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- Actress
- Music Department
Aditi Rao Hydari was born in 1978 in Hyderabad, from two royal lineages, that of Sir Akbar Hydari and J. Rameshwar Rao the erstwhile Raja of Wanaparthy.
A classical Bharatanatyam dancer, she made her acting debut with Sharada Ramanathan's acclaimed film Sringaram and rose to fame after her performance in Sudhir Mishra's Yeh Saali Zindagi. In 2012, she played the female lead in the movie London Paris New York opposite Ali Zafar and later became a part of Mahesh Bhatt's Murder franchise in Vishesh Bhatt's directorial film Murder 3 (2013).
Aditi is best known for her roles in Murder 3 (2013), Rockstar, London Paris New York, and Yeh Saali Zindagi. She will be soon seen in films like Guddu Rangeela directed by Subhash Kapoor; The Legend of Michael Mishra, directed by Manish Jha; Aur Devdas by Sudhir Mishra and Wazir, directed by Bejoy Nambiar along with Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar and Fitoor, directed by Abhisheik Kapoor where she plays a young Begum.- Sobhita Dhulipala is an Indian actress with acting work across multiple regional film industries in India. She made her debut with Hindi film Raman Raghav 2.0 (Psycho Raman) that premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2016 where she earned a best supporting performance nomination. Sobhita's breakthrough came with her role as Tara Khanna in 'Made in heaven' followed by her role in 'The Night Manager', an official adaptation of its UK counterpart. Her work across Malayalam (Kurup), Telugu (Goodachari, Major) and Tamil (Ponniyin Selvan -1,2) was met with commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Her bi-lingual Indian film The elder one (Moothon) was lauded at its premiere at the Toronto International film festival in 2019. A trained classical dancer, she has been recognized for her work in Indian award shows
- Actress
- Music Department
Tabu is an Indian actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali-language films, as well as one American film. She has won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, and holds the record for the most wins of Filmfare's Critics Award for Best Female Performer, with four. With few exceptions, she is best known for acting in artistic, low-budget films that go on to garner more critical appreciation than substantial box-office figures. Her appearances in commercially successful films were few, and her parts in these films were small, such as Border (1997), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Biwi No. 1 (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). Her most notable performances include Maachis (1996), Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Astitva (2000), Chandni Bar (2001), Maqbool (2003) and Cheeni Kum (2007). Her leading role in Mira Nair's American film The Namesake (2006) also drew major praise.
Regarded as one of the most talented Indian actresses of her generation, Tabu is known to be selective about her film roles. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2011 by the Government of India for her contributions towards the arts.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Known for his action star persona, N.T. Rama Rao Jr. , commonly referred to as Tarak or Jr NTR is the grandson of legendary Telugu actor and politician N.T. Rama Rao. Tarak is the most successful star from Nandamuri family working in the Telugu film industry.
Tarak was born on 20th May 1983 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (currently in Telangana), India to Nandamuri Harikrishna and Shalini Rao. Tarak learnt the Kuchipudi dance form in his early childhood and gave many stage performances in India and abroad.
Tarak was selected by acclaimed Telugu director Gunasekhar to star as the mythological character Lord Ram in the children's film Ramayanam (1996), marking his debut in movies. After starring in a few TV serials, he made his adult debut in movies with Ninnu Choodalani (2001) directed by V.R. Pratap. He has since then starred in over thirty movies in leading roles. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, two Nandi awards and four CineMAA awards.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
This Telugu Star was a student at the Madras Film Institute and an amateur stage actor. His first public performance was in the Republic Day parade ballet of Andra Pradesh on 26 January, 1976. His film debut was Punadhirallu (1978). His brother-in-law is producer Allu Aravind. His success started with Initilo Ramayya Vidhilo Krishnayya (1981). He is known for his extraordinary dances and fights apart from his power packed performances in movies. His movies carry a reputation of being the best entertainers along with carrying a social message across to the audience. He has done a couple of Hindi movies as well viz., Pratibandh (1990), Aaj ka Gunda Raaj etc and was well recognized for them too.
He is one of the highest paid actors in India today and commands an extraordinarily huge (and cult-like) fan following not only in Andra Pradesh, his native state but all over India and other countries as well. His films are released in US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Apart from movies, he is also widely known for his philanthropy. He set up a Chiranjeevi Trust for Eye and Blood donations and his fans take an active part in it.
He was awarded the 'Padmabhushan' recently along with a 'Doctorate'.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Ravi Teja, also known as Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju, is a well-known Indian film actor and producer. He is widely known as the "King of Action Comedies" and has earned the title of "Mass Maharaja." His stellar performance and dance moves have many young fans across India.
His father was a pharmacist, while his mother was a homemaker. Both of his brothers, Raghu and Bharath also pursued careers in acting.
Teja, who is proficient in speaking Hindi and Telugu, spent his childhood in various parts of northern India due to his father's job. He received his education in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, and Jaipur and completed his studies at Siddhartha Degree College in Vijayawada. In 1988, he relocated to Madras to start his career in the film industry.
Teja's journey in the film industry began as a director's assistant, working on various Telugu and Bollywood films. He made his acting debut with a small role in the popular 1996 movie Ninne Pelladatha (1996), which was directed by Krishna Vamsi. He also served as the assistant director for the film.
As his career progressed, he appeared in supporting roles in films such as Annayya (2000), Manasichi Choodu (2020), and Idiot (2002). He landed his first leading role in the 1999 film Nee Kosam (1999), which earned him a Special Jury Award Nandi despite being an average box office performer.
Today, Teja is considered one of the highest-paid actors in the Telugu film industry. He has won several awards, including a Filmfare Award South, and three state Nandi Awards for his performance in the film "Khadgam." He was also nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Throughout his career, Teja has been a part of several notable films, including Vikramarkudu (2006), Kick (2009), Venky (2004), Dubai Seenu (2007), Krishna: The Power of Indrakeeladri (2008), Neninthe (2008), and Bengal Tiger (2015).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ram Gopal Varma was born in Hyderabad, the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He initially was a video store owner before eventually becoming one of India's leading film directors. A film buff during his youth, Varma would watch both American and Indian cinema regularly. As a young man, he attended Siddhartha Engineering College in Vijayawada. Varma started his career in telugu cinema (the Hyderabad film industry), where he made a huge mark with his debut film Shiva, a violent and stylized actioner set in a college backdrop. At the age of 28, with little film training, Varma was able to convince Nagarjuna, a young Telugu star, to act in his debut picture. Nagarjuna was drawn by the narration of the script and intelligence displayed by the young Varma. Shiva was a landmark hit for the industry and was remade by Varma in the hindi language a year later.
His next was the exciting adventure film, Kshana Kshanam, starring Venkatesh and Sridevi. Varma followed this up with such films as - Raatri, a homage to 'The Exorcist' starring Revati and Om Puri (which Varma would remake over a decade later in Hindi as Bhoot) and Antham, a stylized crime drama, with Nagarjuna and Urmila Matondkar (which Varma would also rework later as Satya) - but was not able to attain the commercial success of his first feature. His next release Gaayam, with Jagapathi Babu and Urmila Matondkar, was a violent crime drama set in Hyderabad. The screenplay was co-written by tamil film director Mani Ratnam, and the script based on 'The Godfather'. It became a success for Varma. He then decided to start his own production banner, Varma Corporation Limited, and produced successful telugu films such as Money (remade later as Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega), Money Money (its sequel), Gulabi and Anaganaga Oka Roju.
His first huge success in hindi cinema (the Mumbai film industry) was the commercial blockbuster Rangeela, a stylish romantic drama with Aamir Khan and Urmila Matondkar. A.R. Rahman, a tamil music composer, was introduced to hindi audiences by Varma with this film and won the award for best film music.
Varma followed up with the ground breaking gangster saga Satya, a violent crime epic set in the Mumbai underworld. The film was gritty and realistic, reinventing the crime genre in Indian cinema. Varma had done extensive research for the film, and reworked certain elements of his earlier film Antham. Satya was widely considered Varma's first true masterwork. Made on a shoestring budget and with new faces, the film won awards for actor Manoj Bajpai and music composer Vishal Bharadwaj. Satya became a turning point in Varma's career, winning best picture of the year, and Varma would be forever associated with Mumbai noirs.
Varma then, with fellow director Shekhar Kapur, created a joint film production company in 1998 called India Talkies. The first venture of the production house was the ambitious terrorist drama 'Dil Se', with Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. The film was a box office dud, and India Talkies would be short lived. Varma would return to focusing on his own production house Varma Corp.
The hard hitting masterpiece 'Shool' followed shortly after, written and produced by Varma. The film depicted the life of an honest police officer in the violent and harsh rural setting of Bihar. The film was a commercial and critical success with both Manoj Bajpai and Sayaji Shinde winning awards for their performances. Varma lightened things up next with the romantic drama 'Mast'. The film was inspired by Varma's own college days, and featured Aftab Shivdasani in an award-winning turn as a film crazy college student.
Varma decided afterwards to only direct films in the Mumbai film industry. He believed there was more talent in Mumbai than in southern film cities like Chennai and Hyderabad. Varma had always admired directors such as Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihlani, and Gulzar. He considers Kalyug, Ardh Satya, and Mere Apne among his favorite Indian films of all time. At a time when popular Indian Cinema featured either over the top action films or glamorous love stories, Varma's films were more rooted and realistic. Varma is known to frequently cut out song and dance sequences in his films, which are usually commonplace in Bollywood. His films almost always deal with the contemporary and urban, usually set in the city of Mumbai. He often uses Indian stage actors in his films rather than established bollywood stars. Mainly known for creating the 'Mumbai noir', Varma brought psychological depth and cinematic virtuosity to genre films.
More recently, Varma returned with the organized crime masterpiece 'Company'. The film was again set in the Mumbai underworld, and was based on real life Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his criminal outfit D-Company. The film featured award-winning performances by Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi and Manisha Koirala. The film also won awards for best editing by Chandan Arora and best story by Jaideep Sahni. The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike.
His latest release Naach, which Varma called his best film yet, was a largely self reflective piece, about the relationship between an idealistic choreographer and an ambitious actor. The film had a weak commercial run but was liked by critics. In a recent interview with the Indian Express newspaper, the filmmaker criticized Indian audiences saying "I gave Ayn Rand to a Municipal School."
He spends most of his time these days producing small budget films for his successful production house Varma Corp. Though not always credited, he is involved in all aspects of his productions, often believed to 'ghost direct' many of the films. He produces films at a fast speed that is unfamiliar to the Indian Film Industry. He has had many recent successes including - 'Ab Tak Chhappan', based on the experiences of famed Mumbai police Daya Naik, 'D', a prequel to his earlier hit Company based on the early years of Dawood Ibrahim during his days under Pathan underworld boss Karim Lala, 'Ek Hasina Thi', a female revenge thriller, and finally 'Road'. He has also produced lighter films such as 'Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega' and 'Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon'.- Actor
- Stunts
- Music Department
Pawan Kalyan's actual name is Konidela Kalyan Babu. He began to call himself as Pawan Kalyan when he worked on his first film, Akkada Abbai Ikkada Ammayi, in 1996. He has worked in several critically and commercially successful films and has established himself as one of the leading actors in Telugu cinema. He is also an accomplished choreographer. Pawan Kalyan was born in Chirala, to Sri Venkat Rao and Smt Anjana Devi. He is the youngest brother of actor Chiranjeevi and actor-producer, actor Nagendra Babu. Pawan Kalyan married Renu Desai, an actress who co-starred with him in the movies Badri and Johnny.
Renu Desai and Pawan Kalyan have two children: a son named Akira Nandan born in 2004, and a baby girl named Aadhya born in 2010.- Harshvardhan Rane is a Telugu and Hindi film actor. His father was a doctor, and his mother is a homemaker. Rane was brought up in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Rane did his graduation from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi, India. He is also a graduate of the Barry John Acting Studio and has actively participated in theatrical shows.
Rane has performed in many theatrical projects by Hyderabad-based theatre groups, including the Indian adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) by Tennessee Williams. Furthermore, earlier in his career, he also worked as a freelancer in a film-building enterprise.
Rane made his first acting debut by appearing in three episodes of the TV show Left Right Left (2006), starring Harshad Chopda, Rajeev Khandelwal and Arjun Bijlani.
Rane made his first film debut in the Telugu film Thakita Thakita (2010), starring Haripriya, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Anushka Shetty and Bhoomika Chawla. He went on to work in two more Telugu films in 2012 - Naa Ishtam (2012) opposite Genelia Deshmukh and Rana Daggubati and Avunu (2012) opposite Shamna Kasim and Ravi Babu. He had four releases in 2014 - Anaamika (2014), Maaya (2014), Geethanjali (2014), and Brother of Bommali (2014), all of which were Telugu films.
Rane worked opposite Nayanthara in Anaamika (2014), where he portrayed the role of a software engineer. Similarly, he was seen opposite Avantika Mishra in Maaya (2014) and Anjali in Geethanajali (2014).
Rane has also done cameo roles in Telugu films such as Bengal Tiger (2015), starring Tamannaah Bhatia and Ravi Teja and Fidaa (2017), starring Sai Pallavi, Varun Tej and Sarah Uriarte Berry. He had his first breakthrough in Hindi cinema in Sanam Teri Kasam (2016). It was a romantic tragedy starring Mawra Hocane. Rane also featured in Paltan (2018) and Kavacham (2018) in 2018.
In 2021, Harshvardhan was featured on the Netflix release Haseen Dillruba (2021) as an adventurer lover opposite Taapsee Pannu. The film also featured Vikrant Massey and was directed by Vinil Mathew. In2022, Tara vs Bilal (2022) was released - a romantic comedy directed by Samar Iqbal, featuring Sonia Rathee and Raheem Mir. - Sushmita was born in the Bengali-speaking Sen family on November 19, 1975 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family consists of her dad, Shubeer, a former Indian Air Force Wing Commander; mom, Subhra, Jewelry Designer and owner of a Dubai-based store. She has two siblings, a sister named Neelam, who is married to Nauman Malik, and a brother named Rajeev. Subhra's dad was a poet.
She attended different schools in Jorhat, and Nagpur, but spend the majority of her schooling days in the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute and Air Force Silver School in Delhi. She was regarded as a tomboy and spent most of her times with boys. Since the schools were Hindi medium, she could not speak English until she was 16 years of age. She subsequently not only mastered English, but became an English Honors student, and also obtained a degree in Journalism. Due to her place of birth she can speak Urdu flawlessly.
Her first public appearance was at the Air Force Club Contest at the age of 15. She did a few fashion shows thereafter. Then during 1994 she decided to be a participant in Miss India beauty pageant, fully aware that she was being pitted against the reigning favorite, Aishwarya Rai. Sushmita took everyone by surprise when she was crowned Miss India while Aishwarya had to content with being the First Runner-up. Both beauties went on to win Miss Universe and Miss World titles respectively. Ironically the final outfit for Miss Universe for Sushmita was made by a little-known Meena Bazar tailor, and her mom.
It was during 1996 that she first appeared as herself in a Bollywood movie titled 'Dastak'. Though the movie did not fare too well, she was noticed and thus began her career on the silver screen. She has since then portrayed herself in a variety of characters and also some 'item' numbers.
Not considered a classic beauty and leading quite an unconventional lifestyle she ended up in many relationships but did not marry anyone. She wanted to be a mother and to adopt a baby girl, and name her Renee. Since she is single, she had to fight a Court battle before she could finally adopt Renee. Finally on 13 April 2000 she was given the go-ahead to adopt her, even though the family-owned business in Dubai was already re-named as 'Renee' quite ironically a year earlier on 13 April 1999. - Actress
- Director
- Writer
Shreya Dhanwantary, is an Indian actress, model and author who works predominantly in the Hindi and Tamil film industries. After her birth, Dhanwanthary's family moved to Dubai, where she spent most of her childhood. She was raised in both the Middle East and Delhi before graduating with a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from NIT Warangal.
When she first moved to Mumbai, Dhanwantary appeared in many commercials for popular brands like Fastrack, Samsung, Safi, Vogue Eyewear, and D'damas to support herself financially.
Before entering the film industry, Dhanwantary participated in the Pantaloons Femina Miss India South in 2008, where she was the first runner-up. The same year, she also participated in the Miss India contest, where she was one of the finalists.
Dhanwantary's acting career began when she got her first break in the Telugu movie Sneha Geetham (2010) in 2010. However, she made her Bollywood debut in Why Cheat India (2019), starring alongside Emraan Hashmi.
She was later recognized for her appearance in the web series [link=tt8555892, where she played the role of Devanshi Taylor. Dhanwantary also garnered attention for her role as Zoya in the Amazon Prime web series The Family Man (2019). She even won the Fan Favourite Supporting Actress Award at the Indian Telly Streaming Awards for her role in Mumbai Diaries (2021).
Her role as journalist Sucheta Dalal in Sony LIV's web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020) earned her several nominations and critical acclaim. She was nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her films Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020) and Looop Lapeta (2022), respectively, for the Filmfare OTT Awards. She won the Hit List OTT Awards and The Indian Film and Television Awards in the Best Actor-Female category for her role in Scam 1992.
Alongside her acting career, Dhanwantary is also a writer and author of the novel 'Fade to White', published in 2016. Dhanwantary also wrote, directed, produced, and even acted in the first-of-its-kind zoom show called the Viral Wedding.- Fatima Sana Shaikh was born in Mumbai, India, to Hindu Brahman Father, Vipen Sharma, and Muslim Mother, Raj Tabassum. She was enrolled to St. Xavier High School in Mumbai for her primary education and later to Mithibai College, Mumbai for higher education.
Shaikh began her film career with the 1997 film Chachi 420 with Kamal Hasan. She played the role of Bharti, Jaiprakash Paswan a.k.a. Jai and Janki Paswan's daughter. Though she has been acting since 1997, she has scaled new heights of fame and success now after playing the role of Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan's movie and also sharing the screen with the star.
Her hobbies include dancing, reading, sketching and photography. - Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nag Ashwin Reddy, more commonly known as Nag Ashwin, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who is best known for his work in Telugu cinema.
After finishing his schooling at Hyderabad Public School, Ashwin pursued his Bachelor's in Mass Communication from the Manipal Institute of Communication. He later enrolled in a Film Direction course at the New York Film Academy.
Ashwin entered the film industry as an assistant director for the filmsNenu Meeku Telusa...? (2008)), Leader (2010), and Life Is Beautiful (2012).
In 2013, he directed his first short film, Yaadon Ki Baraat (2013). Followed by this, he directed the philosophical drama film Yevade Subramanyam (2015) which won the Nandi Award for Best Debut Director in 2015.
In 2018, Ashwin wrote and directed Mahanati (2018) (Nadigaiyar Thilagam in Tamil), a biographical film on Savitri (a popular South Indian actress who ruled the industry for two decades during 50s and 60s) starring Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
Mahanati won several awards and nominations, including the Equality in Cinema Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2018, the Best Feature Film in Telugu award at the 66th National Film Awards 2019, the Zee Cine Award - Telugu in the Best Director category, and the Filmfare Award for Best Director - Telugu at the 66th Filmfare Awards South.
Ashwin has been a director and screenwriter for the Netflix anthology Pitta Kathalu (2021). In 2021, he worked as a producer for Jathi Ratnalu (2021) as well.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Vivek Oberoi was born on the 3rd of September,1976 and attended Mayo college in Ajmer. At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by none other than the director of NYU who (unsurprisingly) whisked Vivek off to New York, where he completed his Masters Degree in film acting. Back home in India Vivek worked as scriptwriter and bought his first car with the money he made from that.
But the charmer's big break came when noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma offered Vivek a role in his gangster flick, Company (2002). Quite an unusual entrance for a debutant in Bollywood, because the norm for young actors is to play good lover boys till their place in Filmdom is secure. Not Vivek. Apparently, Ram Gopal Varma was having second thoughts about casting Vivek in Company because he thought Vivek looked too cute for a gangster - and told him so. Vivek, not to be outdone, went to the slums of Mumbai and did his homework and a couple of weeks later barged into Varma's office dressed as Chandu the gangster, swung his feet up on the table, and landed the contract pronto.
From there the road went uphill. Vivek's immaculate performance in Company - in which he starred opposite Bollywood Big Bad Boy Ajay Devgn, Miss Bolly Manisha Koirala and the granddaddy of Malayalam Cinema, Mohanlal - was more than enough to get the media singing Oberoi's praises. Next in line was the psycho-thriller Road (2002) (opposite Company co-star and co-newcomer Antara Mali), Dum (2003) (which sank without a trace - opposite Dia Mirza) and the next big catch, Saathiya (2002), opposite Rani Mukerji.
He recently got engaged to, and then broke up with longtime girlfriend Gurpreet, and is currently linked with Rani Mukherjee and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Recently he got himself into the headlines for a public outburst (i.e. press conference) against Salman Khan.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Sherlyn Chopra is an Indian actress and webcam model who became the first Indian to have graced the iconic Playboy magazine. Sherlyn Chopra loves to express the mellifluous aspect of her personality through music albums and singles. Her last single was titled, Bad Girl which was Sherlyn's take on moral policing. Recently she released a short film, titled, Maya, a super natural thriller, written, directed and produced by her. Sherlyn Chopra is quite active on her digital touch points. Her praise worthy imagery and videos make her a huge internet sensation!- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Vijay Deverakonda named Deverakonda Vijay Sai at birth comes from a family of farmers who hail from Achampet in the Nagarkurnool district in Telangana. He is an Indian actor who works primarily in Telugu cinema.
Deverakonda studied up to the 10th standard at Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School in Puttaparthi. After completing his Intermediate studies at the Little Flower Junior College in Hyderabad, he went on to do his graduation in commerce. After his graduation, he joined a theatre group called Sutradhar. His first play was Sherlock Home. The instant feedback and appreciation from the audience sparked his love for acting.
Deverakonda made his film debut with Nuvvila (2011), a romantic comedy directed by Ravi Babu. He played supporting roles in films like Life Is Beautiful (2012) and Yevade Subramanyam (2015). He was presented with a Special Jury Award at the Nandi Awards in 2017 for his supporting act in Yevade Subramanyam.
His break as a leading man came in Pelli Choopulu (2016). It was a romantic comedy directed by Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam and had Ritu Varma playing the female lead opposite him.
Pelli Choopulu bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Film in 2016 - Telugu. At the 64th National Film Awards in 2016, it was declared the winner of the Best Feature Film in the Telugu category. His next lead role was in Srinivasa Ravindra's Dwaraka (2017), a comedy-drama film that had him pairing up with Pooja Jhaveri.
Deverakonda's portrayal of the title character in his next film Arjun Reddy (2017), received critical acclaim. His convincing act in the movie as a short-tempered, self-destructive, and alcoholic surgeon with anger management issues won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 2018 - Telugu. The movie went on to become a box-office success. His performance in Arjun Reddy was listed among the 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade by Film Companion in 2019.
In 2018, his film Ye Mantram Vesave (2018) was released after a delay of around five years. But it failed to make any impact at the box office, and critics found the movie to be dated.
He went on to act in films like Mahanati (2018), Nota (2018), Geetha Govindam (2018) and Taxiwala (2018), which was a supernatural comedy thriller.
His acting in Geetha Govindam (2018) won him the Zee Cine Awards Telugu in 2019 under the Favourite Actor category. He also received the Critics' Choice Best Actor Award at the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) 2019.
Deverakonda next starred in a romantic action drama, Dear Comrade (2019), followed by the romantic drama World Famous Lover (2020). He played the lead role in Liger (2022), a bilingual sports action film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced under the banner of Puri Connects and Dharma Productions.
He won the Youth Icon South (Male) Award at the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in 2022. He ventured into production in 2019 and backed movies under the King of the Hill Entertainment banner. The banner has been involved in the production of films like Meeku Maathrame Chepta (2019) and Pushpaka Vimanam (2021).
He ranked 72nd in the 2018 list of Celebrity 100 released by Forbes India. And he was ranked at the 2nd position in 2020's list of The Times Most Desirable Men.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Venkatesh Daggubati has worked in the Telugu film industry for over 37 years. He has also done a few Hindi movies.
His father, D. Rama Naidu, was a film producer and former Parliament Member; his mother, Rajeshwari, is a housewife. He completed his schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore.
He completed his B.Com from Loyola College, Chennai, and his MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, US.
He started his film career as a child artist in the movie Prema Nagar (1971) in 1971, in which he played the role of Keshav. It was directed by K.S. Prakash Rao.
After his MBA, he returned to India and wanted to pursue a career in film production. However, he became a Telugu actor and starred in his first movie as a lead in Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986).
This movie was directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and was also the debut movie of actress Khushbu Sundar. It was a huge success and won the Nandi Special Jury Award.
After appearing in five movies in 1987, he was a part of two major hits in 1988, Brahma Puthrudu (1988) as Shakthi, which got him a Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu, and Swarnakamalam (1988) as Chandra Sehkar (the role of a painter), which won the Nandi Special Jury Award.
Swarnakamalam was also featured in the 12th IFFI, the Asia Pacific Film Festival in the Indian Panorama section and the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
He starred as Pruthvi in Prema (1989), for which he got his first Nandi Award for Best Actor.
In 1990, he appeared in a dual role in the movie Aggiramudu (1990) as Aggi Ramudu and Vijay. He also appeared in the action movie Bobbili Raja (1990) along with the late actress Divya Bharti. These films were featured at the Fribourg Festival.
He made his Bollywood debut with the movie Anari (1993) opposite Karisma Kapoor. He also starred in another Hindi movie, Taqdeerwala (1995), opposite Raveena Tandon.
In 1995, he did another movie, Pokiri Raja (1995), in a double role as Chanti and Balaraju. The film was directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy.
He delivered another significant role successfully with Dharma Chakram (1996), for which he was recognised with Nandi Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu. In this movie, he plays the role of an honest lawyer.
In 1998, he made another successful movie Ganesh (1998), again winning the Nandi Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu. His role as Ganesh fought with the vices of the Indian healthcare system.
His movie Kalisundam Raa (2000), in which he played the role of Raghu, got him another Nandi Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Special Award - South.
In the same year, he appeared in another blockbuster success Jayam Manadera (2000), in a dual role as Mahadeva Naidu and Rudrama Naidu/Abhiram, for which he got the Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu.
In 2007, he appeared as Ganesh in Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule (2007), which got him another Nandi Award for Best Actor.
Daggubati has also starred in several multi-starrer movies like Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), along with Mahesh Babu.
In 2014, he appeared as Rambabu in the crime thriller Drushyam (2014) and reappeared in its sequel Drushyam 2 (2021) in 2021. Drushyam 1 got him the Best Actor (Jury) award at TSR - TV9 National Film Awards in 2015.
His hit movie Guru (2017) won him Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor - South. In 2019, he starred in Venky Mama (2019) along with his nephew Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, which grossed more than 72 crores across the globe.
Daggubati has voiced the role of Genie in the Telegu Version of the Hollywood movie Aladdin (2019), originally voiced by Will Smith.
He appeared as Naga Naidu in the popular web series Rana Naidu (2023) on Netflix, a Hindi-Telugu bilingual series, along with Rana Daggubati and Surveen Chawla.- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
John Prakash Rao "Johny Lever" Janumala was born on August 14, 1957 in Kanigiri, Andhra Pradesh and was brought up in Mumbai's King's Circle area (Dharavi). He is an Indian actor and comedian in Bollywood. His mother tongue is Telugu. Lever studied in Andhra Telugu School till the seventh grade but couldn't study further because of financial problems in his family, after which he decided to leave school and started working different kinds of odd jobs, such as selling pens on the streets of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) by imitating Bollywood stars and dancing to the songs of Bollywood stars. He also spent his early ages in Yakutpura a old city of Hyderabad from where he learnt the unique style of comedy acting. He developed a passion for mimicry and stand-up comedy, inspired by watching comedians like Johnny Walker, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood in films and mimicry artists like Dinesh Hingoo and Nerella Venumadhav on stage, and thus decided to be a mimicry artist. To seek guidance and help regarding mimicry, he met his mentor Pratap Jani and mimicry artist Ram Kumar, who helped him and taught him the basics of mimicry. Lever was also employed in Hindustan Lever's factory in Mumbai with his father. While working, he entertained his co-workers in the factory by imitating Elvis Presley. At one of the functions at his factory he was asked to perform and show his talent. His popularity among coworkers and officers of the factory by his performance earned him his professional name. He started to perform in musical shows (orchestras) and after earning fame, joined the group of Kalyanji-Anandji, a legendary music direction duo. He did a lot of shows and world tours with them, one of his first big tours being with Amitabh Bachchan in 1982. Since he became an instant hit at orchestras and was unable to find time, another comedian who substituted him by the name of Johnny Fever evolved. However, Fever's fame was short-lived as Raju Srivastav came to Mumbai during the same time and started filling gaps of Lever at orchestras. During this period he learned a lot from his mentor Kalyanji, who was described by Lever as a great philosopher and a very humorous person. At one of his shows, actor Sunil Dutt noticed his talent and potential and offered him his first movie Dard Ka Rishta. In the 1980s, he released his mimicry/comedy album, Hansee Ke Hungame, which became a hit in India and the world over, increasing his fame to another level. During this time period, he also did few commercials for Kachua chhap incense, directed by Shekhar Kapoor. In 1986, he performed in a charity show called "Hope 86", in front of the whole Hindi film industry as a filler and was loved by audience. His talent was recognized, which resulted in producer Gul Anand offering him a film called Jalwa with Naseeruddin Shah. He is considered an influential Indian comedian who has been cited as inspiration by many other comics. He has received 13 Filmfare Awards nominations in Best Comedian Category, and has won the award twice.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who has worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He is one of the leading actors in Tamil Cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai (1995). A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with Kadhal Kottai (1996) and Kadhal Mannan (1998) being the most notable. He later forayed into method acting, as seen in Vaali (1999), Mugavaree (2000), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Citizen (2001) before establishing himself as an action hero with popular films including Amarkalam (1999), Dheena (2001), Villain (2002), Varalaru (2006) and Billa (2007). He has won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards in Tamil, all for films which showcased him in multiple roles. Ajith performs predominantly in leading roles in major studio films, genres ranging from romantic comedies and drama to action thrillers.- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Dia Mirza was born on 9 December 1981 in Hyderabad in an interracial, German and Bengali family.
Her father Frank Handrich was a German graphic and industrial fair designer, architect, artist and interior designer and her mother Deepa excelled in interior and landscape design. She now volunteers as a counsellor at addiction centres.
As a student of J. Krishnamurti School, Dia learnt early to never conform to the limitations of the conditioned mind. Her education and family values made her world-view naturally inclusive and composite.
The hunger to chase every dream was encouraged at her school and at home.
That is why at the age of 16, while she was still a student, Dia began working towards financial independence. Modelling offers poured in and after endorsing brands like Lipton and Walls Ice Cream, she decided to dive deeper and participate in a beauty pageant that would transform her fate.
The Miss India Contest in 2000 made her a household name and then she won the Miss Asia-Pacific Pageant for India, after a span of nearly 29 long years.
Films were the next natural step. And Dia was ready to study the craft rather than take the opportunities coming her way for granted. Dia began her training as an actor in theatre workshops conducted by acclaimed director Feroz Abbas Khan and made her debut with Vashu Bhagnani's Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), with Madhavan.
She then went on to appear in several memorable films, including the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Parineeta (2005), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Kurbaan (2009), Dus Kahaniyaan (2007), Tehzeeb (2003), Sanju (2018), Thappad (2020) and many more.
In 2012, Dia forayed into regional cinema with Bengali Filmmaker Pratim Dasgupta's festival favourite Paanch Adhyay. In the same year, she also added a new dimension to her cinematic career, by turning producer to form Born Free Entertainment. A production house mirroring her desire to seek the new constantly. 'Love Breakups Zindagi (2011)' and 'Bobby Jasoos (2014)' were produced under this banner.
In 2016, Dia made her debut on Indian television with the much loved show Ganga: The Soul of India where she took viewers on a breath-taking journey to rediscover the holy river and the many stories connected with it.
Her debut on a streaming platform as an actor was in Kaafir, a highly acclaimed 2019 web-series about the Indo-Pak cross border dispute. Critics and audiences were moved and stirred by Dia's award winning portrayal of a young woman's journey from innocence to devastation and then resilience and courage. The series and Dia's work in it continue to win accolades.
On her 38th birthday in 2019, Dia Mirza launched a new production house, One India Stories LLP, which aims to bring out meaningful content across different formats and mediums.
Dia and her hand-picked team plan to collaborate with gifted individuals from different film industries and also have women-led stories as part of the roster.
As an actor and individual, Dia has always believed in the power of one and in the thread of oneness and humanity that connects us all. One India Stories is a culmination of this thought and aims to create stories that remind us of our connection to each other and the planet.
In her career as a performer, and her subsequent work as a producer and a climate change-maker, Dia has made unconventional choices.
Today, she is not just an actor and a producer but a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and United Nations Secretary-General Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals.
The search for the unknown, the less familiar continues.- Swathi Naidu was born on 5 November 1987 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is an actress, known for Srirangapuram (2022) and Hushaaru (2018). She is married to Avinash.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Bandreddi Sukumar, popularly known as Sukumar, is a screenwriter, film director, and producer of Telugu films.
Sukumar was born to Tirupathi Rao Naidu, a rice trader, and Veera Veni, a homemaker. He studied at a Zilla Parishad High School in Razole in Andhra Pradesh. He went on to complete his master's degree in Mathematics.
Before joining the film industry, Sukumar worked as a mathematics lecturer at a junior college in Bhimavaram. He decided to switch careers when he felt his life as a lecturer had become too mundane.
After moving to Hyderabad to pursue a career in the film industry, he began writing for TV serials and films. He later worked as an assistant director in a few movies, including Manasichi Choodu (1999).
Sukumar made his directorial debut with Arya (2004), a romantic entertainer starring Allu Arjun, Siva Balaji, and Anuradha Mehta. He also wrote the screenplay for the film. The story revolves around three college students with love as the key theme. The film was a massive blockbuster and ran over 420 days across eight centres. Sukumar won the Filmfare South Award (2004) for Best Director - Telugu for this movie. He also won the Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer in 2004. The film brought him into the limelight overnight.
His second directorial venture was Jagadam (2007), an action movie that had Ram Pothineni and Isha Sahani playing the lead roles. He was the screenplay writer for this movie as well. The film depicts the story of a child who wants to become a thug growing up and the challenges he has to face later in his life due to his fascination.
He then wrote and directed Arya 2 (2009) next. It was the namesake sequel of Arya (2004) and featured Allu Arjun, Navdeep, and Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles. The film deals with the love-hate relationship between two childhood friends who fall in love with the same girl. Arya 2 received mixed reviews from critics.
In his next film, 100% Love (2011), Sukumar explored the romantic comedy genre in which Naga Chaitanya Akkineni and Tamannaah Bhatia portrayed the main characters. The storyline was about the ego hassles between two college students who are very competitive in their studies and have fallen in love with each other. The movie proved to be a big hit.
In 2014, Sukumar directed the psychological action thrille 1: Nenokkadine (2014), with Mahesh Babu and Kriti Sanon in lead roles. The film was about a rockstar with a psychological condition who seeks to avenge his parent's death, and it received mixed reviews from critics.
The same year, he directed I Am That Change (2014), a short film starring Allu Arjun. It received a positive response.
He next directed To Father with Love (2016), an action thriller in which N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Rajendra Prasad, and Rakul Preet Singh played the lead characters. The film revolves around the emotional relationship between a son and his father, spanning the last month of the latter's life. It got positive responses from critics.
His next venture as a writer-cum-director was Rangasthalam (2018), a period drama starring Ram Charan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Aadhi in pivotal roles. The film narrates the story of two brothers and their fight against corrupt village governance. It was a massive hit at the box office and became one of the highest-grossing Telegu movies of 2018.
Sukumar then directed Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021), in which the lead roles were played by Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, and Rashmika Mandanna. The film traces the story of a labourer name Pushpa who rises through the ranks of a smuggling syndicate dealing in red sandalwood and his tussle with the law regarding illegal trade. The film was a huge commercial success and became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2021.
Sukumar married Thabitha Sukumar in 2009.The couple met at a screening of his directorial film, Arya. They gradually fell in love, but Thabitha's parents were opposed to the match. The couple married in the presence of Sukumar's parents and her sister. Thabitha's parents later accepted their relationship. The couple has two kids, a son and a daughter.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Gouthami Tadimalla, widely known as Gautami, is a versatile South Indian actress with a remarkable career spanning across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada films. Her cinematic journey commenced with the Telugu film "Dayamayudu," a production centered around the life of Jesus Christ.
Hailing from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, Gautami's entry into the film industry unfolded during her college days at GITAM College. She marked her debut in Tamil cinema with "Guru Shishyan," sharing the screen with the legendary Rajnikanth. During the late 80s to the mid-90s, she dominated Tamil cinema, emerging as a formidable competitor to contemporaries like Kushboo and Banupriya.
Gautami's filmography boasts diverse roles, including notable performances in films such as "Thevar Magan" and Mani Ratnam's "Iruvar" (1997), alongside an ensemble cast featuring Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Nasser, and Revathi. Her versatility extended to Kannada films with projects like "Elu Suttina Kote," "Chikkejamana," and "Cheluva." In Hindi, she left her mark in movies like "Pyar Hua chori chori," "Janata ki Adalat," "Trimurti," and "Dhaal."
Gautami faced a challenging battle against breast cancer at the age of 35, demonstrating resilience and emerging victorious. Following a hiatus from acting, she made a comeback as a costume designer for films starring her partner, Kamal Haasan. Notably, she received the Vijay Award for Best Costume Designer for her work in "Dasavathaaram."
In a significant return to the silver screen after sixteen years, Gautami showcased her acting prowess in the Tamil film "Papanasam," sharing the screen once again with Kamal Haasan. Beyond her film endeavors, she graced the Tamil serial "Indira" as the lead character and ventured into hosting with the talk show "Anbudan" on Sun TV. Currently, she captivates audiences with her portrayal in the serial "Abhirami," broadcasted on Kalingar TV, showcasing the enduring talent and versatility that define Gautami's illustrious career.- Anasuya Bharadwaj is an Indian actress, television presenter, and host. She works primarily in the Telugu film and television industry. She is known for her roles in the movies, Kshanam (2016) and Rangasthalam (2018).
Bharadwaj received her master's in business administration from Badruka College in Hyderabad and worked as an HR executive in the corporate sector. She started her career in the entertainment industry when she was offered the position of a news presenter on SakshiTV.
Since then, she has appeared as a host and presenter on various platforms. She served as an anchor on Maa Music, followed by a hosting stint on a comedy show, Jabardasth (2013). This gained her popularity, leading to the signing of her first film, Soggade Chinni Nayana (2016) with Nagarjuna Akkineni.
In the same year, she portrayed a negative lead role in the movie, Kshanam (2016), which gained her critical acclaim. She also played supporting roles in many other movies like Rangasthalam (2018) and Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021). At the same time, she continued to be a sought-after host and helmed many television and award shows.
Bharadwaj has also gained recognition for her work in movies. She was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the 6th South Indian International Movie Award (SIIMA)and the IIFA Utsavam Award for her performance in Kshanam (2016). She has also been awarded the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 66th Filmfare Awards (South), the 8th SIIMA Awards, and a Zee Cine Award for her role in Rangasthalam (2018). - Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Trivikram Srinivas is an Indian screenwriter and director famous for his works in Telugu Cinema. Hailed by his admirers as "Guruji" and "Maatala Maanthrikudu" or the "Wizard of Words", he is famous for his witty and thought provoking dialogues. Born as Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma, he started his career as a dialogue and scriptwriter for many hit movies like Swayamvaram (1999), Nuvve Kavali (2000), Nuvvu Naaku Nachchav (2001) and Malliswari (2004) to name a few. He debuted as director with the critically acclaimed movie Nuvve.. Nuvve... (2002). He later went on to direct many successful movies with big stars in the lead.