Sandalwood's top male debutants of 2016

In the third part in our series on the new talent in Sandalwood in 2016, we look at the heroes who have made a mark this year. One of the highlights of 2016 was the fact that there were many big-ticket
launches, be it through big banners or of sons from influential families. Here's taking a look at the actors who created more than just an impact...

Suraj Gowda
This model-turned-actor debuted as a hero in one of the first releases of 2016, Maduveya Mamatheya Kareyole. From the chocolate-boy role in his debut, one got to see him in a different avatar ' that of a psychopath ' in his second release, Kahi. He has a few releases lined up for 2017, already.

Nikhil Kumar
One of the big debutants of 2016, Nikhil's was the most-awaited launch, given that he hails from one of Karnataka's most-influential political families. His debut film, Jaguar, was one of the most expensive releases of the year and his training in dance and action paid off, given how people lauded his effort.

Rahul Madhav
This Udupi boy held his own in Suman Kittur's

Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu

, in which he played a hen-pecked husband. He has since signed his second film in Kannada, which is also TN Seetharam's comeback directorial, and is working hard at learning Kannada.

Channegowda and Singrigowda
Known more popularly by their onscreen names Gaddappa and Century Gowda, they are the oldest debutants of the year and have already earned themselves monikers and fan following. The Thithi actors are already busy with different films slotted for release.

Roger Narayan
This Bengaluru export to Hollywood returned to Sandalwood this year with director Pawan Kumar's U-Turn, in which his role as a cop was compared to that of Parambrata Chattopadhyay's role in Kahaani. He is currently working on his next film, which is being directed by Jacob Varghese.

Anup Revanna
While his debut vehicle, R Chandru's Lakshmana, may have received mixed reviews from critics, he's already wrapped up shooting for his second film, which is directed by S Narayan. Anup's definitely one of the better of the lot of politico sons who made their debut this year.

Prithvi
He hails from a prominent film family ' after all, he is the son of veteran music composer GK Venkatesh. His debut film is with filmmaker Preetham Gubbi and the duo has already announced their next together, which should take off sometime next year.