Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra (born 17 December 1984) is an Indian actor, director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. Known for his work in action and suspense thrillers, he's received various awards including an IIFA Award Telugu, a SIIMA Award, and a Nandi Award.[1]

Adivi Sesh
Adivi Sesh in 2022 during the promotion of Major
Born
Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra

(1984-12-17) 17 December 1984 (age 39)
Alma materSan Francisco State University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • screenwriter
Years active2002– present
FamilySee Adivi Family

Sesh was born in Hyderabad and was raised in Berkeley, California.[2] He made his film debut in 2010 as a lead actor and director with the romance Karma and gained recognition for his antagonistic roles in Panjaa (2011), Balupu (2013), and Baahubali: The Beginning (2015). Sesh then established himself as a leading man by starring in commercial and critical successes such as Dongaata (2015), Kshanam (2016), Ami Thumi (2017), Goodachari (2018), Evaru (2019), Major (2022), and HIT: The Second Case (2022).

Early life

edit

Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra was born 17 December 1984 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now in Telangana), India.[3][4] He was raised in Berkeley, California, United States, where he attended Berkeley High School and did his undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University.[3][4]

Sesh has a younger sister, who is a doctor in the US.[5] His cousin, Sai Kiran Adivi, is a film director.[6] Sesh's grand uncle, Adivi Baapiraju, was a novelist, playwright, and freedom fighter. Sesh is a vegetarian.[7]

Career

edit

Sesh debuted as an actor in the film Sontham (2002) in a small guest appearance.[3] He debuted as a director and writer in the 2010 film Karma, which also starred Jade Tailor and Sher Ali.[8] Sesh's portrayal of Dev, a person who can fore-see events mere seconds before they happen, was well appreciated. Rediff praised his performance stating "As far as acting goes, Sesh Adivi does a good job. With an 'angelic' face he is an apt choice to play enigmatic Dev. His scripting skills also deserve mention. He may have chosen an unconventional path and a novel theme but he has tried to infuse something new in Telugu cinema."[9]

In 2011, Sesh appeared in Vishnuvardhan's Panjaa. In this film, Sesh portrayed the role of Munna, an NRI who is a wealthy spoiled brat and a dangerous person to those around him. This also marked his debut as a villain.[10] His performance was highly appreciated by critics. Rediff said of his performance, "Sesh Adivi is worth watching for his 'maniacal' performance which is just the opposite of what he did in Karma, his directorial and acting debut."[11] CineGoer.com also praised his performance, saying "Sesh's Karma changes for the good with this film and he is quite a revelation."[12] After this, he acted in the movie Balupu as a villain.[13] Following this, he starred in and directed the film Kiss, the only critical flop in his career up to that point.[14] He then did a supporting role in the hit Run Raja Run.[15] After this, he played lead again in Ladies & Gentlemen and Dongaata in 2015. He then appeared in a supporting role in S. S. Rajamouli's epic drama Baahubali: The Beginning.[16]

In 2016, Sesh starred in Kshanam, the story and screenplay of which was written by him along with Ravikanth Perepu, the director of the film. With this film, Sesh got the attention from the audience and industry. After Kshanam, he rejected more than 50 scripts that offered him the lead role.[17][18] He then appeared in a cameo role in Size Zero and the Karthi starrer Oopiri.[19] Around then, he appeared in Ami Thumi, a comedy film directed by Mohanakrishna Indraganti. His next film, Goodachari, an action thriller released on 3 August 2018 to positive reviews and became a super hit, and closed on 6 September at the box office 33 days after release.[20] The film was written by him and directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka.[21] He next did a special appearance in Oh! Baby, starring Samantha Akkineni. Following this was the suspense thriller Evaru, written and directed by Venkat Ramji. It released on 15 August 2019 to positive reviews, and went on to become a hit running for more than 4 weeks in theatres.

His next film Major, a biopic of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan released on 3 June 2022, and received several accolades[22] along with becoming a commercial hit. In April 2020, Sesh confirmed that he's begun scripting Goodachari 2, a sequel to his 2018 spy thriller Goodachari.[23] Sesh then featured as lead in the investigative drama HIT: The Second Case.[24][25] This film too went on to become a critical as well as box office success.[26]

Filmography

edit
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

As an actor

edit
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2002 Sontham Venkat Debut film [3]
2010 Karma Dev [9]
2011 Panjaa Munna [27]
2013 Balupu Rohit [28]
Kiss Sunny [29]
2014 Run Raja Run Nayeem Basha [30]
2015 Ladies & Gentlemen Rahul [31]
Baahubali: The Beginning[a] Bhadrudu / Bhadra [32]
Dongaata Venkat [33]
Size Zero[a] Shekar Cameo appearance [34]
2016 Kshanam Rishi [35]
Oopiri[a] Abhinav Cameo appearance [36]
2017 Ami Thumi Ananth [37]
2018 Goodachari M. Gopi / M. Arjun Kumar [38]
2019 Oh! Baby Savitri's Husband Cameo appearance [39]
Evaru Vikram Vasudev (Fake) / Adarsh Varma [40]
2022 Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Simultaneously shot in Hindi [41]
HIT: The Second Case Krishna Dev "KD" [42]
TBA G2 M. Gopi / M. Arjun Kumar Filming [43]
TBA Dacoit: A Love Story Filming; also writer [44]

Other crew positions

edit
Year Title Writer Director
2010 Karma Yes Yes
2013 Kiss Yes Yes
2016 Kshanam Yes No
2018 Goodachari Yes No
2022 Major Yes No
TBA G2 Yes No
TBA Dacoit: A Love Story Yes No

Awards and nominations

edit
Work Award Category Result Ref
Kiss 3rd SIIMA Awards Best Male Debut – Telugu Nominated [45]
Kshanam Nandi Awards of 2016 Best Screenplay Writer Won [46]
2nd IIFA Utsavam Best Screenplay Won [47]
[48]
Best Story Nominated
Major 11th SIIMA Awards Critics Best Actor – Telugu Won [49]
68th Filmfare Awards South Best Actor – Telugu Nominated [50]
21st Santosham Film Awards Best Actor Won [51]

Other honors

edit
Award Category Result Ref
Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards Stylish Game Changer - Male Won [52]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b c The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Adivi Sesh is a lucky guy". Deccan Chronicle. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Happy birthday Adivi Sesh! Here is all you need to know about Telugu cinema's James Bond". The New Indian Express. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Happy birthday Adivi Sesh! Here is all you need to know about the underrated Telugu actor". The New Indian Express. 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b Adivi Sesh. Caught Off Guard with Adivi Sesh at Annapurna Studios ft. Goodachari (in Telugu). Annapurna Studios. Retrieved 18 September 2018 – via Youtube.
  5. ^ M, Suman (24 January 2023). "Pics: Adivi Sesh's Sister Pre-wedding Festivities". Gulte. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Adivi Sesh: I don't want to ride two boats at the same time". Cinema Express. August 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Adivi Sesh conducts Q & A session on Instagram, leaves fans pleased with his answers". Times of India. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Karma: Movie Review". Telugu Cinema. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  9. ^ a b Rajamani, Radhika (29 November 2010). "Karma is for a niche audience". Rediff. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Interview with Sesh Adivi". idlebrain.com. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  11. ^ Rajamani, Radhika (9 December 2011). "Review: Pawan Kalyan's Panjaa lacks power". Rediff. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  12. ^ "Panjaa Movie Review". CineGoer.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Adivi Sesh to play a crucial role in Balupu". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Adivi Sesh Hits and Flops Movies List". 1 January 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Run Raja Run Movie Review". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Adivi Sesh in Rajamouli's Bahubali". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Young hero rejected 50 Scripts". smtv24x7. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  18. ^ Kumar, Hemanth (8 August 2018). "Adivi Sesh on the success of his film Goodachari and the revival of spy-thrillers in Telugu cinema". Firstpost. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Adivi Sesh to play Anushka's hubby in Oopiri". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Goodachari Worldwide Closing Collections - Super Hit". Telugu360.com. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  21. ^ Hooli, Sekhar H. (14 August 2018). "Goodachari 10-day box office collection: Adivi Sesh churns out another blockbuster after Kshanam". IB Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Major Movie Review : A heart-touching tribute to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and his family". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Amid Covid-19 lockdown, actor-writer Adivi Sesh is busy scripting Goodachari 2, editing Major". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Producer Nani unveils poster of Adivi Sesh starrer 'HIT 2: The Second Case'". The News Minute. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  25. ^ "గూఢచారి మళ్లీ వస్తున్నాడు.. ఈ సారి పాన్ఇండియా రేంజ్‌లో". Hindustan Times Telugu. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  26. ^ "HIT 2 Box Office Collection: Adivi Sesh-starrer Mints Over Rs 42 Crore Worldwide". News18. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Sesh bags a role in Pawan Kalyan's film?". The Times of India. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Sesh to play a crucial role in next". The Times of India. 23 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  29. ^ "Adivi Sesh's new film Kiss". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  30. ^ "'Run Raja Run' Movie Review: Worth Watching". International Business Times India. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  31. ^ Kumar, Hemanth (15 January 2017). "Ladies and Gentlemen gets good reviews". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  32. ^ Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (10 July 2015). "Bahubali roar reaches a crescendo". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  33. ^ IANS (28 April 2015). "'Dongata' will unleash the best in Lakshmi Manchu: Director Vamsi Krishna". The Indian Express. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  34. ^ "Adivi Sesh exploring romantic comedy". The Hans India. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  35. ^ IANS (22 November 2015). "Adivi Sesh, Adah Sharma team up for 'Kshanam'". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  36. ^ Jonnalagedda, Pranita (15 June 2017). "Adivi Sesh to play Anushka's hubby in Oopiri". Times of India. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  37. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (9 June 2017). "Ami Thumi: Battle of wits". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  38. ^ Nyayapati, Neeshita (3 August 2018). "Goodachari movie review". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Adivi Sesh to play a cameo in Samantha's O Baby! Yentha Sakkagunnave". Cinema Express. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  40. ^ Nyayapati, Neeshita (3 June 2019). "Adivi Sesh's next with Regina Cassandra titled 'Evaru'". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  41. ^ Jha, Lata (2 May 2022). "Sony Pictures to release 'Major' on 3 June". Mint. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  42. ^ K, Jananui (2 May 2022). "Adivi Sesh's HIT The Second Case to release in theatres on July 29. New poster out". India Today. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  43. ^ Keshri, Shweta (15 February 2024). "Adivi Sesh welcomes Emraan Hashmi to 'Goodachari 2' universe: 'Can't wait to work'". India Today. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  44. ^ "Adivi Sesh to play the antagonist in 'Dacoit'". The Times of India. 15 April 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  45. ^ Shekhar (17 July 2014). "SIIMA Awards 2014 Nominations List of Telugu Movies". OneIndia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  46. ^ Shekhar H. Hooli. "Nandi Awards 2014, 15 and 16 winners list: Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Balakrishna bag best actor awards". ibtimes. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  47. ^ Adivi Sesh Best Screenplay for Kshanam Movie IIFA Awards Utsavam 2017. IIFA Utsavam. Retrieved 1 April 2017 – via YouTube.
  48. ^ "IIFA Utsavam A MAGNIFICIENT CELEBRATION OF THE CINEMA OF SOUTH INDIA Nominations 2017". IIFA Utsavam. 2017. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  49. ^ "SIIMA 2023 (Telugu) : Complete list of winners is here". 123telugu.com. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  50. ^ "Winners of the 68th Filmfare Awards South (Telugu) 2023". Filmfare. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  51. ^ "Santosham South Indian Film Awards 2022: Date, venue revealed!". ragalahari.com. 23 November 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  52. ^ "Pinkvilla Style Icons Edition 2 Winners list: Kiara Advani, Janhvi to Kartik Aaryan, a look at who won what!". PINKVILLA. 7 April 2023.
edit