Actor · Telugu cinema
Rao Ramesh
Rao Ramesh movies: 150 Telugu films on file, 2002–2026. Earliest on file: Seema Simham (2002). Latest release: Amma Naaku Aa Abbayi Kaavali (7 August 2026).
- Films on file
- 150 (150 as actor)
- Years on file
- 2002–2026
- Born
- 21 April 1970 · April birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- Magadheera, Pushpa: The Rise, Pushpa 2: The Rule
- Record
- Q7293689 on Wikidata
Rao Ramesh (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Telugu cinema, theatre and television, with some Tamil films. The son of the veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao, he broke through as a reformed Naxalite in Krish‘s Gamyam (2008) and went on to become one of the most popular supporting actors in Telugu films.
Early life
Rao Ramesh grew up in Chennai. He went to Sri Ramakrishna Mission School in T. Nagar and earned a degree in communications before taking up still photography. He assisted the cinematographer K. S. Prakasa Rao, father of K. Raghavendra Rao, and then went to Bangalore to learn industrial photography.
Television
His acting began in a television series directed by Ghantasala Ratna Kumar that was shelved. Back in Chennai he acted in soap operas such as Pavithra Bandham and Kalavari Kodalu, shooting over 1,000 episodes in about four and a half years.
Film breakthrough
After early appearances in Seema Simham (2002) and Okkadunnadu (2007), he won acclaim as a reformed Naxalite in Gamyam, one of the year’s biggest Telugu hits.
Magadheera
He followed it with the successes Kotha Bangaru Lokam, Avakai Biryani (both 2008) and S. S. Rajamouli’s Magadheera (2009), where his hunchbacked old tantric drew further praise.
Supporting star
Through the 2010s he became a sought-after supporting actor, with roles in films such as Gabbar Singh (2012) and Attarintiki Daredi (2013), and he said in 2015 that he was in the best phase of his career.
Career on file
Rao Ramesh appears in 150 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 2002 to 2026. The earliest of them is Seema Simham (2002), and the most recent release is Amma Naaku Aa Abbayi Kaavali (2026). Measured by how many Wikipedia language editions cover them, the best-known titles here are Magadheera (2009), Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024). Other recent releases on file are Peddi (2026), Ustaad Bhagat Singh (2026) and S Saraswathi (2026).
Brahmanandam is the most frequent co-star, sharing 33 films with Rao Ramesh, followed by Prakash Raj (21) and Kota Srinivasa Rao (16). Among directors, Trivikram Srinivas cast Rao Ramesh most often, in eight films; next are Harish Shankar (7) and Trinadha Rao Nakkina (5). Music on 18 of them is by Devi Sri Prasad, with S. Thaman (16) and Mickey J. Meyer (12) next. Sri Venkateswara Creations produced eight of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 102 different directors, 70 music directors and 257 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 124 of them; they average 149 minutes, and the longest is Pushpa 2: The Rule at 200 minutes. 69 of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 2000s (10), 2010s (104) and 2020s (36). 2014 is the busiest single year, with 15 films.
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.