Beard: The New Heroic Trend in South Indian Cinema

In the past, a handsome Tollywood hero was often seen as someone who had a clean-shaven face without a mustache. Many famous actors from the times of NTR and ANR, such as Shobhan Babu, Krishna, Chiranjeevi, and Balakrishna, followed this trend and entertained their fans. Actors like Kamal Haasan were the exception, as they dared to experiment with their looks. Most actors wouldn't change their appearance unless the story demanded it. However, in the new generation of films, having a beard has become a popular trend regardless of the actor's stature.

Movies like Rangasthalam starring Ram Charan, Pushpa starring Allu Arjun, Panja with Pawan Kalyan, Nannaku Prematho, featuring Junior NTR, KGF starring Yash, Kantara by Rishabh Shetty, Arjun Reddy starring Vijay Devarakonda, Bheemla Nayak featuring Rana, Tholiprema with Varun Tej, Chitralahari by Saidharam Tej, Salaar with Prabhas, Dhamaka featuring Ravi Teja, among others, have popularized this trend. Upcoming heroes like Vishwak Sen and Karthikeya are also following suit. Although a few actors like Mahesh Babu and Nikhil were exceptions to this trend, they too embraced the beard in movies like Takkari Donga and Arjun Suravaram.

This trend shows how much impact having a beard has on portraying heroism. Similar trends can be seen in many South Indian languages. Actors like Dhanush, Mammootty, and Mohanlal have been successful in embracing this change. Earlier, people used to judge a person's personality, especially men, by whether they had a beard or not. But now, directors are creating characters that reflect a more realistic and relatable male persona on screen. Therefore, heroes adapt their style to suit the preferences of the current generation.

By- Vishnupriya.