Wonder what some of the teenagers and youngsters are participating in serious discussions on performances of actors in social media, though they have less/zero knowledge on tollywood's history of acting. Following is the simplified analysis on the definition of acting then and now.
THEN: A good actor should possess good diction, good pronunciation of dialogues, an authority on good number of Sanskrit words, Telugu Sandhulu, Samasalu etc. Actors should utter lengthy dialogues without keeping a full stop in between. One basic rule was to do a little overdose of performance rather than opting for a realistic approach and method acting. Make up of artists should also be a bit artificial.
NOW: Present day generation's actors should not only perform but also should they do dances, fights and other feats if any. An actor who possesses all these qualities is regarded as a complete actor. Moreover, there should be a grace in dances and fights apart from acting. Lengthy dialogues and shouts are some times considered to be an over action. Especially, there should be a spark in the eyes of a hero rather than height and colour. There should be a natural style in every gesture of the artist which has to be connected to audiences but not for critics and analysts.
IN BRIEF: Good actors can only maintain good success track record and ratio for any generation.