Pawan Kalyan Emerges as Tollywood’s No.1 Hero in 2025

Power Star Pawan Kalyan was not only the ruler of the Telugu cinema but he was also one of the top-paid actors at that time. Megastar Chiranjeevi, during his brief departure from the film scene, saw Pawan as a serious rival for the crown. Gabbar Singh and Attarintiki Daredi, among others, not only set new standards in the industry but also established his mass appeal which was universal.

Though, politics pushed him to sell-out movies. While his contemporaries were taking their turn to the pan-India stage, Pawan Kalyan was still struggling with box office numbers, His comeback phase was tough as well; three consecutive remake films giving not more than average results. Adding to this, the straight film Harihara Veeramallu that was much awaited turned out to be a mighty disappointment at the box office.

Everything changed with his latest release OG. The film stunned trade circles and fans alike, rewriting records and becoming the highest-grossing film of Pawan Kalyan’s career. With massive collections, OG also emerged as the biggest Tollywood hit of the year.

Before OG, Victory Venkatesh’s Sankranthi release Sankranthiki Yaalnaam held the top spot with a gross collection of around ₹300 crore. But OG went past that milestone, collecting over ₹320 crore in its full theatrical run and claiming the No.1 position for 2025.

Originally, Balakrishna's Akhanda 2 was anticipated to set a new record. The picture let down the expectations at the box office outside the Telugu states and earned only average collections in total. The film probably will not reach ₹120 crores even if it gets the whole theatrical run.

With OG leading the box office charts and no other film close to matching its performance, 2025 clearly belongs to Pawan Kalyan. The Power Star has once again proven his unmatched box office pull, reclaiming his position as Tollywood’s number one hero this year.