Venkatesh made his debut in 1986 with the commercially successful Kaliyuga Pandavulu.

He
achieved stardom with box-office hits[4][5] such as Srinivasa Kalyanam (1987), Brahma
Puthrudu (1988), Prema (1989), Dhruva Nakshatram (1989), Bobbili Raja (1990), and Kshana
Kshanam (1991), the latter of which featured at the Fribourg Festival and went on to gather a cult
following.[6][7][8]
Venkatesh received further acclaim for his notable performances as a painter
in Swarnakamalam (1988), which featured in the Indian panorama section of the 12th IFFI,[9] an
attorney in both Sathruvu (1991) and Dharma Chakram (1996), a coolie in Coolie No. 1 (1991),
an eccentric cop in both Surya IPS (1991) and Gharshana (2004), an autistic villager
in Chanti (1992),[5] in the romances Pavitra Bandham (1996), Preminchukundam
Raa (1997), Premante Idera (1998), Raja (1999), Kalisundam Raa (2000), Nuvvu Naaku
Nachav (2001), Vasantam (2003), Malliswari (2004) and Aadavari Matalaku Arthale
Verule (2007), in the family dramas Suryavamsam (1998), Sankranti (2005) and Seethamma
Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), a journalist in Ganesh (1998), in the action dramas Jayam
Manadera (2000), Lakshmi (2006), Tulasi (2007) and Venky Mama (2021), in the
comedies Chintakayala Ravi (2008), Namo Venkatesa (2010), F2 (2019) and F3 (2022), in the
crime thrillers Eenaadu (2009), Drushyam (2014) and Drushyam 2 (2021), an atheist in Gopala
Gopala (2015), a boxing coach in Guru (2017), and a farmer in Narappa (2021).
Venkatesh also starred in Hindi language works such
as Anari (1993), Taqdeerwala (1995), Rana Naidu (2023), and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023).
[10]
In addition to acting, he co-owns Suresh 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
the Telugu Warriors, representing Tollywood in the Celebrity Cricket League.[14]

Early life[edit]
Venkatesh was born on 13 December 1960 in a Telugu family to film producer and
former Member of Parliament, D. Ramanaidu and Rajeshwari in Madras (present-day Chennai),
India. He has an elder brother Suresh Babu, who runs Suresh Productions, and a younger sister
Lakshmi.[15]
Venkatesh did his schooling in Don Bosco, Egmore,[16] Chennai and graduated in commerce
from Loyola College, Chennai.[17][18] He got his MBA from the Middlebury Institute of International
Studies at Monterey, US.[15] After his return to India, he wanted to get into film production but
instead became an actor.[19]

Career[edit]
Further information: Venkatesh filmography

1986–1989: Debut and early career[edit]

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[edit]

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]