South stars dominate popular male actors list: Ormax Media report

The phenomenal success of recent South Indian cinema films like Pushpa 2: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD, Devara - Part 1, The Greatest of All Time, Amaran, Vettaiyan and Manjummel Boys has played a key role in creating pan-India celebrities — propelling their popularity much beyond the regional dynamics and fandoms. 

According to the data from Ormax Stars India Loves, the most popular male actors in India in February 2025 were Prabhas, Vijay, Allu Arjun, Shah Rukh Khan, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu, Ajith Kumar, Jr NTR, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Only 3 of the actors on the list belong to Bollywood, indicating the pan-India rise of ‘south heroes’.

The most popular female actors in India during the same period were Samantha, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Sai Pallavi, Kajal Aggarwal, Rashmika Mandanna, Trisha, Nayanthara, Sreeleela and Anushka Shetty. This list has more Bollywood representation with Samantha, Rashmika Mandanna and Nayanthara making their blockbuster debuts in Hindi movies. 

Notably, most of the actors on this list are best known for their work in South Indian cinema, particularly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. It highlights the pan-Indian appeal of regional films and the rising presence and popularity of South Indian actors in Bollywood, driven by captivating storytelling, grand productions, and a dedicated fan base that goes beyond linguistic and geographical boundaries.

“When compared to the average profile of the top Hindi male stars, it is evident that the Tamil and Telugu stars are defined primarily by their Competence and Sincerity, whereas Sophistication and Excitement drives stardom for Hindi stars,” reads an earlier Ormax Media Report, ‘Dimensionalizing Stardom in Tamil & Telugu cinema’.

The report further explains that glitz and glamour form a far more central part of consumer expectations from Hindi films. It’s a double-edged sword as overreliance on extrinsic traits impacts the nature, quality and strength of stardom in the long run. 

On the other hand, association with intrinsic traits such as inspirational, down-to-earth and honest, among Tamil and Telugu stars, indicates a greater emotional connect with their audience. “Their audience is not just engaged with them in a superficial or transactional manner, from one movie to another, but is deeply invested in their success, making the quality of their stardom more robust, and providing these stars greater inherent longevity,” the report explains.