Sai Pallavi

Both 'Gargi' and 'Virata Parvam' may not have exactly been box office favourites of 2022, actress Sai Pallavi gave unforgettable performances in both films. For Gargi, Sai Pallavi turned school teacher who lands in the center of a rape case, battling to free her father who has been accused in the case. For Virata Parvam, Sai Pallavi played the care free Vennela who lands amidst Naxalites while seeking love. Her performance in the film that takes a young woman into the depths of revolution is one that stays in the mind long after we watch it

Darshana Rajendran

Darshana began the year with the Malayalam coming-of-age drama 'Hridayam'. Her act as the college-going girl with a boss girl attitude won hearts and who can ever forget the song 'Darshana' from the film. She was then seen playing the role of a mental health practitioner, and followed it up with the hit film 'Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey'. Darshana made a lasting impact with all three performances with special mention to the last film in which she plays a character who is a victim of patriarchy and comes out strongly in her own capacity

Keerthy Suresh

National Award-winning actress Keerthy Suresh shone this year in the revenge drama movie 'Saani Kaayidham'. The film follows the tale of Pnni, a survivor of sexual assault who embarks on an unforgiving journey to exact revenge o people who caused her and her family harm. It is definitely not an easy character to portray especially when viewed from the lens of a woman who fights against all odds to seek justice in her own way. 

Keerthy also gave an impressive performance in the Malayalam film 'Vaashi' co-starring Tovino Thomas. She plays a lawyer who refuses to forgo her identity to appeal to the patriarchal norms of society.

Nadiya Moidu

Nadiya Moidu had a great year and was seen in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam language films- portraying distinct characters across languages. She returned to Tamil films after almost a decade with the segment 'Mounamey Paarvayaai' in the 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadha' anthology. In this silent film, Nadiya steals the show with her subtle yet effective performance. The short traces a couple who try to find forgotten love during Covid-19 times. 

The actress also gave an impressive performance as Fathima in the stylish film Bheeshma Parvam fronted by superstar Mammootty. Later on, she was also seen as the hands-on mother to actress Nazriya Nazim in the romantic drama 'Ante Sundaraniki'.

Aishwarya Lekshmi 

Aishwarya has been fronting power-packed performances and her film 'Ammu' is one of the most hard-hitting performances of the year. She essayed the titular role in this film which addressed domestic violence and abuse on women. Aishwarya also played an impactful role in 'Nizhal Tharum Idham', a story from the anthology titled 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyadha'. In the short, she plays the role of a young woman struggling to deal with her father's demise. The film brings out Aishwarya's ability to portray complex human emotions and challenging characters. Apart from the two, Aishwarya also gave memorable performance in 'Archana 31 Not Out', 'Kumari' and the magnum opus 'Ponniyin Selvam'