In a career spanning 17 years, actor Tamannaah Bhatia has seen several ups and downs while acting in movies in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. She started her acting career with Chaand Sa Roshan Chehra in 2005 at the age of 15 when she was still in school.

She got a call to audition for the Telugu film ‘Sri’ with Manchu Manoj in the lead role when she was writing her board exams, Vogue reported.

Tamannaah’s first big break in Telugu films came with Happy Days (2007), helmed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was a blockbuster hit. The same year Tamannaah earned rave reviews for playing a college student in an acclaimed Tamil film Kalloori.

These were followed by huge box-office successes in Telugu and Tamil films such as Ayan, Kanden Kadhalai, Paiyya, Siruthai, 100% Love, and Badrinath.

Even though her films were commercially successful, there were doubts about her career as she was being cast in stereotypical roles.

“Every time people write me off, I’m thrilled because it pushes me to work harder,” Vogue quoted Tamannaah as saying earlier.

As the actor turns 33 on December 21, here is a look at 5 top movies of Tamannaah.

Kalloori

Released in 2007, Kalloori was a major breakthrough in Tamannaah’s career in Tamil cinema. In the movie, Tamannaah plays a college student, Shobana, from a small town in Tamil Nadu. Her performance was well appreciated by the audience and critics.

Paiyaa (2010)

Paiyaa catapulted Tamannaah’s fame to greater heights. Helmed by Lingusamy, Paiyaa (Aawara in Telugu) is the story of two strangers who go on a road trip from Bengaluru to Mumbai to escape gangsters. The dazzling chemistry between Tamannaah and Karthi was a roaring success.

Baahubali: The Beginning

The first edition of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali was released in 2015. In Baahubali, Tamannaah broke stereotypes by playing the role of a warrior, who is given the mission to rescue Devasena from the clutches of Mahishmathi’s tyrant king, Bhallaldev. She is also the love interest of Shivudu played by Prabhas.

Oopiri

Vamshi Paidipally’s Oopiri (Thozha in Tamil) was released in 2016. The movie brought back Tamannaah and Karthi together and their onscreen chemistry was an instant hit among the audience. The film was a remake of the French comedy The Intouchables.

Babli Bouncer

Released in 2022, Babli Bouncer is the story of a young girl Babli. Played by Tamannaah, who is naturally gifted with physical strength, Babli moves to Delhi after she gets a job as a bouncer at a pub.