun. The 40-year-old Allu Arjun began his career at the age of just 3 in Vijetha as a child artist. He made his official debut with Gangotri in 2003 and rose to fame in the 2004 movie Arya.
His exceptional acting skills and excellent dance got him 33 awards. Arya 2, Race Gurram, Vedam, and Pushpa: The Rise are some of his highest-grossing films. His film Pushpa earned over 3.5 Billion and he became a household name all over the world. In 2020. he was one of the most searched celebs and ambassadors of brands such as Redbus, hero Motorcop and many more.
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 His accolades include six Filmfare Awards and five Nandi Awards. He is the celebrity brand ambassador of Pro Kabbadi League and for Streaming Service Aha. Allu Arjun has 19.6 million followers on Instagram in 2022.
3. Yash
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The next famous South Indian actor in the 2023 list is Naveen Kumar Gowda, known as Yash. He is an Indian actor who works mainly in Kannada films and has won three Filmfare Awards South. In 2007, his acting career began with the film Jambada Hudugi and the romantic drama Moggina Manasu for which he received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.
His other well-doing films are Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Masterpiece, and KGF chapters 1 and 2. His role as Rocky created a huge fan base and people started admiring his long hair and bearded looks. The sequel KGF Chapter 2 ranked as the third highest-grossing Indian film. He along with his wife Radhika Pandit founded the YashoMarga Foundation which promotes various social causes.
2. Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu is a famous South Indian film star who has acted in over 50 movies. He is an Indian actor, producer, philanthropist, and media personality and has won several accolades. He has won eight Nandi awards, five Filmfare South Awards, and many more.
Acting in the industry since 1999, he is one of the highest-paid Telegu film actors. Mahesh Babu is the first Telegu superstar to receive a wax statue at Madame Tussauds and the first Indian whose statue was moved for a day to unveil in his hometown. His contribution to South Indian Industry is commendable from a sweet lover boy to an angry policeman, he suits well in all characters. His popular films are Murari Dashing CM Bharat, Okaadu, Businessman, Paata, etc.
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He has bagged 25 awards and 34 nominations and endorses brands like BYJU, Flipkart, Thumbs Up, Denver, and so on. Referred to as the Prince of Tollywood, he charges 35 to 50 crore per film. He has a production house named G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment. Hence, he successfully holds the 2nd position on the top 10 most popular South Indian actors in 2023 lists.
1. Rajnikanth
The first one to top the list of the most popular South Indian actors of all time is Rajnikanth. He is the Superstar or Thalavir of the South Indian film industry and was born on 12th December 1950. His real name is Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, he changed his name to Rajnikanth with his debut film.
In 1975, he began his career with the romantic drama Apoorva Raaggangal. In his career, he mostly appeared as a negative character yet he achieved superstar status. Soon, he got an opportunity to appear in the Hindi film Andha Kanoon and became famous globally. He has starred in blockbuster hit films such as Shivaji, Kaala, Bulandi, Robot, and many more. The legendary Rajnikanth became the first Indian actor to work in Black & white, color, motion picture, and 3D. His dialogue delivery, punchlines, action, and style have gained him a global fan base.
He holds the matinee idol status whose career spanned over five decades and has worked in 160 films. The government of India honored him with Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhusan for his contribution to Indian cinema. Rajnikanth truly deserves to be number 1 on the list of the most famous South Indian actors in 2023.
It’s impossible to list all the South Indian actors. Let us know in the comment section who’s your favorite and we shall add them to another list.
Thank you for reading!
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