If 2012 saw more of Ramya, Radhika Pandit, Ragini Dwivedi and Sindhu Lokanth, the year 2013 will see a host of ‘relatively’ new stars who will make a splash with a lineup of films. BT first put together a list of Bangalore-based actresses who have debuted over the last year or so, and shortlisted that to the top five (based on their hits, projects that they have signed up for, their popularity and of course, their looks). We then got filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh, fashion guru Prasad Bidapa and photographer Waseem Khan to comment and rate the top five on a scale of five. Here’s a look at the results…

Deepika Kamaiah
After a five-year-stint as a model, Deepika Kamaiah won several beauty contests before taking the plunge into Sandalwood. She made her debut opposite Darshan in Chingari. After a six month break, the actress signed her second film Neene Bari Neene, and also replaced actress Chaitra in Auto Raja. This year, will mark Deepika’s Bollywood debut, as she’s done a cameo as a village belle in the Shahid Kapur-Ileana D’cruz-starrer Phata Poster Nikla Hero.
Indrajit: I’ve seen some of her clippings and I am surprised by the confidence the actress portrays. She’s one south actress, who has the potential to make it big in Bollywood. 4/5
Prasad: She’s got a pan Indian look, which will work for south as well as north. If she works more on her Hindi, she can make a cut in Bollywood too. 4/5
Waseem: Suave, sophisticated, articulate and not a cliche’d dumb starlet. Deepika has a lot of potential and I believe she will be the girl who will outlast most of the film stars of the south film industry. 4.5/5
Total: 83.3%

Shwetha Srivatsav
Shwetha Srivatsav comes from a theatre background and getting into films was a natural progress. After working for a television serial, the actress made her Kannada debut with Cyber Yugadol Nava Yuva Madhura Prema Kavyam. Even before her debut hit the screens, Shwetha signed her second project Simplag Ond Love Story opposite Rakshit Shetty. The film that saw a release recently is doing well at the BO.
Indrajit: I’ve seen some of the promos from her recent release and I must admit that she is a good actress. In fact, she’s a better actress than the rest. She’s very expressive and has a lively face. 3.5/5
Prasad: Shwetha has got lovely features and it will work well for south Indian films. Her expressive face also makes her a good actress. 3/5
Waseem: I haven’t seen much of her work. I am waiting to see her take up more projects. 3/5
Total: 63.3%

Kavya Shetty
The former Femina Miss India contestant made her entry into Sandalwood with a small budget film I Am in Love. But the actress has got lucky with a Tamil-Telugu thriller Shivani. She also plays one of the lead roles in Preetham Gubbi’s youth flick, Nam Duniya Nam Style.
Indrajit: Though I’ve not seen much of her work, as a model she looks stunning. Kavya’s got great height and good body and we need such actresses in our industry. 3.5/5
Prasad: Kavya has worked with me on a couple of shows and I’ve trained her for the pageant as well. She’s well-groomed and her westernized looks will work well in the south film industry. 4/5
Waseem: Sweet personality, but probably a bit too sweet for the big bad world of filmdom. She will make it big if she plays her cards right. Nevertheless, she works the camera superbly and shoots like a dream. 4/5
Total: 76.6%

Kriti Kharbanda
Bangalore girl Kriti Kharbanda made her debut in a Telugu film Boni, opposite Sumanth. She took up her next project in Kannada with Chirru, which marked the Sandalwood debut for both Chiranjeevi Sarja and herself. He next break was Prem Adda opposite Prem, which got her more yet-to-be-released films like Googly opposite Yash and Sakhatagawne opposite newbie Karthik. She’s also worked on Telugu films like Ongole Githa with Ram Pothineni and Theenmaar with Pawan Kalyan.
Indrajit: I find Kriti pretty, off the camera. She’s got a face like Bhavana Ramanna, where she’s more lively off screen than on screen. Nevertheless, choosing the right scripts will help her get to a better place. 4/5
Prasad: She’s got a very sweet and innocent face. She has the girl-next-door looks that will work wonders for her at the BO. 4/5
Waseem: She’s another smart girl who surprised many, including me, when she joined the south film brigade. She has the potential to score some mega hits. 3.75/5
Total: 78%

Soundarya Jayamala
Daughter of former actress Jayamala, Soundarya’s entry into films was predictable. While there were many speculated debuts, the actress made entered showbiz with Godfather, opposite Upendra. After several months of her debut, the actress took time to zero in on her second film, Paru w/o Devdas opposite Srinagara Kitty.
Indrajit: Being a famous actress’s daughter, Soundarya has got everything it takes to make a mark. However, her debut saw mixed responses. She needs to prepare herself better for upcoming films. 2.5/5
Prasad: She comes from a good lineage and has a lot of potential to make it big in the film industry. In fact, she’s promising as an actress when compared to the rest. 4.5/5
Waseem: She’s got tremendous oomph, sex appeal, charisma and has that X factor. In my opinion, Soundarya is the next superstar in the south. 5/5
Total: 80%

Debutants to look forward to this year
Here’s a list of promising Bangalore-based actresses who’ll be making their debuts this year
Milana Nagaraj: Brindavana and Nam Duniya Nam Style (Kannada)
Rajshri Ponnappa: Paru w/o Devdas (Kannada), Pithavinum, Puthranum, Parishuddhathmavinum (Malayalam), Aram (Tamil-Malayalam)
Nikki Galrani: Ajith (Kannada), Yagavarayinum Naa Kakka (Tamil)
Rachita Ram: Bul Bul (Kannada)
Jahanvi Kamath: Parari (Kannada)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada / by Sharanya CR, TNN / March 14th, 2013