In an industry that prizes glamour and skin show among heroines, these actresses certainly gave their audiences a surprise by turning in solid performances and breaking the myth that good looks guarantee everything.

These are the actresses, who made it all worthwhile, with movies that re-wrote Tamil cinema, bringing it back to good old acting.

Anjali
Film: Angadi Theru

This year has been a mixed bag for Anjali, who first broke into Tamil cinema with the splendid Kattradhu Thamizh. But then, the result of movies such as Magizchi and Rettaisuzhi don't really matter.

With her work in Angadi Theru -- where she played an employee of a giant clothing store who's discriminated upon but yet finds the spirit to love and live -- was outstanding, winning her both critical and commercial acclaim.

Anjali is now touted as award material, and every movie she's in garners keen interest. The talented girl has a number of projects coming up.

Movie: Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya

Trisha proved her talent with a beautifully understated performance in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya as Malayali Christian Jessie, a girl desperately in love, yet held back by her own heart.

It required little skin show and more of heart-felt acting, and the girl delivered. Her chemistry with co-star Simbhu worked out as well.

Trisha now has a couple of prestigious projects in hand like Mankatha and Manmadhan Ambu, among others.

Movies: Sindhu Samaveli, Myna

Amala is just two films old but what a furore both have caused. The films have raised the actress from a virtually unknown actor to a name to be reckoned with.

Sindhu Samaveli, her first movie, showed her in the daring role of a daughter-in-law having an affair with her father-in-law.

But it was Myna, which portrayed her as a simple village girl on a journey towards love that put her firmly on the map. So impressed were filmmakers with her work that she's now part of a slew of high-profile projects: she plays Vikram's wife in Vijay's Deiva Magan, and is supposedly doing a Lingusamy film as well.

Movies: Paiyya, Sura, Thillalangadi

Tamannaah, or Tammu, as she's affectionately called, proved that she was more than just a pretty face this year.

In Paiyya, she played a pretty girl hounded by circumstances and forced to take a road trip, bringing a vulnerability to the character she played.

In Sura, she was back to what the regular heroine did best: play the hero's love interest, sing and dance hard.

In Thillalangadi, she played a perky character, and handled emotions gracefully.

Among others, she has Siruthai and Vengai, as future projects.

Movie: Madharasapattinam

She might be a Britisher and still a teenager, but she wowed her audiences in her debut film Madharasapattinam, a period film, where she plays a governor's daughter falling in love with a washer-man.

With her dark hair and eyes, and creamy complexion, it was easy to believe that she was Indian. But it was mostly her ease in front of the camera -- despite talking in a language she didn't know -- and the emotional connect with her character, that won out.

She received rave reviews, and news has it that she is now part of the Hindi remake of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya.