Senior ladies struggled this year more or less. They did find themselves in great reckoning with one controversy or another yet box office returns remained dull. Nayanthara, Samantha ended up being part of controversies but in news. Anushka Shetty's much anticipated return also did not work its magic at the BO. Pooja Hegde and Tamannaah Bhatia maintained visibility with special song successes. Kiara Advani and Keerthy Suresh looked completely out of sorts.

Anushka Shetty

After a hiatus of several years, Anushka Shetty made a raw action comeback to the screens with Krish's Ghaati. The movie ended up being a huge disaster for her despite the anticipation of looking on big screens back again. Well, the reception for the film might have pushed her plans of a big comeback into limbo again.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Despite taking time for personal health and selective projects, Samantha’s brand equity remains ironclad. Her foray into international-standard content and her "health-first" 2026 roadmap kept her in the headlines. Her success this year was measured more by influence and digital reach than box office volume while she started her production house with a film like Shubham.

Nayanthara

The "Lady Superstar" of South Cinema found it difficult to get through this year at the box office. Even her controversy with Dhanush about using Naanum Rowdy Thaan movie footage in her Nayanthara documentary, ended up taking most of the year. Even Chandramukhi makers sent lawsuits and it is to be seen how the issues resolve. As per films, she is hoping for a great comeback with Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu starring Chiranjeevi in Anil Ravipudi direction.

Pooja Hegde

Pooja Hegde’s 2025 was a story of two halves. She faced a significant setback in Bollywood with the action-thriller Deva, where despite her chemistry with Shahid Kapoor, the film suffered from poor box-office returns. However, she found her "saving grace" in the South with Retro, which did not mark her comeback but gave her hope. Coolie special song, Monica, kept her highly popular and in the mix of the things with Vijay's Jana Nayagan slated to release on 9th January, 2026.

Kajal Aggarwal

For one of the most enduring icons of the last decade, 2025 was a particularly difficult year. Kajal was part of the high-budget Eid release Sikandar, which, despite starring Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna, was critically panned and struggled to recover its massive ₹180 crore budget, eventually being labeled a box-office disaster.

Tamannaah Bhatia

Tamannaah continued to shine in sexy special numbers like Ghafoor for Bads of Bollywood series. But her Odela 2 ended being another disappointment for her hopes to make a solid comeback in Telugu. We have to wait and see, how she would make a big comeback in 2026 with big films and special song assignments.

Keerthy Suresh

The most sad story of 2025 would be Keerthy Suresh as she faced box office failures only this year. Uppu Kappurambu released on Amazon Prime Video to almost no response with her long awaited Revolver Rita also ending up as a big flop. She needs Vijay Deverakonda's Rowdy Janardhan to be her big comeback in 2026.

Kiara Advani

Kiara Advani had a abysmal year in terms of box office returns with Game Changer and WAR 2 flopping big time. But her bikini shots in WAR 2 helped her in maintaining overall marketable presence as a leading lady. Being the new mother in the town, she might wait for the best films to make a strategic comeback next year.

Mrunal Thakur

The actress did not have any Telugu releases but her name has been among the news circles due to rumored link-ups with Dhanush. She had one release Son of Sardar 2 which ended up being a disaster.

Katrina Kaif

She became a mother and decided to stay away from limelight this whole year. With a multi-starrer all lead by female stars in the mix, she might reappear on screens in 2026 after the materinity break.

Disclaimer: The news article is written based on information shared by various sources. The organisation is not responsible for the factual nature of them. While we do try to do thorough research at times people could misguide. So, we would encourage viewers' discretion before reacting to them.