Sudeepa | |
|---|---|
 Sudeepa in 2013 | |
| Born | Sudeep Sanjeev (1971-09-02)2 September 1971 (age 54) |
| Other names | Deepu,[1] Abhinaya Chakravarthy[2] |
| Education | Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (BE) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Honors | Full list |
Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971),[3][4] also known asSudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer andtelevision presenter, who primarily works inKannada cinema. He has also worked inHindi,Telugu andTamil films. He is one of the highest paid actors ofKannada films and also featured inForbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2013.[5] He has received several awards including fourFilmfare awards, twoKarnataka State Film Awards and oneNandi Award.[6]
Sudeepa began his acting career with a supporting role inThayavva (1997) andPrathyartha (1999), followed by his breakthrough with a leading role inSunil Kumar Desai's romanceSparsha (2000). He established himself in the critically acclaimedHuchcha (2001), and further starred in several commercially successful films includingNandhi (2002),Kiccha (2003),Swathi Muthu (2003),My Autograph (2006),No 73, Shanthi Nivasa (2007),Mussanjemaatu (2008),Veera Madakari (2009),Just Maath Maathalli (2010),Vishnuvardhana (2011),Kempe Gowda (2011),Maanikya (2014),Ranna (2015),Kotigobba 2 (2016),Hebbuli (2017),The Villain (2018),Pailwaan (2019), Telugu-Hindi bilingualRakta Charitra, theTelugu-Tamil bilingualEega (2012) and theHindi films[7]Phoonk (2008) andDabangg 3 (2019).[8]
He won theFilmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada for three consecutive years for his filmsHuchcha,Nandhi andSwathi Muthu. Since 2013, he has been hosting the television reality showBigg Boss Kannada.[9] His performance in the 2001 film,Huchcha, earned him the nickname Kichcha Sudeepa by his fans.
Sudeepa was born on 2 September 1971 to Sanjeev Manjappa and Saroja inShimoga inShimoga district of present-dayKarnataka as Sudeep. The family had migrated to Shimoga fromNarasimharajapura,Chikmagalur district. He obtained a bachelor's degree inIndustrial and production engineering fromDayananda Sagar College of Engineering,Bangalore.[3] He represented the college in under-17cricket.[citation needed] He attended theRoshan Taneja School of Acting inMumbai, where he overcame his 'shyness'.[10]
Sudeep began his film career inThayavva (1997). He then played a supporting role inPrathyartha, directed bySunil Kumar Desai, and a lead role in the same director'sSparsha. In 2001, a role inHuchcha gave him his first big following. In 2008 he made hisBollywood debut inPhoonk.[11] He has also starred inRam Gopal Varma's moviesRann,Phoonk 2 andRakta Charitra.
Starting fromVeera Parampare (2010), he changed his stage name from Sudeep to Sudeepa perS. Narayan's advice and after the film's success he decided to keep the name.[12] His subsequent films,Kempe Gowda andVishnuvardhana (2011), also were successes.
Sudeepa made his debut inTelugu cinema in 2012, withS. S. Rajamouli'sEega, a fantasy film in which he portrayed an industrialist who, on falling for anNGO worker (played bySamantha Ruth Prabhu), kills her alleged lover, who begins to haunt him in the form of a housefly. The film and Sudeepa's performance were highly acclaimed.[13]
In 2013,Bachchan andVaradanayaka were released. His next film was a drama titledMaanikya that he also directed, a remake of the Telugu film,Mirchi (2013) which was a huge hit. In 2015 he starred inRanna, a remake of the Telugu film,Attarintiki Daredi,[14] which again was a blockbuster and played a cameo role as a Persian arms trader inBaahubali: The Beginning, directed byS. S. Rajamouli—the year's highest-grossing film.[15]
He frequently sings in his screen roles, includingVaalee (2001),Chandu (2002),Ranga SSLC (2004),Nalla (2004),#73, Shaanthi Nivaasa (2007),Veera madakari (2009),Kempe Gowda (2011),Bachchan (2013)[16] and also for others movies such asMandya to Mumbai (2014),Ring Road Shubha (2014) andRaate (2015).
In 2019, Sudeepa was seen in the Hindi filmDabangg 3 where he played the archenemy ofSalman Khan'sChulbul Pandey.[17] He also plays Avuku Raju inSye Raa Narasimha Reddy.Sudeepa's nextVikrant Rona, directed byAnup Bhandari, featuredNirup Bhandari andNeetha Ashok.[18] He played a supporting roleKabzaa starringUpendra.
Sudeepa completed his 26 years in film industry.[19]
Sudeepa's directorial debut wasMy Autograph in 2006 which went on to complete 175 days and was a commercial success. From then he has directed many Kannada films likeNo 73, Shanthi Nivasa,Veera Madakari,Just Maath Maathalli,Kempe Gowda andMaanikya. He also wrote the script forJust Maath Maathalli.[20]
He owns a film production company named Kiccha Creations, which is credited withMy Autograph (2006),No 73, Shantinivasa (2007),Jigarthanda (2016),Maanikya (2013),Ambi Ning Vayassayto (2019).[21]
Sudeepa made his TV debut in the serialPremada Kadambari, named after a line in the songBandhana onUdaya TV. He was roped in to play the main host of the reality showPyate Hudgeer-Halli Lifu, aired onSuvarna,[22][23] which was an immediate success.Endemol Shine Group's flagship showBig Brother was adapted toKannada asBigg Boss Kannada and Sudeepa was the chosen to play the host for the first season which was aired onETV Kannada.[24] He continued to host the second season onAsianet Suvarna.[25]Colors Kannada (formerlyETV Kannada) regained the rights to the show in 2015 with Sudeepa signing a five-season deal[26][27] to host the show which was estimated to be around₹20crore (equivalent to₹30 crore or US$3.6 million in 2023) which was a landmark deal in Kannada television industry.[citation needed]
Sudeepa is the captain ofKarnataka Bulldozers cricket team that competes in theCelebrity Cricket League.[28]
Sudeepa met Priya Radhakrishna, Malayali, inBangalore, in 2000 and they married in 2001.[29] Priya worked in an airline company and then in a bank, prior to their marriage.[30] Their only child, Saanvi, was born in 2004.[31] In 2013, Sudeepa launched Stage 360°, an events management company, that his wife took an active part In.[32] The couple split in September 2015, later they reconciled.[33][29][34][35]
Sudeepa has been described by the critics as one of the most talented actors in Kannada cinema.[36] He was listed first in theTimes 25 Most Desirable Men in Bangalore in 2012.[37] In 2012, he was given a title, "Abhinaya Chakravarthy", by a Kannada organisation,Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.[38]
In 2012, Sudeepa was signed as the Brand Ambassador ofJoyalukkas, a Jewellery Retail Chain.[39][40] In 2013, he was appointed as the Brand Ambassador for Bangalore Traffic Police Department andIncome Tax Department.[41] In 2014, he was appointed as the Brand Ambassador for Intex Technologies (India) Mobiles & Paragon Footwear.[42]
In 2013, onWorld AIDS Day, Sudeepa teamed up withVijay Raghavendra and other actors to record voiceovers for theTeachAids interactive software, developed atStanford University.[43]
In 2015, Sudeepa appeared in advertisements in the Kannada language forOLX.in, along with the veteran Kannada actor,Anant Nag. He had previously appeared in ads withSadhu Kokila for the same company.[44]
In 2021, Sudeepa along with other celebrities and billionaires participated in the "Checkmate Covid" charity event for theCOVID-19 pandemic where they played in achesssimultaneous exhibition hosted by formerWorld Chess ChampionViswanathan Anand.[45] In 2022, he was appointed brand ambassador of Karnataka Animal Husbandry Department's cow adoption programme.[46] On 13 June 2021, Sudeep along withSajid Nadiadwala and Nikhil Kamath, Chief Information Officer and co-founder of Zerodha, cheated during the online charity event against five-time world chess championVishwanathan Anand.[47]Chess.com suspended their accounts for violating fair play.[48]
Sudeepa is involved in humanitarian works through his organisation Kiccha Sudeepa Charitable Society. The trust helps underprivileged school children, providing them with uniforms as well as scholarships. The society helped senior Kannada film artists, technicians and others by providing them with necessary help during theCOVID-19 pandemic who were unable to get work.[49][50]
On 6 April 2023, at a press conference held in Ashok Hotel,Bangalore, Sudeepa openly declared his support for the then incumbent Chief MinisterBasavaraj Bommai and theBJP in the2023 Karnataka assembly elections. He stated that he would be campaigning for BJP in all the constituencies that he is told by the Chief Minister.[51]
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