Nagarjuna Akkineni to Jhansi: 2019’s top newsmakers of Telugu TV

From controversial exits to successful comebacks, Telugu television has seen it all this year. While a few newbies rose to glory, a few successful celebrities experienced unexpected hiccups. On the other hand, a few celebrities took fans by surprise leaving a lasting impact. Here’s a quick at the top newsmakers of 2019.

Actor-producer Nagarjuna Akkineni, who made his Telugu TV debut with Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu, spilled his magic on the small screen yet again. The latest season of Bigg Boss Telugu has registered some best TVRs (television ratings) in the history of the globally popular reality TV series. However, the show was mired in controversies much before its launch and Nagarjuna received flak for his ‘Bigg Boss is voyeuristic’ statement and a delay in reacting upon the sexual harassment allegations against a few organisers of the show. The Bigg Boss Telugu host turned 60 this year and his pictures from his family vacation in Spain during the season 3 give some major fitness goals too. On this occasion, he also treated himself with a special tattoo that reflects his ideology.

The playback singer-songwriter is Telugu TV’s new muse. This Bigg Boss Telugu season 3 winner rose to fame with the reality TV show; thanks to his on-screen romance with co-contestant Punarnavi Bhupalam and rivalry with his bestie Sreemukhi in the show. Rahul later appeared as the special guest in many shows aired by the channel that telecast Bigg Boss Telugu 3. He has also crooned for the title track of the recently launched TV show No.1 Kodalu.

(Photo: Instagram)

2019 has been a game changer for the actress-TV host. Her exit from the popular show Pataas and subsequent participation in Bigg Boss Telugu 3 created a lot of buzz on social media. Her Bigg Boss stint was equally controversial. Differences with her bestie Rahul Sipligunj in Bigg Boss Telugu 3 and allegations of a secret agreement with the makers of the show for the trophy bothered her a lot. She eventually lost the trophy to Rahul Sipligunj in one of the most nail biting climaxes of the Telugu reality TV series. However, she is unarguably one of the most talked-about TV celebrities this year. After a brief vacation in Maldives, Sreemukhi went on to make a comeback as a TV host with Start Music Reloaded.

With 2019 marking his debut into politics, the actor-producer-TV judge made headlines for several reasons. During the recent Legislative Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, there were speculations that Nagababu would quit his popular comedy show Jabardasth. This eventually turned true but for reasons unexpected. His exit from Jabardasth due to alleged differences with the makers of the show was one of the most discussed topics on social media. A few videos on Nagababu’s video sharing platform with his take on the issue indeed trended for a while. Rumour has it that Nagababu distanced himself with the makers of Jabardasth due to various differences. However, Nagababu recently appeared as a judge in the new comedy show Adhirindi which is being dubbed as a replica of Jabardasth.

This year hasn’t been great for the popular TV host. Pradeep suffered an ankle injury during the climax of his show Dhee Jodi for which he had undergone a surgery. He had to stay away from the next season Dhee Champions for a while. Rumours about health condition were rife which eventually prodded the actor to clarify on the same. On the other hand, Koncham Touch lo Unte Chepta season 4, one of his most anticipated chat shows, also failed to perform as expected. Pradeep is currently back on TV with the recently launched show Local Gangs which hasn’t registered a start that was expected in terms of TRP.

2019 marked the successful comeback of the eminent actress-TV host. Jhansi returned after an intentional sabbatical with the game show Parivaar League which is currently airing its second season as well. Jhansi went on to host yet another successful show Start Music season 1 which created a lot of buzz. It was launched in Bengali and Malayalam as well. However, the second season of Start Music is being hosted by Sreemukhi. Jhansi had some good films to her credit this year.

This year has been quite eventful for Ravi. He shut down the growing link up rumours with Sreemukhi and other co-hosts by introducing his family to the world. Ravi made headlines by allegedly endorsing a few comments made in his TV show Pataas that could possibly hurt the sentiments of people in Andhra Pradesh. Ravi had to take to his social media handle to clarify on the issue and end the controversy. While he had to quit his popular show Pataas season 2 recently severing his long term association with the makers of the show, Ravi also forayed into digital space this year. He was reportedly hit by a mini-truck and he managed to escape unhurt. Ravi instantly reported the incident to the police and also took the opportunity to create awareness about drunk driving.

(Photo: Instagram)

Ali Reza was any other talented TV actor with a few notable appearances in films as well until Bigg Boss Telugu season 3 happened. He turned one of the most trending TV celebrities on social media; due credits to his aggressive game play in the reality TV show. He was one of the most aggressive contestants and his exit from the show was one of the most unexpected evictions of the season. Fans even trended #BringBackAliReza on social media until he was brought back into the show after a few weeks. He eventually emerged to be one of the five finalists of the show. Ali is basking in the success of the show. He has already bagged some plum projects with one of it being a film with BB Telugu 3 host Nagarjuna Akkineni. However on the small screen, he was recently replaced in his popular show Maate Mantramu by actor Karthik.

(Photo: Instagram)

This year left many bittersweet memories for Sudigali Sudheer, one of the most popular figures on Telugu television. While his sizzling on-screen chemistry with co-star Rashmi Gautam on the dance reality show Dhee Jodi was celebrated by fans throughout the year, the Pove Pora host also fulfilled his dream of making his silver screen debut. All his BFFs from the TV industry included Pradeep, Sekhar Master, Rashmi Gautam, Hyper Aadi and others supported him on his debut venture which created a lot of buzz.

(Photo: Instagram)

She was the biggest surprise of the year for the telly audience. Despite being one of the most sought-after Indian actresses, Ramyakrishnan took Bigg Boss Telugu fandom by surprise. She stepped into the shoes of Bigg Boss Telugu 3 host Nagarjuna in his absence. Interestingly, this is the first time a popular actress shall be seen hosting Bigg Boss, who always had male superstars as hosts. Earlier, Ramyakrishnan had hosted the chat show Jara Masti Jara Dhoom but she proved the naysayers wrong and left a lasting impact with her brief TV stint as Bigg Boss Telugu host.