It is a man’s world, at least in the Malayalam film industry. Gone are the days when actresses performed magically on the screen, and the overall quality of films has been appalling of late. It’s also become routine for every film to focos solely on the hero.

Still, there have been some nice performances in Malayalam films in 2010. Here, we take a look at some of the industry’s top actors and how they’ve fared this year.

Mammootty

Mammootty is the most consistent, disciplined and steady actor in the history of Malayalam cinema. His ratings have never dramatically dropped, and has managed to stay at the top for the last two decades.

The real Megastar had a record 9 releases, including two special appearances. Out of the seven hero releases, Pokkiri Raja is the biggest hit of the year. Best Actor and Pranchiyettan and the Saint are average hits if you take into consideration their cost.

The actor’s success has been his terrific script sense and the way he constantly reinvents himself. 2010 was the year Mammootty proved, with his performances in Shaji N Karun’s Kutty Sranku and Ranjith’s Pranchiyettan & The Saint, why he is regarded among the best actors in the country. While the character of the Sranku (boat driver) required subtlety, the other had him with a rather humorous Thrissur slang. He also experimented with his looks to suit the character

Mammootty has received many major awards for his performances. These include three National awards, seven State awards and ten Filmfare Awards. In 1998, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his outstanding contributions to Indian cinema.During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 300 films as a lead actor.

Kunchacko Boban

The biggest surprise of the year has been Bobban Kunchacko, who has bounced back with the super hit Elsamma Enna Aankutty and above average performances of Mummy and Me and Sa Kudumbum Shyamala.

He is at home in women-oriented movies, as he is loved and respected by the family audiences. If he plays his cards well his second innings will turn out to be better.He started his career with the commercially successful film Aniyathipravu by Fazil in 1997.He is the grandson of film producer Kunchacko of the erstwhile Udaya Studios, the first film studio in Kerala. He is the grandnephew of Maliampurackal Chacko Punnoose Appachan.

Dileep

Dileep has sprung the biggest surprise of the year - by walking away with the crown.

The star is a combination of a good businessman, shrewd mover and expert of market conditions. Take a look at his releases in 2010 and you will understand his steady rise and how he dethroned the ruling superstars - Bodyguard (average), Aagathan (flop), Paapi Appacha (hit), Kariyasthan (super hit) and now Marykundoru Kunjadu (super hit, as per initial trends).

Dileep began his career as a mimicry artist. He started his film career as an assistant director to Kamal. He rose to prominence as a lead actor during the early 2000s.

Prithviraj

There was a Prithviraj wave this year following the success of the mega hit, multi-starrer Pokkiri Raja. His solo hero Anwar  took the best opening of the year, with Ernakulam Shenoys reporting Rs 11.62 lakh nett, the highest opening of the year in a single screen.

However, the producer of the film said in an interview that the film was a loss due to its high cost.

Prithviraj had five releases out of which one was a mega hit, which he has to share with Mammootty , one average grosser in Thanthoni and four failures.He attained national attention with Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan, in which he romanced the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai. His time is all booked at the moment, with new projects being announced almost every other day.

He has recently gone into production by producing the upcoming film Urumi directed by Santosh Sivan.He made his debut in 2002 in the Malayalam film Nandanam, and has since acted in more than 50 films, notably including Swapnakoodu (2003), Classmates (2006), Thirakkatha (2008), and Puthiya Mukham (2009).

Mohanlal

One of the hottest topics in Malayalam cinema today is the decline of its number one star, Mohanlal. He seems to have lost the plot totally as his famous opening and his script sense have gone awry.

His ratings have plummeted as out of five releases, only Shikar turned out to be an average grosser and can be classified as a hit.We are sure he will bounce back in 2011, as he is still the most loved Malayalam actor.He has won four National Awards - two Best Actor Awards, one Special Jury Award, and one Award for Best Film (as producer).

He has also won six Best Actor Kerala state awards, the most times the award has been given to any actor. In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Territorial Army,which was the first instance in the history of Indian cinema of an actor being conferred an honorary Army rank. In 2010, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit awarded him an honorary doctorate.