Konidela Chiranjeevi is an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. Chiranjeevi holds the record for the most "Industry Hits" in Telugu cinema, with eight films emerging as the top-grossers of their time—a feat unmatched by any actor in the industry's 100-year history. He is also celebrated as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema. He has received numerous honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 from the Government of India, as well as the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award in 2022. His other accolades include the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards South, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, CNN-IBN recognized him as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema". In 2024, he was honoured with a Guinness World Record as the most prolific actor-dancer in the Indian film industry.
Nandamuri Balakrishna, also known as Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, film producer and politician known for his works in Telugu cinema. Balakrishna is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Hindupuram constituency since 2014. The sixth son of actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao, Balakrishna made his debut as a child artist at the age of 14 with the film Tatamma Kala (1974). Balakrishna is a recipient of three state Nandi Awards, three SIIMA Awards, and an IIFA Award. In 2012, Balakrishna was the chief guest at the 43rd IFFI. Currently, he serves as the Chairman of Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Hyderabad.
Relangi Venkata Ramayya, known mononymously by his surname as Relangi, was an Indian actor, comedian, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema in 1970. Relangi is particularly known for his comic expressions, and dialogues during the 1950s and 1960s. Together with Ramana Reddy, they were a comedy double act.
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telugu cinema has become the largest film industry in India by box-office revenue as of 2021. Telugu films sold 23.3 crore tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.
Allu Arjun is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Allu Arjun has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He is a recipient of several awards including a National Film Award, six Filmfare Awards, and three Nandi Awards. He is regarded as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema. He is popularly referred to as "Stylish Star" and "Icon Star".
Rajakumarudu is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Mahesh Babu and Preity Zinta. The film was produced by C. Aswani Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Movies banner. Krishna made a guest appearance. The music was composed by Mani Sharma. The film was released on 30 July 1999.
Manchu Bhakthavatsalam Naidu, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films in lead, supporting and a variety of roles.
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju, known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian actor and film producer who mainly works in Telugu cinema. Known for his roles in action comedy films, he is popular by the moniker Mass Maharaja. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, Teja has won three state Nandi Awards and one Filmfare Award South. He was featured by Forbes India in the list of top 100 Celebrities in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary, professionally known as Jagapathi Babu, is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. Babu has appeared in 170 feature films, and has received four Filmfare Awards and seven state Nandi Awards.
Sri Ramadasu is 2006 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of musician saint Kancharla Gopanna. A reboot of V. Nagayya's 1964 film Ramadasu; the film is written and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Produced by Konda Krishnam Raju, the film starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Akkineni Nagarjuna in lead roles, while the music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. Cinematography and editing were handled by S. Gopal Reddy and Sreekar Prasad respectively.
Modati Cinema is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Kuchipudi Venkat and starring Navdeep and Poonam Bajwa. It was directed by to music by Swaraj.
Mandadi Prabhakar Reddy (1935–1997) was an Indian film character actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He acted in over 472 films over three decades. He wrote stories for several acclaimed films, including Karthika Deepam. The "Dr. M Prabhakara Reddy Chalana Chitra Karmika Chitrapuri" in Manikonda, Hyderabad is named in honor of him. He won four Nandi Awards.
Nithin Kumar Reddy, known professionally as Nithiin, is an Indian film actor, distributor and producer who primarily works in Telugu films. Nithiin is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award and three South Indian International Movie Awards nominations.
Jaya Prakash Reddy was an Indian actor who predominantly appeared in Telugu films. Born in Sirvel of Andhra Pradesh, he came into the limelight with the film Samarasimha Reddy (1999) where he played the role of Veera Raghava Reddy. He acted as an antagonist in several films such as Jayam Manade Raa (2000) and Chennakesava Reddy (2002). Later in his career, he was also featured in many comic roles. He died of cardiac arrest at his home in Guntur on 8 September 2020, at the age of 74. He was honoured with Special Jury Award (Alexander) for his contribution to Tollywood at the 16th Santosham Film Awards.
Nandamuri Taraka Ratna was an Indian actor who worked in Telugu cinema. After his debut in Okato Number Kurraadu (2003), he acted in several films as the lead actor and a few as the antagonist. He was a member of the Nandamuri family which is influential in Telugu cinema and politics. Taraka Ratna was also an aspiring politician from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, rooting for the Telugu Desam Party. He died on 18 February 2023 at the age of 39 at Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences, following severe health complications.
Hope is a 2006 Telugu film directed by Satish Kasetty. The film was showcased at International Film Festival of India in 2008. As director, he has won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. He was the jury member for South Region II at the 59th National Film Awards.
Samanyudu is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language political action film produced by R. R. Venkat on R.R. Movie Makers banner and directed by Ravi C Kumar. The film stars Jagapati Babu and Kamna Jethmalani, while Sai Kumar, Ranganath, Archana, Dasari Arun Kumar, and Vinod Kumar Alva play supporting roles. The music was composed by Vandemataram Srinivas.
Akhil Akkineni is an Indian-American actor based in India, who works primarily in Telugu cinema. Akhil was born in San Jose, California, United States, and was raised in Hyderabad, India. Akhil debuted as a child artist in the film Sisindri (1994), for which he won a Filmfare Special Award. He is also the captain of Telugu Warriors cricket team that competes in Celebrity Cricket League.
Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary is a 2000 Telugu-language film directed by Suresh Krissna. The film stars Mohan Babu, Jayasudha, Priya Gill and Chandra Mohan.
Godava (transl. Trouble) is a 2007 Telugu-language film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy and stars his son Vaibhav and Shraddha Arya in the lead roles alongside Sayaji Shinde who plays a supporting role. This film marks the film debut of Reddy and the Telugu film debut of Arya.
