Sri Reddy to Vijay's Sarkar to Chinmayi Sripada: South stars who ruled Internet in 2018

Sri Reddy alleged that she was ‘used’ by many top filmmakers and actors. From Abhiram Daggubati to Nani, Sri Reddy also accused many Telugu and Tamil actors. She even alleged that former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar too has a dirty past.

Thalapathy Vijay’s Sarkar was one of the biggest hits in Tamil cinema this year. However, the film had its share of controversies. The government of Tamil Nadu urged the makers to chop out a few scenes from the movie after finding them objectionable. A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against director AR Murugadoss for the scenes in Sarkar, which were later dropped after a court hearing.

This year Samantha Akkineni became the first ever south Indian actor to become part of four $1 million films at the US box office. She began the year with Ram Charan-starrer Rangasthalam followed it up with Mahanati then appeared in the Tamil thriller Irumbu Thirai later closed the year with U-Turn. All these four films have earned a gross collection of more than $1 million at the US box office.

The magnum opus, 2.0, starring Rajinikanth went on to become one of the biggest releases in India. 2.0 has earned a gross collection of more than Rs 600 crore worldwide and is on the verge of beating the biggest film ever - Baahubali.

Kannada actor and politician MH Ambareesh died due to lung and kidney infection on November 24, 2018. He was 66. Known as Rebel Star, he had acted in over 200 films.

Nandamuri Harikrishna, Jr NTR’s father and popular actor-politician, died in a fatal car accident while he was travelling to attend a wedding.

Singer and dubbing artist Chinmayi Sripada led from the front and pulled the strings together in the #MeToo movement. Chinmayi alleged that lyricist Vairamuthu had tried to misbehave with her during one of the concerts in mid-2000. This led to her being removed from the dubbing union in Tamil, a move that caused a furore across the country.