What were the reasons for the downfall of Actor Abbas in Tamil cinema?

 The tale of Abbas is a weird one. From rejecting Jeans to ending up as mascot for Harpic, he has come a long way. I feel bad for him, but luckily he has been able to stay afloat with businesses and a decent modelling career.

Trivia - Abbas and Ajith were the first choices of Shankar to play the twin-lead-role in his magnum opus Jeans. The role finally went to Prashanth, for whom it became a career-defining movie. Just let that sink in.

To cut the long story short, here is why Abbas could not survive in Tamil.

Poor screen presence - Cinema is a not for everyone and Abbas could be a prime example for that. With great looks, nice body language and decent acting ability, Abbas should have been a huge draw. Unfortunately, he had a very poor screen presence. Despite all the above, you were never quite drawn to his roles. Save Minnale, Kaadhal Desam and maybe Thiruttu Payale, his roles were forgettable.

Cut, Copy Paste - Here is a fun activity. Lets cut Abbas’s entire role from VIP/Kaadhal Desam/Anandham and paste it to his cameo in Padayappa. What was that? You couldn’t see any difference? My point exactly. He did not improve over a very long period. Compare Suriya’s ‘Naerukku Naer’ with ‘Nanda’ and you will see what I mean.

Poor movie choices - I felt Abbas signed too many multi-hero subjects. In many films I felt it worked for the other hero. His first 3–4 years were filled with movies where he shared screen with much bigger stars. A classic example is Kandukondein kandukondein where he was utterly dwarfed by Mammotty and Ajith, despite a pretty decent performance. The only individual movie he did during this period (poochudava) flopped big time.

Big names, Big directors - A telling sign of an actor’s career graph is their treatment at the hands of big directors - Vincent Selva, Linguswamy, KS Ravikumar, Rajeev Menon, Mouli - none of them called Abbas again for their future projects. Not a very good sign. It could be just coincidence, but if big names don’t remember you, it is very bad news in a competitive industry. Even worse if their assistants too don’t.

Voice - Abbas had a huge advantage in his early career. His expressions, limited acting and overall presence were boosted by his voice. Not his own, but the one dubbed over by Vikram. Like Mohan, Abbas was very much dependent on dubbing. This would eventually lead to his downfall.

No mass element whatsoever - Onset of the mass era in the 2000s sunk a lot of heroes. When heroes like Prashanth, Parthiban, Murali and Vignesh found it hard - Abbas was, but simply a rabbit caught in headlights.

Rich boy looks - I feel heroes who look like upper-class boys have a hard time being accepted. This is a disputed point. When I wrote about Sidharth many commenters pointed out that this may not be applicable to everyone since Ajith is still surviving. Ajith is the same breed, but a different animal. Hard to explain, but folks like Abbas are not even on the same league as Ajith.

What are some truths about Tamil hero Suriya?

 I think truth is too strong a word to use in such a trivial context, and I would rather call this some interesting facts about Tamil actor Suriya. (In fact I had earlier written this as an answer to another question but in a different context, and am copy pasting the excerpts from there as it fits in perfectly here)

In the year 1997, S.M.Vasanth, one of the popular film-makers in Tamil made a film titled Nerukku Ner, a double hero subject in which he wanted to cast the two most promising young actors of the day, Vijay and Ajithkumar. But as Ajith pulled out of the film ostensibly due to date problems, Saravanan who was the son of veteran actor Sivakumar was rechristened Suriya, and was taken on board in place of Ajith. The film went on to become successful and established Suriya as one of the popular leading men of Tamil film world.

In the year 2001, famed director Bala, fresh from his sleeper hit debut with Sethu, was making his much anticipated second film, Nandha, and initially wanted to cast Ajithkumar in the role of the intense protagonist. Again, as fate would have it, Ajithkumar opted out of the film, and it was Suriya who landed that role of the tough looking angry young man in the movie. That film too went on to win critical acclaim, and more importantly helped Suriya shed his earlier soft and shy chocolate boy image, and gave him a much needed image make over to cement his place as a bankable action hero.

In the year 2003, another popular director, Gautham Menon was planning a stylish cop story, with actor Ajithkumar in mind to play the male lead. Once again Ajithkumar excused himself citing reservations about playing a cop, and Menon finally zeroed in on Suriya, impressed by his performance in Nandha and also reportedly influenced by the recommendation of the leading lady, Jyothika. This film became a game changer for Suriya, and catapulted him to the league of much sought after star-heroes in Tamil.

EDIT with special thanks to Karthic Sivaswamy :
In 2005 yet another rising film maker A.R.Murugadoss had plans of making a film tentatively titled Mirattal with Ajithkumar and Asin in the lead, and even some photo shoots were reportedly held. But the film got subsequently shelved, and ARM then made this in to Ghajini with Suriya in the lead while Asin was retained as the female lead. When released, the film went on to become a block buster, and catapulted Suriya to the pinnacle of filmy stardom.

Till now, we saw how the roles/films rejected by Ajithkumar fortuitously helped Suriya to achieve success and stardom, not once, but four times. But the most interesting coincidence between these two lead actors had its genesis much earlier, and interestingly in the reverse direction.

In 1995, the same director Vasanth was making a thriller film called Aasai and the role of the romantic lead was offered to Suriya, who was then just Saravanan, as his launch vehicle into tinsel world. But he expressed his disinclination to take up acting in movies for a profession, and the role finally went to a very handsome budding actor of the day as his first major lead role, and put him firmly on the road to stardom.

The name of that young actor?
Ajithkumar, of course :)

Source and images : Internet

Nagarajan Srinivas (நாகராஜன் ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ்)'s answer to What are some interesting facts about South Indian actors?

Some other facts about Suriya :

His father Sivakumar is one of the senior actors of Tamil cinema, who has acted in lead roles when Kamal Haasan or Rajinikanth used to play supporting characters in some of his films. He is fondly called “Kalai Ulaga Markandeyan” meaning “The Markandya of Art World” and he was a consummate drawing artist too, who has professional qualifications from the Madras School of Arts.

Suriya’s brother Karthi is also an actor, and a popular hero in south Indian films in his own right.

Suriya, after a long courtship, married actress Jyothika,and before marriage they were successfully paired in many Tamil films.

Suriya is known for charitable work in the field of education, carried out under the aegis of his family run trust named “Agaram Foundation”.

What do you think of Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan?

 Vishnuvardhan was an Indian actor who mainly worked in Karnataka Kannada film industry of Kannada language, 99 percentage his movies are Kannada language movies m

I neither love him or hate

But I do feel annoyed when I hear his voice, his acting and his gestures in some of his movies especially after 1990’s.

In terms of acting skills, versatility he is definitely overrated and less talented than Navarasa nayaka Jaggesh and Dr Rajkumar. He has some loyals fans but they compare him to Rajkumar.

There are only few movies in which he starred I feel are definitely good and watchable like

Sahasa Simha, Bangarada Jinke, Nishyabdha and few others.

I conclude that he was a popular action hero inside Karnataka and his popularity was restricted to Karnataka. He can be comparable to Sylvester Stallone.

If a Bollywood actor portrays Narendra Modi on screen, who do you think it should be?

Paresh Rawal, a seasoned Indian actor , can depict Narendra Modi on screen.

Depth : Being a fellow Gujarati , Paresh Rawal is familiar with the cultural habits of the Indian Prime Minister.

Seasoned : He is well acquainted with the dramatic arts and understands the facial expressions of the character.

Diction : Paresh Rawal also speaks with a Gujarati accent.

Identical : Many find Paresh Rawal physically similar to Narendra Modi.

Familiar : Paresh Rawal is quite close to the Indian Prime minister.

Facts :Paresh Rawal is a former Indian parliamentarian.

He has earned cortical acclaim for playing Sardar Patel in the leader's eponymous biopic.

Pic Credits : Google Images/ Web

Who is that actor of Bollywood who got very close to being a superstar but couldn't make it to the top?

 Two of the finest actors of Indian cinema who got very close to being superstar's but never got the due recognition at top which they should have got are Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna.

1. Dharmendra:- Dharmendra is one of the finest actors in india. He gave many good and hit movies as well as criticaly accliamed one like Satyakam, Sholay, phool aur patthar, kab?kyon?kaha?, pratigya, dharam veer, Aankhen, Haqeeqat,Shikar, Jugnu,Ram balram, Gazab, Yaadon ki Baraat and many others. Infact Dharmendra was considered as one if the most handsome hero of industry still he could never make it to top superstar recognition. He deserved it.

2. Vinod Khanna:- Vinod Khanna emerged as a big star when Amitabh bacchan was reigning king of Industry. He started as a villian but gradually became protagonist. He too was considered one of the most handsome and good looking actor. At that time chatter was he will dethrone and surprass Amitabh bacchan but he quit acting in between to follow Osho and took break frommactong only to return later. This was biggest reason probably he couldn't make it to Top. His celebrated films include Hera Pheri, Haath ki Safai, Dayavan,Mukkadar ka sikandar, Amar Akbar anthony, Khoon pasina, Lahoo ke do rang, Inkaar, Parvarish, Qurbani, Achanak and many others.

Images courtesy:- Pinterest.

Which actor has acted longest year or even acting in Tamil cinema industry?

 Easy. The one and only Ulaga cum Vinveli Nayagan : Kamal Haasan.

Started his career as a child artist in the 1960 Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma and won a President's Gold Medal for his very first film!

(Kamal Haasan in Kalathur Kannamma)

Still acting in 2026 with over a couple of films in the pipeline.

(Kamal Haasan in Thug Life)

(Kamal Haasan in the forthcoming KH X RK)

Which actor or actress has the maximum number of marriages in Bollywood?

 Among the actors The late Bollywood actor Mahesh Anand married five times..which is considered highest no. of marriage.

Barkha Roy — First wife; marriage ended in divorce.

Erica Maria D’Souza (1987) — Second wife; former Miss India International; later divorced.

Madhu Malhotra (1992) — Third wife; actress; later divorced.

Usha Bachani (2000) — Fourth wife; actress; divorced around 2002.

Lana (m.2015 to 2018) — Fifth and final wife; she was his wife until his death in February 2019

Then 2nd list is Kabir Bedi and legendary singer-actor Kishore Kumar comes 2nd list, share the maximum recorded number of marriages, having been married four times each.

1. Kabir Bedi married four times: Protima Bedi (1969–1974), Susan Humphreys (1980–1990), Nikki Bedi (1992–2005), and Parveen Dusanj (2016–present). His fourth marriage is still going strong, despite 10 year relationship.

2. Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar was married four times: Ruma Guha Thakurta (1950–1958), Madhubala (1960–1969), Yogeeta Bali (1976–1978), and Leena Chandavarkar (1980–1987). His first and third marriages ended in divorce, while his second ended with Madhubala’s death and his fourth lasted until his death in 1987.

⭐Now coming to actress

Neelima Azeem, The Bollywood actress and classical dancer, writer, she has married three times which is considered High as an actress.

Her first marriage with Pankaj Kapur (1979–1984) — divorced; they have a son, Shahid Kapoor.

Rajesh Khattar (1990–2001) — divorced; they have a son, Ishaan Khatter.

Raza Ali Khan (2004–2009) — divorced.

So, Neelima Azim has had three marriages, all of which ended in divorce.

Most common no. of marriage among the bollywood celebrities.

Aamir Khan (3 times) recently married on 2026 to Gauri Spratt.

His marriages include his first union with Reena Dutta (1986–2002), had two kids, 1 Son Junaid Khan and 1 Daughter Ira Khan.

his second with filmmaker Kiran Rao (2005–2021) had 1 son named Azad Rao Khanand

his third marriage to longtime partner Gauri Spratt on July 5, 2026.

Sanjay Dutt (3 times) married. His 3rd wife is Maanayata Dutt, married on 2008, his first wife Richa Sharma died due to brain tumor on December 10, 1996,

Karan Singh Grover (3 times) married, his 3rd wife is Bipansha Basu, married on 2016.

Source:- Word press site

Who is the best actor among Vijay, Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Allu Arjun?

 Vijay? Do you mean Vijay Deverakonda? There are several celebrities named Vijay in South India, so I assume you mean Vijay Deverakonda from the Telugu film industry.

⭐Acting wise i would rank them as

1. Allu Arjun
2. Mahesh Babu
3. Prabhas
4. Vijay Devarakonda

I would rank Allu Arjun as the best actor because of his highly expressive and versatile performances, excellent body language, and strong dancing ability.

Pushpa showcased a particularly strong transformation. He has also demonstrated versatility in films such as Badrinath, Rudhramadevi, Sarrainodu, Yevadu, Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India, Parugu, Arya, DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham, and Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.

His acting scene in Happy (2006) is another example of his acting ability.

In pushpa

His role in In Badrinath is Underrated.

His dancing skills

Acting wise I would rank Mahesh Babu second. He is known for his understated and subtle acting style, sharp dialogue delivery, and strong emotional screen presence

While acclaimed for intense and comic performances in classics like Pokiri and Athadu, However, some audiences and critics feel that his recent performances have become repetitive, particularly in terms of his expressions and character portrayals.

This scene demonstrates Mahesh Babu's ability to deliver an emotional performance

He has also demonstrated strong comic timing and energetic delivery in films such as Dookudu

Next, Prabhas has delivered strong performances in films such as Billa, Baahubali: The Beginning, and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.”

However, some viewers may have mixed opinions about his performance in films such as Rebel, where his acting can sometimes feel overly loud or exaggerated.

“His comic range is comparatively less prominent than that of some of the other actors on this list.”

His acting in Chhatrapati

His romantic scene in Saaho

While opinions on his overall range vary, he excels in commercial hero roles that demand a commanding physical stature and emotional sincerity.

His key strengths are :

Physicality and Presence, his tall height and imposing build make heroic and royal characters look authentic and believable.

Intensity in Action, He handles heavy-duty action sequences and high-concept blockbusters with natural weight, emotional Depth in Drama He shows some vulnerability and earnestness in dramatic scenes, particularly in collaborations with director S.S. Rajamouli.

sometimes his dialogue delivery and expressions can feel limited or repetitive when working outside of well-tailored commercial setups.

Vijay Deverakonda is relatively newer compared with the other three actors and has not yet portrayed as wide a variety of roles. He is mainly known for his raw intensity, natural screen presence, and characters with rebellious or vulnerable personalities.”

He rose to superstardom with his breakout performance in Arjun Reddy (2017), where his intense emotional depth won him critical acclaim and a Filmfare Award.

⭐In terms of Handsomeness Good looking I would rank them as

1. Mahesh Babu
2. Allu Arjun
3. Vijay Devarakonda
4. Prabhas

No doubt Mahesh Babu is so dashing Handsome look due to his Taller height, Good Diet and maintaining same look clean shave or subtle beard from 90s till now.

“He has also had a particularly strong appeal among female audiences.”

In beard look no Doubt, Allu Arjun looks perfect in any look, thanks to his versatile face shape oval shape, sharp jawline

Vijay is aggresively so handsome in Beard look, many Youth try to copy him his look, heavy beard since 2017 Arjun Ready movie which got box office hit/blockbuster

⭐In terms of Dance i would rank them as

1. Allu Arjun
2. Mahesh Babu
3. Prabhas
4. Vijay Devarakonda

“I haven't watched many of Vijay Deverakonda's dance performances, but based on what I have seen, I would place him fourth.”

Allu Arjun is an exceptionally strong dancer and is widely recognized for his energetic performances, expressive body language, and ability to handle complex choreography.”

whereas Mahesh Babu is known for a more restrained, minimal-dance style focusing instead on effortless screen presence and subtle charisma.

Prabhas has showcased his dancing in films such as Rebel and Saaho, although dance is not generally considered his strongest area

Compared with Allu Arjun, Prabhas is less known for highly energetic and technically demanding dance performances.

Prabhas Relies on a laid-back, confident attitude and casual rhythm rather than hyper-energetic choreography

Overall, all four actors have their own strengths. For naturalistic acting and versatility, I would personally choose Allu Arjun. For mass and action-oriented roles, I would choose Prabhas or Mahesh Babu, while Vijay Deverakonda is particularly suited to romantic, youthful, rebellious, and emotionally intense roles.