Venkatesh (actor)

1986–1989: Debut and early career

Venkatesh first appeared as a child actor in the 1971 film Prema Nagar. His first film as a full-fledged lead was K. Raghavendra Rao-directed Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986), alongside Khushbu Sundar which was a debut for both of them. The film won him a Nandi Special Jury Award.^[2]

1996–2012: Critical and commercial success

In 1996, he portrayed an honest lawyer in Dharma Chakram, which won him both the Nandi Award and Filmfare Award South.^[3][20] Later that year, he played a husband struggling between two wives in the E. V. V. Satyanarayana directed hit comedy drama Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu.^[21] In Ganesh (1998), he played a person fighting the ills of the Indian public healthcare system. The following year, he starred in the romantic action film Preminchukundam Raa. The film, which was one of the first portrayals of factionalism in Rayalaseema region, was a big commercial success.^[22] His 1999 drama film Raja, where he plays a small time thief who is reformed by his love was also well received by the audience.^[21] Following this, he established himself as one of top actors in Telugu cinema.^[23]

In 2001, Venkatesh starred in the romantic comedy Nuvvu Naaku Nachav which was a critical and commercial success.^[24] The success continued with Malliswari (2004), his second collaboration with director K. Vijaya Bhaskar after Nuvvu Naaku Nachav.^[21] In 2007, he starred in two films, Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule and Tulasi, both of which grossed over ₹30 crore at the box office.^[5] In the following years, Venkatesh appeared in several films, including Chintakayala Ravi (2008), Namo Venkatesa (2010) and Bodyguard (2012).^[25][26][27]

2013–present: Multi-starrers and experimental roles

In 2013, Venkatesh co-starred alongside Mahesh Babu in the critically acclaimed drama Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu.^[28][29] The film was one of the first Telugu major multi-starrer films after many years. Subsequently, Venkatesh went on to feature in other multi-starrers such as Masala (2013), Gopala Gopala (2015) and F2: Fun and Frustration (2019).^[30] F2 grossed over ₹127 crore and ended up as one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of 2019.^[31][32]

Venkatesh's performance in Drushyam (2014) received several accolades from the critics.^[33] He portrayed a strict boxing coach in the Sudha Kongara's sports drama Guru in 2017.^[34]

Later in 2019, he starred in Venky Mama, alongside his nephew Naga Chaitanya. The film was a profitable venture, grossing more than ₹72 crore worldwide.^[35] In the same year, he dubbed in Telugu for the Genie in Alladin. His 2021 film Narappa was released on Amazon Prime, which marked his first direct-to-OTT released.^[36] In 2022, the sequel to F2, 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 with Saindhav, directed by Sailesh Kolanu.^[37] However, upon release, it opened to a mixed-to-negative reception from the audience and subsequently became a huge box-office bomb.

In 2025, he reunited with Anil Ravipudi and Dil Raju on the comedy, Sankranthiki Vasthunam. Released during the Sankranthi season, it opened to generally positive reviews and went to become a huge money spinner, becoming the highest-grossing solo film in Venkatesh' career and the highest-grossing comedy in Telugu cinema.