Venkatesh (actor)

Early life

Venkatesh was born on 13 December 1960 in a Telugu family to film producer and former Member of Parliament, D. Ramanaidu and Rajeswari in Madras (present-day Chennai), India. He has an elder brother Suresh Babu, who runs Suresh Productions, and a younger sister Lakshmi.

Venkatesh did his schooling in Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai and graduated in commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. He got his MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, USA. After his return to India, he wanted to get into film production but instead became an actor.

Career

1971–1995: 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.

Swarnakamalam (1988) which came in the direction of K. Viswanath happens to be the classic of that era. The film also won Nandi 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 like Coolie (1991) and Kshana Kshanam (1991) catapulted him to stardom on par with the then superstars of the Telugu cinema — Megastar Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna and Akkineni Nagarjuna. Chanti (1992), a remake of the Tamil flick Chinna 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 as Anari (1993), only to receive more praise from Hindi audiences. Immediately, he showed a different variation in Chinarayudu (1993).Venkatesh's films have hardly ever been embroiled in controversy, but there was an exception once. His movie Kondapalli Raja, which released in 1993, stirred up a controversy before its release. Kondapalli Raja was the second Telugu remake of Rajinikanth’s Tamil film Annaamalai (1992). He later worked on films like Abbayigaru (1993), Super Police (1994), Muddula Priyudu (1994), Pokiri Raja (1995) and Taqdeerwala (1995). Venkatesh was so successful at the prime of his career that his name was tagged with ‘Victory’ to be rechristened as Victory Venkatesh.

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. 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. 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. In Ganesh (1998), he played a person fighting the ills of the Indian public healthcare system. 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. Following this, he established himself as one of top actors in Telugu cinema.

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

2013–present: Multi-starrers and experimental roles

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. In 2013, Venkatesh co-starred alongside Mahesh Babu in the critically acclaimed drama Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu. 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). F2 grossed over and ended up as one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of 2019.

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

Later in 2019, he starred in Venky Mama, alongside his nephew Naga Chaitanya. The film was a profitable venture, grossing more than worldwide. 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. 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.

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.

Endorsements

• On 24 April 2010, he signed with Manappuram General Finance and Leasing Ltd as their brand ambassador for Andhra Pradesh.
• He opened Ramraj Cotton Company branch in Ameerpet as a brand ambassador for the company.

Personal life

Venkatesh married Neeraja in 1985 and the couple has four children—three daughters and one son. His eldest daughter, Aashritha, married Vinayak Reddy, the grandson of R. Surender Reddy, the chairman of Hyderabad Race Club. He is also the uncle of actors Rana Daggubati and Naga Chaitanya.

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (12 December 2017). "On Victory Venkatesh's birthday eve, his next project with Trivrikram Srinivas announced".
2. (14 August 2020). "వెంక‌టేశ్ 'విక్ట‌రీ'కి 34 ఏళ్లు".
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5. "చంటి to వెంకీమామ.. వెంకటేష్ బెస్ట్ బాక్స్ ఆఫీస్ కలెక్షన్స్".
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24. (8 May 2020). "23 ఏళ్లు కంప్లీట్ చేసుకున్న వెంకటేష్ 'ప్రేమించుకుందాం.. రా'..".
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37. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi. (31 March 2017). "Guru: An absorbing sports drama". The Hindu.
38. "'Venky Mama' Box-Office: Venkatesh and Naga Chaitanya starrer turns into a profitable venture – Times of India".
39. (20 July 2021). "Venkatesh on his Amazon Prime movie Narappa: 'It is the most challenging film of my career so far'".
40. Sistu, Suhas. (2023-10-16). "'Saindhav' teaser: Action-packed".
41. Mandava, Dvija. (2025-02-03). "Sankranthiki Vasthunam: A genre-defying blockbuster".
42. (25 April 2010). "Super Star Victory Venkatesh to Endorse Manappuram Brand – Telugu cinema news". Idlebrain.com.
43. (25 March 2016). "Actor Venkatesh opens Ramraj Cotton showroom". thehindu.com.
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45. (7 February 2019). "Venkatesh Daggubati's elder daughter Aashritha gets engaged, wedding date revealed – details inside".
46. (25 March 2019). "Aashritha Daggubati and Vinayak Reddy tie the knot in a grand wedding in Jaipur – Times of India".
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