Venkatesh | |
|---|---|
 Venkatesh in 2024 | |
| Born | Daggubati Venkatesh (1960-12-13)13 December 1960 (age 65)[1] Madras (present-day Chennai),Tamil Nadu, India |
| Other names | Venky |
| Alma mater | Loyola College, Chennai (BCom) Monterey Institute of International Studies (MBA) |
| Occupations | Actor Film producer |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | D. Ramanaidu |
| Relatives | D. Suresh Babu (brother) Rana Daggubati (nephew) Naga Chaitanya (nephew) |
| Family | seeDaggubati–Akkineni family |
Daggubati Venkatesh (born 13 December 1960) is anIndian actor andfilm producer known for his work predominantly inTelugu cinema.[2] Venkatesh has a prolific career spanning over 37 years and is known for portraying a variety of characters. He has received many accolades including sixFilmfare Awards and fiveNandi Awards.[3]
Venkatesh made his debut in 1986 with the commercially successfulKaliyuga Pandavulu. He achieved stardom with box-office hits[4][5] such asSrinivasa Kalyanam (1987),Brahma Puthrudu (1988),Prema (1989),Dhruva Nakshatram (1989),Bobbili Raja (1990), andKshana Kshanam (1991), the latter of which featured at theFribourg Festival and went on to gather acult following.[6][7][8]
Venkatesh received further acclaim for his notable performances as a painter inSwarnakamalam (1988), which featured in the Indian panorama section of the12th IFFI,[9] an attorney in bothSathruvu (1991) andDharma Chakram (1996), a coolie inCoolie No. 1 (1991), an eccentric cop in bothSurya IPS (1991) andGharshana (2004), an autistic villager inChanti (1992),[5] in the romantic dramas:Pavitra Bandham (1996),Preminchukundam Raa (1997),Premante Idera (1998),Raja (1999),Kalisundam Raa (2000),Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (2001),Vasantam (2003),Malliswari (2004),Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007), andBodyguard (2012), in the family dramas:Suryavamsam (1998),Sankranti (2005) andSeethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), a journalist inGanesh (1998), in the action dramas:Jayam Manadera (2000),Lakshmi (2006),Tulasi (2007) andVenky Mama (2021), in the comedies:Chintakayala Ravi (2008),Namo Venkatesa (2010),F2 (2019),F3 (2022), andSankranthiki Vasthunam (2025), in the crime thrillersEenaadu (2009),Drushyam (2014) andDrushyam 2 (2021), an atheist inGopala Gopala (2015), a boxing coach inGuru (2017), and a farmer inNarappa (2021).
Venkatesh also starred in Hindi language works such asAnari (1993),Taqdeerwala (1995), andRana Naidu (2023).[10] In addition to acting, he co-ownsSuresh Productions,[11] one of the largest film production companies in India, under which he acted in several films.[12][13] He is also the mentor of theTelugu Warriors, representingTollywood in theCelebrity Cricket League.[14]
Venkatesh was born on 13 December 1960 in aTelugu family to film producer and formerMember of Parliament,D. Ramanaidu and Rajeswari in Madras (present-day Chennai), India. He has an elder brotherSuresh Babu, who runsSuresh Productions, and a younger sister Lakshmi.[15]
Venkatesh did his schooling inDon Bosco, Egmore,[16]Chennai and graduated in commerce fromLoyola College, Chennai.[17][18] He got hisMBA from theMiddlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, USA.[15] After his return to India, he wanted to get into film production but instead became an actor.[19]
Venkatesh first appeared as a child actor in the 1971 filmPrema Nagar. His first film as a full-fledged lead wasK. Raghavendra Rao-directedKaliyuga Pandavulu (1986), alongsideKhushbu Sundar which was a debut for both of them. The film won him aNandi Special Jury Award.[2]
Swarnakamalam (1988) which came in the direction ofK. Viswanath happens to be the classic of that era. The film also wonNandi Awards for the second time in two years.Prema, which came in the year 1989, achieved a cult status.Dhruva Nakshatram, which was released in the same year, was also a mass hit at the box office.Bobbili Raja broke the all-time records at the Telugu box office in 1990. Films likeCoolie (1991) andKshana Kshanam (1991) catapulted him to stardom on par with the then superstars of the Telugu cinema — MegastarChiranjeevi,Nandamuri Balakrishna andAkkineni Nagarjuna.Chanti (1992), a remake of the Tamil flickChinna Thambi (1991), was another box-office hit. It earned him massive box office collections. Venkatesh, as an innocent servant named Chanti, was raved about by audiences.Chanti was later remade in Hindi asAnari (1993), only to receive more praise from Hindi audiences. Immediately, he showed a different variation inChinarayudu (1993).Venkatesh's films have hardly ever been embroiled in controversy, but there was an exception once. His movieKondapalli Raja, which released in 1993, stirred up a controversy before its release.Kondapalli Raja was the second Telugu remake ofRajinikanth’s Tamil filmAnnaamalai (1992).[20] He later worked on films likeAbbayigaru (1993),Super Police (1994),Muddula Priyudu (1994),Pokiri Raja (1995) andTaqdeerwala (1995). Venkatesh was so successful at the prime of his career that his name was tagged with ‘Victory’ to be rechristened as Victory Venkatesh.[21]
In 1996, he portrayed an honest lawyer inDharma Chakram, which won him both theNandi Award andFilmfare Award South.[3][22] Later that year, he played a husband struggling between two wives in theE. V. V. Satyanarayana directed hitcomedy dramaIntlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu.[23] The following year, he starred in theromantic action filmPreminchukundam Raa. The film, which was one of the first portrayals offactionalism inRayalaseema region, was a big commercial success.[24] InGanesh (1998), he played a person fighting the ills of the Indian public healthcare system. His 1999drama filmRaja, where he plays a small time thief who is reformed by his love was also well received by the audience.[23] Following this, he established himself as one of top actors in Telugu cinema.[25]
In 2001, Venkatesh starred in theromantic comedyNuvvu Naaku Nachav which was a critical and commercial success.[26] The success continued withMalliswari (2004), his second collaboration with directorK. Vijaya Bhaskar afterNuvvu Naaku Nachav.[23] In 2007, he starred in two films,Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule andTulasi, both of which grossed over₹30crore at thebox office.[5] In the following years, Venkatesh appeared in several films, includingChintakayala Ravi (2008),Namo Venkatesa (2010) andBodyguard (2012).[27][28][29]
Venkatesh is known for his multi-starrers in Telugu cinema. He has balanced lead roles with supporting characters, with both senior actors and upcoming actors.[30] In 2013, Venkatesh co-starred alongsideMahesh Babu in the critically acclaimeddramaSeethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu.[31][32] The film was one of the first Telugu majormulti-starrer films after many years. Subsequently, Venkatesh went on to feature in other multi-starrers such asMasala (2013),Gopala Gopala (2015) andF2: Fun and Frustration (2019).[33]F2 grossed over₹127 crore and ended up as one of thehighest-grossing Telugu films of 2019.[34][35]
Venkatesh's performance inDrushyam (2014) received several accolades from the critics.[36] He portrayed a strict boxing coach in theSudha Kongara'ssports dramaGuru in 2017.[37]
Later in 2019, he starred inVenky Mama, alongside his nephewNaga Chaitanya. The film was a profitable venture, grossing more than₹72 crore worldwide.[38] In the same year, he dubbed in Telugu for the Genie inAlladin. His 2021 filmNarappa was released onAmazon Prime, which marked his first direct-to-OTT released.[39] In 2022, the sequel toF2,F3: Fun and Frustration, released to a fairly positive reception from the critics and audience. In 2024, Venkatesh made his first ever pan-Indian film debut withSaindhav, directed bySailesh Kolanu.[40]
In 2025, he reunited with Anil Ravipudi and Dil Raju on the comedy,Sankranthiki Vasthunam, becoming the highest-grossing film in Venkatesh' career and the highest-grossing comedy in Telugu cinema.[41]
Venkatesh married Neeraja in 1985 and the couple has four children—three daughters and one son.[44][45] His eldest daughter, Aashritha, married Vinayak Reddy, the grandson ofR. Surender Reddy, the chairman of Hyderabad Race Club.[46] He is also the uncle of actorsRana Daggubati andNaga Chaitanya.[47]
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