Highest Paid South Indian Actresses

Highest Paid South Indian Actresses

South Indian film industry is a different world in itself; from the last few years, the actresses have proved themselves to be one of the known faces in the nation, and many of them have worked in the Bollywood industry as well. 

The industry has some of the gems of the country, but when it comes to the South film industry, one name that clicks is Rajnikant, but actresses have come a long way with their dedication. They have managed to steal the heart of the nation, and they are praised & recognized on a very big platform. Some of the highest-paid actresses in the South film industry are mentioned who have proved themselves and have reached the position. 

Rashmika Mandanna

The national crush of India, Rashmika Mandanna, is one of the prominent actresses from the Tamil and Kannada film industry but has managed to become the heartthrob of the country with her beauty and acting. She was born in Virajpet, Karnataka, on April 5, 1996. 

Her first film was Kirik Party in 2016, which became one of the highest-grossing movies in the Kannada film industry. Her performance was praised by everyone, and she even won the award for Best debut actress in SIIMA Award. In addition to that, she is famous for her role in the movie Geetha Govindam, in which she shared the screen with actor Vijay Deverakonda in the year 2018. It was a romantic comedy movie, and the pair received positive responses from the critics and audience. 

She has worked in movies including Bheeshma, Sarileru Neekevvaru, Chalo, Yajamana, Pogaru and Pushpa. She has won many awards for her performance, and she is now also gearing up for her entry into the Bollywood industry with Mission Majnu and Goodbye. Rashmika charges around Rs 2 crores to Rs 2.5 crores per movie. She is one of the most influential actresses and has surpassed Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Yash. 

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is one of the best-known actresses in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. She was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu, on April 28, 1987. She married Naga Chaitanya in 2017, but in the year 2021, they parted ways with the mutual decision. 

The actress started her journey with modelling along with her studies, and later she got the offer for a role and made her acting debut in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Ye Maaya Chevsave in the year 2010, and for that, she won the award for best debut actor female & a NANDI Award. The South Indian film industry counts her among its highest-paid actresses, and she has been a part of many successful films. 

Samantha has worked in movies like Seemthamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, Kaththi, A Aa, Mersal, Oh! Baby, Super Deluxe and many more. She is currently all set to make her Hollywood debut with Arrangements of Love which is directed by Philip John. 

Apart from her acting career, she is very active in NGOs and charities for the needy. She also owns her clothing brand named Saaki. The actress charges around Rs 3 to Rs 8 crores per movie or series.

Anushka Shetty

Sweety Shetty is widely recognized with her stage name Anushka Shetty. She is one of the prominent actresses from the Tamil and Telugu film industries. She has won many awards for her performances in the movies and is one of the highest-paid actresses in the South India film industry. South Indian cinema’s “Lady Superstar” Anushka Sharma is also known as. 

She was born in Mangalore, Karnataka, on November 7, 1981, and she started her journey in the year 2005 with a Telugu movie named Super, which won her the award for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. In the same year, she worked with S S Rajamouli in the movie Vikramarkudu, and this movie became one of the most successful movies of her career. 

Anushka has worked in many movies like Souryam, Lakshyam, Chintakayala Ravi, Arundhati, Vedam, Singham, Singham II, and the iconic Baahubali series and that became the 2nd highest-grossing Indian movie of all time. She is one of the few actresses who has won the maximum number of awards in the industry. She has won awards including Filmfare Awards South, CineMAA Awards, Vijay Awards, Nandi Awards and many more. The actress charges around Rs 6 crores per movie. 

 Nayanthara

Diana Mariam Kurian is widely known for her stage name Nayanthara. She is one of the highest-paid actresses from the Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema, and she was the only female actor from the South Indian film industry who made it into the Forbes India list of ‘Celebrity 100’. Some people call her the lady superstar of South Indian cinema, and she has done more than 75 movies in her acting career. 

Nayanthara was born in Banglore, Karnataka, on November 18, 1984. Apart from being a successful actress, she is a film producer, model and television host. She made her acting debut in the year 2003 with a Malayalam movie named Manassinakkare along with Jayaram. In the year 2005, she made her debut in the Tamil cinema industry with the movie Ayya and the movie Lakshmi in the Telugu film industry in 2006. 

She has given many blockbusters in the film industry, and she has done movies like Billa, Chandramukhi, Rappakal, Dubai Seenu Mohini, Bodyguard, Sri Rama Rajyam, Vigil, etc. In the year 2010, she made her debut in the Kannada film industry in the movie named Super along with Upendra, but that movie is her only appearance in the Kannada film industry. 

She has many awards like CineMAA Awards, Filmfare Awards South, Nandi Awards, Vijay Awards, IIFA Utsavam Awards, Asianet Film Awards, etc. She charges around Rs 2 crore to Rs 7 crore per movie, and her beauty and evergreen appeal make her one of the most admired actresses in the South Film Industry. She is one of the most successful actresses in the industry, and her works speak for her.

Taapsee Pannu

You may know Taapsee Pannu as an actress from the Bollywood industry, but she is one of the prominent actresses from the Telugu and Tamil film industry & later, she entered the Hindi film industry. She was born in New Delhi on August 1, 1987. 

She started her journey with modelling, but later she got the opportunity and made her acting debut with a Telugu film named Jhummandi Naadam in the year 2010. Later in 2011, she appeared in a Tamil movie named Aadukalam. Taapsee made her debut in the Hindi film industry with David Dhawan’s comedy film named Chashme Baddoor in the year 2013. 

She was working simultaneously in the South film industry as well as the Hindi film industry. After doing many South Indian films, she got another role in a Bollywood movie named Baby, in which she shared the screen with Akshay Kumar Anupam Kher in the year 2015, from which she got into the eyes and later with the movie Pink in 2016, she received appraisals, and it was a commercial success for her. 

Taapsee has worked in movies like Saand Ki Aankh, Mulk, The Ghazi Attack, Mission Mangal, Badla and for that, she has won the Filmfare award for best actress female critics choice. Taapsee is not only into acting, but she also runs an event management company named ‘The Wedding Factory’, and she also owns a franchise of a badminton team known as Pune 7 Aces that participates in the Premier Badminton League. She charges around Rs 3 crores to Rs 5 crores per movie.

Pooja Hegde

Pooja Hegde is one of the known actresses in the country and has a good presence on social media as well. She comes from the Telugu film industry, but apart from that, she has appeared in Tamil films and the Hindi film industry as well. The actress was also crowned as the 2nd runner-up at the Miss Universe India competition in the year 2010. 

She was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, on October 13, 1990. She made her acting debut with a Tamil superhero movie named Mugamoodi, along with Jiiva by Mysskin’s in the year 2012. In the year 2014, she got featured in the Telugu movie named Oka Laila Kosam and shared the screen with actor Naga Chaitanya; she made her Bollywood debut in the movie Mohenjo Daro by Ashutosh Gowariker and was featured along with Hrithik Roshan in 2016. 

The actress has worked in movies like Housefull 4, Duvvada Jagannadham, Maharshi, Sametha Veera Raghava and Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo in the year 2020, along with Allu Arjun. She has won many awards like Best female debut Tamil from South Indian International Movie Awards, Best actress female debut Telugu, Filmfare award for best actress. Pooja charges around Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore per movie. 

Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal is one of the highest-paid actresses from the Tamil and Telugu film industry, and she also appears in Hindi films as well. She has acted in over 50 movies till now. She was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, on June 19, 1985. 

In the year 2004, she made her acting debut in the Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na.. followed by 1st Telugu movie, and that was the beginning of a new journey for her. She earned recognition from Chandamama, and he has also played the lead role in the historical film Magadheera, and that was a turning point for her career. The movie is counted as one of the highest-grossing Telugu movies of all time. 

She has worked in movies including Brindavanam, Darling, Mr Perfect, Govindudu, Baadshah, Temper, Andarivadele, Khaidi no. 150, Temper, Vivegam, Singham, Special 26, and many more. In the year 2020, Kajal Aggarwal’s wax statue was put on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore, and she is the 1st actress from the South Indian film industry. 

She got married to entrepreneur Gautam Kitchlu on October 30, 2020. The actress charges the whopping amount of Rs 1.5 crores and Rs 4 crores. She has also worked as a singer in a Kannada movie named Chakravyuh. 

Rakul Preet Singh

Rakul Preet Singh is one of the prominent actresses from the Tamil and Telugu film industries, and she has also appeared in many Hindi movies. She belongs to a Punjabi family from New Delhi; coming from an Army background to one of the highest-paid actresses and appearing in three film industries has been a long journey. 

Rakul Preet Singh was born in New Delhi on October 10, 1990, and she started her journey in the acting industry in 2009. Rakul always wanted to be an actress and started her career modelling while she was in college at the age of 18 years. She made her debut with a Kannada movie named Gilli. 

In 2011, she came back into the industry with the movie Keratam, and she was featured opposite Siddharth Rajkumar. She has worked in movies including De De Pyaar De, Konda Polam, Dhruva, Dev, Jaya Janaki Nayaka, Theeran, Marjaavaan, Yaariyan, Runway 34, Aiyaari and many more. She has won many awards like Best actress Telugu, best actress jury, etc. 

The actress charges a whopping amount of Rs 1.5 crores to Rs 3 crores per movie. 

Tamannaah Bhatia

Tamannaah Bhatia, widely recognized as Tamannaah, is one of the highest-paid actresses from the South Indian film industry, basically from the Tamil and Telugu film industry, and she has also appeared in the Hindi movies. She is one of the prominent celebrity faces for many brands & products. 

She was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, on December 21, 1989. Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, a Hindi film she appeared in when she was 15 years old. In the same year, she appeared first in Telugu film with the movie Sri. She has worked in many movies like Paiyaa, Siruthai, Veeram, Sketch, Dharma Durai, Tadaka, Baahubali, Bengal Tiger, F2: Fun and Frustration, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. 

She has also received the honorary doctorate for her contribution to the Indian cinema industry. She has won many awards like the award for most popular Tamil actress, best Tamil actress, CineMAA Awards, Dayawati Modi Global Awards, Filmfare South Awards, IIFA Utsavam, etc. The actress charges around Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 3 crores per movie. 

These are the highest-paid actress in the South Indian film industry, survival in the industry is the biggest obstacle, and they have been dealing & surviving and have reached the stage where they can be known as the highest-paid actress in the industry. The journey has not been easy, but they are an example of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and becoming an inspiration to many. 

edited and proofread by nikita sharma