Samantha is new crowd puller

Pretty and talented actress Samantha has become the new crowd-puller in 2019 by delivering a blockbuster 'OH Baby! and proved that she can draw crowds on the strength of her name and join the elite list of divas like Anushka and Nayantara.

"It has been Samantha's year all the way. After sterling performance in 'Majili', she played an author-backed role in 'OH Baby' and spun box office magic by playing a 20-something girl, who is possessed with 70-year-old soul and drew women folk in big numbers in the two Telugu states," says ace producer Aswini Dutt, who last year minted money with 'Mahanati'.

"Keerthy Suresh is the new sensation of the sorts. Her natural performance as legendary Savitri made her an house-hold-name among Telugu viewers. She has three big films riding on her name and she is the new lady star on the horizon," adds Dutt.

However, other pretty damsels Paayal Rajput (RDX Love), Aishwarya Rajesh (Kaushalya Krishnamurthy), Tapsee (Game Over) had to bit the dust, unable to draw even decent openings for their movies.

"It is true that the interest for chick flicks is waning since solo-heroine movies are not even getting good openings, leave alone becoming a winner," says director Sudheer Varma, who attributes it to lacklustre stories as makers are taking things lightly.