Actor · Telugu cinema
Venkatesh Daggubati
Venkatesh Daggubati movies: 84 Telugu films on file, 1971–2026. Earliest on file: Aadarsha Kutumbam House No: 47 – AK47 (2026). Latest release: Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (12 January 2026).
- Films on file
- 84 (84 as actor)
- Years on file
- 1971–2026
- Born
- 13 December 1960 · December birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- Gopala Gopala, Bobbili Raja, Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule
- Record
- Q5208551 on Wikidata
Venkatesh Daggubati, known as Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Telugu cinema, where his career spans more than 37 years. He is known for the range of his roles, from family dramas and romances to comedies and multi-starrers. His honours include six Filmfare Awards and five Nandi Awards, and he co-owns Suresh Productions.
He was born on 13 December 1960, according to Wikipedia, citing The Times of India, and Wikidata. Wikipedia gives his birthplace as Madras (now Chennai); Wikidata lists Karamchedu. His father was the producer D. Ramanaidu. He studied commerce at Loyola College, Chennai, and took an MBA in Monterey, California. He is the uncle of actors Rana Daggubati and Naga Chaitanya.
Career
After a childhood appearance in Prema Nagar (1971), he made his lead debut in K. Raghavendra Rao’s Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986), which won him a Nandi Special Jury Award. Hits such as Srinivasa Kalyanam (1987), Brahma Puthrudu (1988), Prema (1989) and Dhruva Nakshatram (1989) made him a star. K. Viswanath’s Swarnakamalam (1988), in which he played a painter, was shown at IFFI. Bobbili Raja (1990) broke Telugu box-office records. Coolie No. 1 and Ram Gopal Varma’s Kshana Kshanam (both 1991) put him level with the leading stars of the time.
He played an honest lawyer in Dharma Chakram (1996), which won him both the Nandi and Filmfare Best Actor awards. E. V. V. Satyanarayana’s Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu (1996) was a hit comedy. The romantic action film Preminchukundam Raa (1997), one of the first to depict Rayalaseema factionalism, was a big success. Ganesh (1998), about failings in public healthcare, brought another Nandi and Filmfare double. He also starred in Suryavamsam and Premante Idera (both 1998).
K. Vijaya Bhaskar’s Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (2001) and Malliswari (2004) were critical and commercial successes. Selvaraghavan’s Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007) won him another Nandi for Best Actor. He then starred in Chintakayala Ravi (2008) and Bodyguard (2012).
From 2013 he became known for multi-starrers. He co-starred with Mahesh Babu in Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), and later appeared in Masala (2013) and Gopala Gopala (2015) with Pawan Kalyan. Critics praised his work in Drushyam (2014). He played a boxing coach in Guru (2017). F2 – Fun and Frustration (2019) grossed over ₹127 crore, and Venky Mama (2019) paired him with his nephew. Narappa (2021) was his first direct-to-streaming release, followed by F3 (2022) and the Hindi series Rana Naidu (2023). Anil Ravipudi’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam (2025) became the highest-grossing film of his career and, according to Wikipedia, the highest-grossing Telugu comedy.
Awards
- Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for Brahma Puthrudu, Dharma Chakram, Ganesh and Jayam Manadera (Wikipedia winners list).
- Nandi Award for Best Actor for Prema, Dharma Chakram, Ganesh, Kalisundam Raa and Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule (list), plus a Nandi Special Jury Award for Kaliyuga Pandavulu (Sakshi).
Upcoming film
One upcoming film is on our records: Trivikram Srinivas’s Aadarsha Kutumbam House No: 47 – AK47. It is recorded as postponed, with no release date announced. Venkatesh upcoming movies is updated daily.
Where to watch his films
- Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (2026), in which our records credit him: ZEE5, from 11 February 2026 (OTT details)
- Sankranthiki Vasthunam: ZEE5, from 1 March 2025, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Saindhav: Prime Video, from 3 February 2024, per Wikipedia
- Ori Devuda: Aha, from 11 November 2022 (OTT details)
- F3: SonyLIV and Netflix, from 22 July 2022, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Narappa: Prime Video, where it premiered on 20 July 2021 (OTT details)
- Venky Mama: Prime Video, from 16 January 2020, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Shadow, Chintakayala Ravi and Suryavamsam: Aha, from Aha’s listings (Shadow, Chintakayala Ravi, Suryavamsam)
Catalogues change; check the platform before you plan to watch.
Personal life
He married Neeraja in 1985, according to Wikipedia, citing The Times of India; they have four children.
Sources: Wikipedia and the references it cites (linked above), Wikidata, and Tollywood Desk’s film, release and OTT records.
Career on file
Venkatesh Daggubati appears in 84 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 1971 to 2026. The earliest of them is Prem Nagar (1971), and the most recent release is Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (2026). The most widely covered of these, counted by Wikipedia language editions, are Gopala Gopala (2015), Bobbili Raja (1990) and Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007). Other recent releases on file are Sankranthiki Vasthunam (2025), Saindhav (2024) and Ori Devuda (2022).
Brahmanandam is the most frequent co-star, sharing 32 films with Venkatesh Daggubati, followed by Kota Srinivasa Rao (27) and Kaikala Satyanarayana (16). Among directors, K. Raghavendra Rao cast Venkatesh Daggubati most often, in eight films; next are Anil Ravipudi (4) and K. Vijaya Bhaskar (3). Music on ten of them is by K. Chakravarthy, with Ilaiyaraaja (9) and Mani Sharma (8) next. Suresh Productions produced 20 of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 51 different directors, 33 music directors and 193 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 81 of them; they average 149 minutes, and the longest is Nuvvu Naaku Nachav at 180 minutes. 22 of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 1970s (1), 1980s (16), 1990s (27), 2000s (16), 2010s (15) and 2020s (9).
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.
Upcoming movies (1)
Venkatesh Daggubati upcoming movies · All upcoming Telugu movies · Dates are those on record and can change.