Top Telugu actors of 2010

It was the year of the young brigade in the Telugu film industry.

Mahesh Babu returned after a gap of almost three years with Mahesh Khaleja, while Pawan Kalyan returned with Komaram Puli after two and a half years.

Here's a closer look at the young Turks of 2010.

Manoj Manchu (Bindaas, Vedam, Jhumandi Naadam)

With three different films, it has been a fruitful year for Manoj. His energy was well reflected in Bindaas, his first release. As the character Ajay who tries to unite families in feud, Manoj was entertaining and believable.

In Vedam he played a budding rockstar Vivek Chakravarthy with panache.

He reprised the role of a singer in K Raghavendra Rao directed Jhumandi Naadam where he was paired opposite newcomer Taapsee. Here too he displayed enthusiasm and energy.

Manoj is one of the talented actors and one hopes that he chooses good and meaningful scripts in the years to come.

With an impressive lineage such as Chaitanya's (grandson of thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Guinness Book Record Holder D Rama Naidu and son of superstar Nagarjuna), one hoped that his debut would rock. But the Dil Raju-Vasu Varma combo film Josh which released last year lacked josh.

This year, Chaitanya chose Gautham Vasudev Menon's Ye Maaya Chesaave produced by Manjula (Krishna's daughter) and Swaroop. What Josh didn't YMC managed to do. Gautham gave Chaitanya his first big hit and brought back the smile and relief on his face! 

Chaitanya as Karthik was believable and with Jessie played by Samantha the duo created magic on screen thanks to a well-crafted screenplay by Gautham and terrific music (background too) by A R Rahman. His diction was good too and so were his expressions. No surprise that this love story rocked the box office.

Chaitanya also played a cameo in the Tamil Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya along with Samantha.

Another actor with a notable lineage is Rana, the grandson of D Rama Naidu, son of Suresh Babu and nephew of Telugu superstar Venkatesh.

This ex entrepreneur made his debut with a dream role in Leader directed by Sekhar Kammula.

As Arjun Prasad, the Chief minister's son who becomes CM, Rana was subtle with perfect Telugu diction and body language. By the time Leader released, Rana had already got his second film, a Hindi one Dum Maro Dum being directed by Rohan Sippy.

It is not often that actors get diverse or diametrically opposite roles to do in a year. Which makes Sharwanand one of the lucky few.

In fact, he is one of those who signs films with interesting roles and scripts. He is slowly carving a niche for himself in the film industry.

While Prasthanam's Mithra was a serious, gritty role, Andhari Bandhavayya's Nandu was a good Samaritan. Both these characters showcased his acting skills and given the right scripts, Sharwanand is the actor to look out for.

Prasthanam, which released before Sneha Geetham, had a gripping storyline and a perfect cast.

One of the persons who stole the show is Sandeep Kishan. This lad gave a mind-blowing performance as Shiva. He showcased his talent in the scenes depicting the emotional drama between father and son, him and his stepbrother and stepsister.

Sandeep didn't look a newcomer to the film industry. He seemed comfortable and at ease with his role in Prasthanam.

His next, Sneha Geetam directed by Madhura Sridhar, was a story of three friends. The issues dealt with in the film were relatable and concerning the youth of today. Though this performance was in no way comparable to the powerful Prasthanam, Sandeep did make an impact.