Male objectification is in. How else would you explain the countless hours that stars spend in the gym to achieve that 4/6/8/(insert number here) pack, those perfect biceps and those chiselled jaw-lines. 

These days, in order to be a successful actor, it's not your acting chops that are important (that can come over time), but rather how buff you are. Films these days are selling on torsos, and it seems, our stars don’t mind being lusted after one bit. In fact, it seems like an ongoing battle to see who looks the best, rather than who can pull of a winning performance. And in their battle to achieve those impossible bodies, it’s the female (and some male) members of the audience that have benefited the most. It's a welcome change in an industry where it was always only the women that had to look good.

In 2014, Tinsel Town’s hunks raised the hotness quotient to another level, and unsurprisingly, there were quite a few contenders, but these were the ones that we felt stood out the most. Read on to find out who made the cut!

ARJUN KAPOOR – 2 STATES

Arjun Kapoor is the best case study for personal trainers across the world. Here’s an actor, who under the watchful eye of a certain Khan, went from fat to fit over time and how! 

With several releases under his belt, Kapoor definitely deserves a place in our coveted list this year. His sexiness lies in those droopy eyes and the fact that he’s completely unaware of his sex appeal, which makes him even more desirable to members of the fairer sex and beyond. 

His oiled torso/homoerotic act with Ranveer Singh in Gunday was a little over the top (and overshadowed by Singh to an extent), but it was his bumbling goofiness in the smash hit 2 States, and his sexy ruffian act in Finding Fanny that left the ladies gasping for breath and craving for more.

HRITHIK ROSHAN – BANG BANG

B-Town’s original Adonis, and perhaps the man responsible for making Indian audiences aware of the term ‘metrosexuality’, raised the mercury to unprecedented levels, in what can be termed his biggest disappointment in recent times - Bang Bang.

His jaw dropping looks in the film however, did little to turn its tepid fortunes around at the box office, proving the age old adage that body beautiful does not necessarily equal soul. 

We lost count of how many abs he had in the film and he perhaps took the whole bronzed look a little too far, but there’s no denying that when it comes to oozing sex appeal, age really is no bar. HR is testament to that.

RANVEER SINGH – GUNDAY, KILL DIL

Here’s an actor that’s not the least bit prudish when it comes to sex. How refreshing! 

Whether its his bold condom brand endorsements, raising temperatures with Parineeti Chopra in Kill Dil’s 'Sajde' or his smoldering intensity in Gunday, Ranveer ticks all our boxes when it comes to defining new age sex appeal. We want.

SIDHARTH MALHOTRA – EK VILLAIN

Sidharth Malhotra is one of those actors that could go out in a bin bag and still look good. It doesn’t do much for us normal folk with insecurities, but here’s hoping he has a useless personality, to balance out those picture perfect looks.

His cutesy act in Hasee Toh Phasee, didn’t have much going for it in terms of sex appeal, but it was his bad boy act in Ek Villain, that left the women panting till kingdom come.

His stubbled act in the film didn’t convince anyone that he was supposed to be a heartless criminal, but what it did confirm is that when it comes to aesthetic appeal, Sidharth’s sexiness is off the charts.

VARUN DHAWAN – MAIN TERA HERO, HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIA

Varun Dhawan’s sexy and he knows it and he never fails to flaunt it either. Case in point: his unabashed skin show in Main Tera Hero, which left even his foxy actresses Nargis Fakhri and Ileana D’Cruz in the shade. On a peck-o-meter scale of one to ten, this one was a straight twelve.

Varun followed that heroic act up with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, which surprisingly, worked a little better than the former – it seems the ladies prefer his sexy, kurta clad, doe eyed 'dulha' avatar to his cocky streetsmart one. Either way, we don’t think anyone’s really complaining!

-

So there you have it. Our list of the hot bods that left many a woman (and man) swooning. Do you agree with our list? Who was the sexiest actor in 2014? Let us know below!