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Yarlagadda Sumanth Kumar (born 9 February 1975), known
mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...
as Sumanth, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in
Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...
. He is the eldest grandson of Telugu actor
Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...
. He is also a partner in
Annapurna Studios Annapurna Studios is an Indian film studio facility founded in 1976 by the Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. It is located on a site in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The studio provides comprehensive production and post-production services. ...
. After debuting in ''
Prema Katha ''Prema Katha'' () is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language romance drama film written by Vara Prasad Varma and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. It is the debut film of both Sumanth and Antara Mali as leads in the Telugu film industry. The film opened to ...
'' (1999), he has since starred in notable films like '' Satyam'' (2003), ''Gowri'' (2004), ''
Godavari The Godavari (, od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...
'' (2006), ''
Madhumasam ''Madhumasam'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Chandra Siddhartha. The film stars Sumanth, Sneha, and Parvati Melton in the lead roles. It was produced by D. Ramanaidu on Suresh Productions banner. ''Madhumas ...
'' (2007), '' Golconda High School'' (2011), '' Malli Raava'' (2017), and ''Anaganaga'' (2025).


Background and early life

Sumanth was born in Hyderabad, India, on 9 February 1975. He is the only son of Surendra Yarlagadda and Satyavathi Akkineni. He is the eldest grandchild of the Telugu film actor
Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...
. A few months after his birth, Sumanth's parents returned to the US where they were residing. Sumanth, however, remained in India on the request of his grandfather Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who was then on a hiatus from films after a major heart surgery. The latter had often said that his busy acting career prevented him from fully experiencing fatherhood with his own children, so he wished to raise his first grandchild himself.


Family

Sumanth's father, Surendra Yarlagadda, is a former film producer, noted for several hit films such as '' Muchataga Mugguru'' (1985), '' Collector Gari Abbayi'' (1987), '' Rao Gari Illu'' (1988), '' Siva'' (1989), and ''
Gaayam ''Gaayam'' () is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language political crime thriller film, based on the 1980s Vijayawada Gang Warfare. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and story co-written by himself and Mani Ratnam, it stars Jagapathi Babu, Revathi, Urmila M ...
'' (1993). He has one younger sister: Supriya Yarlagadda, who is the executive director of
Annapurna Studios Annapurna Studios is an Indian film studio facility founded in 1976 by the Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. It is located on a site in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The studio provides comprehensive production and post-production services. ...
. Actor
Nagarjuna Akkineni Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao (; born 29 August 1959) is an Indian actor, film producer, entrepreneur, and television presenter known for his work primarily in Telugu cinema, as well as in a few Hindi and Tamil films. He has appeared in over 90 film ...
is his maternal uncle. Actors
Naga Chaitanya Akkineni Naga Chaitanya (; born 23 November 1986) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. Chaitanya is a recipient of several accolades including one Filmfare Awards South, Filmfare Award South and one Nandi Award for his work. Born in ...
,
Akhil Akkineni Akhil Akkineni (born April 8, 1994) is an American-born actor in Telugu films of India. He debuted as a child artist in the film '' Sisindri'' (1994), for which he won a Filmfare Special Award. Akhil made his debut as a lead actor with '' Akhi ...
, and
Sushanth Sushanth Anumolu (born 18 March 1986), known professionally as Sushanth, is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Born into the Akkineni–Daggubati family, he made his acting debut with ''Kalidasu'' (2008). After a series ...
are his cousins. In August 2004, Sumanth married former actress
Keerthi Reddy Keerthi Reddy is an Indian former actress who appeared primarily in Telugu, Tamil films also appeared in Hindi and Kannada films. Her notable work includes '' Tholi Prema'' (1998), ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and '' Arjun'' (2004). She h ...
. They were divorced amicably in 2006.


Education

Sumanth studied at the
Hyderabad Public School The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet (HPS, Begumpet) is a privately funded public school in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The school has grades from pre-primary to the 12th (ages 3 to 17). The school is affiliated with the Council for the Ind ...
, graduating in 1991. For his undergraduate studies, he enrolled in an engineering course in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Realising after two years that it wasn't in his best interest, he transferred to
Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...
, from where he graduated with a B. A. in Film Studies in 1997.


Acting career

Sumanth made his debut as a lead actor in
Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu films.** * * Varma has dir ...
's ''
Prema Katha ''Prema Katha'' () is a 1999 Indian Telugu-language romance drama film written by Vara Prasad Varma and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. It is the debut film of both Sumanth and Antara Mali as leads in the Telugu film industry. The film opened to ...
'' in 1999. Although not commercially successful , the film was critically acclaimed and received five
Nandi awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...
, including the
Nandi Award for Best Feature Film This is the list of winners of the Nandi Award for Best Feature Films since 1964. Best Feature Film - Gold Second Best Feature Film - Silver Third Best Feature Film - Bronze References See also * Cinema of Andhra Pradesh {{DEFAULTSORT:Na ...
. Even though it was just an average earner when released, his second film ''
Yuvakudu ''Yuvakudu'' ( Young man) is a 2000 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film released on May 18, 2000. It was produced by Akkineni Nagarjuna and N.Sudhakar Reddy, and directed by A. Karunakaran. It stars Sumanth and Bhumika Chawla in her film d ...
'' (2000) directed by Karunakaran would go on to be widely considered an underrated film later on. Sumanth’s lean box office run continued with his next films ''
Pelli Sambandham ''Pelli Sambandham ''() is a 2000 Indian Telugu-language comedy-drama film, produced by C. Aswini Dutt and K. Raghavendra Rao and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sumanth, Sakshi Shivanand, Sanghavi, with music c ...
'', ''
Ramma Chilakamma ''Ramma Chilakamma'' () is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Tammareddy Bharadwaja and starring Sumanth and Laya. The title of the film is based on a song from ''Choodalani Vundi'' (1998). ''Ramma Chilakamma'' is a ...
'', and ''
Snehamante Idera ''Snehamante Idera'' () is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language buddy comedy drama film produced by R. B. Choudary under the Super Good Films banner and directed by Balasekaran. It stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Sumanth, Sudhakar, Bhumika Chawla and ...
'', despite popular actors from his family
Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...
and
Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna (Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, ''Nāgārjuna''; ) was an Indian monk and Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy, philosopher of the Madhyamaka (Centrism, Middle Way) school. He is widely considered one of the most importa ...
sharing screen in two of them. Sumanth’s box office breakthrough came in late 2003 with ''Satyam'' where he played the role of a struggling lyricist. In addition to commercial success, Sumanth received critical acclaim, with
Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website dedicated to Telugu cinema. Established in 1999 by G. V. Ramana, popularly known as Jeevi, a graduate of BITS Pilani, the site is among the oldest websites on the Internet focused on Telugu films ...
commenting, "there is not even a single moment where you can find any shortcomings in his histrionics". This was followed by another hit ''Gowri'' in 2004. This action drama was a remake of the Tamil film ''
Thirumalai ''Thirumalai'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film written and directed by Ramana and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. The film stars Vijay and Jyothika, alongside Manoj K. Jayan, Avinash Yelandur, Vivek, Raghuvaran ...
''.
Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website dedicated to Telugu cinema. Established in 1999 by G. V. Ramana, popularly known as Jeevi, a graduate of BITS Pilani, the site is among the oldest websites on the Internet focused on Telugu films ...
Jeevi wrote, “Sumanth was good as usual and performed really well in fights”. After consecutive hits, he continued in the action genre with ''
Dhana 51 ''Dhana 51'' is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film directed by R. Soorya Kiran and starring Sumanth and Saloni Aswani with Mukesh Khanna in a negative role. Structural similarities were found between the plot of this movie and ...
'' (2005), which was a flop, and the average running ''
Mahanandi Mahanandi is a village located east of the Nallamala Hills of Nandyal District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is surrounded by forests. Within 15 km of Mahanandi, there are nine Nandi shrines known as ''Nava nandulu''. Mahanandi is one of t ...
'' (2006). Sumanth altered his path in 2006, starring in
Sekhar Kammula Sekhar Kammula (born 4 February 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Telugu cinema. He has garnered two Filmfare Awards South, and six state Nandi Awards for his directional works. Sekhar Kammula was among the ...
's ''
Godavari The Godavari (, od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...
'', which remains one of the most acclaimed films in his career. On top of immense critical and commercial success, this film also garnered five
Nandi awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...
and a
Filmfare award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...
.
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said that Godavari is “a film that reminds us that cinema can be so much more ”. Sumanth next acted in
Chinnodu ''Chinnodu'' is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Kanmani. It stars Sumanth and Charmy Kaur in the lead roles while Rahul Dev, Chandra Mohan, Rajiv Kanakala, and Brahmanandam play supporting roles. It was remade in Kannada as ...
, which released in October 2006 and was an average grosser. In 2007, he starred in the romantic drama ''
Madhumasam ''Madhumasam'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Chandra Siddhartha. The film stars Sumanth, Sneha, and Parvati Melton in the lead roles. It was produced by D. Ramanaidu on Suresh Productions banner. ''Madhumas ...
,'' produced by D. Ramanaidu and directed by
Chandra Siddhartha Chandra Siddartha is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his directorial works such as '' The Inscrutable Americans'' (2001) which premiered at Milan, New York, Atlanta, London ...
. This film was a hit, having a 100 days theatrical run. Sumanth next did the lead in ''
Classmates A classmate is a student who is a member of the same class, in any of its meanings (a course, a lesson, a graduating year). Classmate(s) may also refer to: * ''Classmates'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company * ''Cl ...
'', which generated a curiosity as it was the first time that its director K. Vijaya Bhaskar was without his usual collaborator
Trivikram Srinivas Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised for his witty dialogues, humour, and philosophical themes, he is one of the high ...
as dialogue writer. Additionally, it was a remake of the trend-setting Malayalam film ''
Classmates A classmate is a student who is a member of the same class, in any of its meanings (a course, a lesson, a graduating year). Classmate(s) may also refer to: * ''Classmates'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company * ''Cl ...
''. Despite positive reviews, the film however failed at the box office. Sumanth’s next two films were ''
Pourudu ''Pourudu'' () is a 2008 Telugu language action thriller film written and directed by Raj Aditya. The film stars Sumanth and Kajal Aggarwal, while Suman, Nassar, Brahmanandam, Ali, Subbaraju, and Kota Srinivasa Rao play supporting roles. The f ...
'' (2008), which was a moderate success, and '' Boni'' (2009) which was a failure. Sumanth's following film '' Golconda High School'' in 2011 was a sports drama directed by
Mohana Krishna Indraganti Mohana Krishna Indraganti is an Indian director known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. His debut directorial venture '' Grahanam'' (2005) fetched him eleven awards including the National Film Award for Best First Film of a Director ...
. Based on an English Novel "The Men Within" written by Harimohan Paruvu, an ex
Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy is a premier domestic first-class cricket championship played in India and organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The teams representing regional and state cricket associations participate. BCCI ...
cricketer, this film was positively reviewed and was well received by audiences.
Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website dedicated to Telugu cinema. Established in 1999 by G. V. Ramana, popularly known as Jeevi, a graduate of BITS Pilani, the site is among the oldest websites on the Internet focused on Telugu films ...
said that Sumanth's role as a cricket coach was his "career best performance". This was followed by failures like '' Raaj'' (2011), '' Daggaraga Dooranga'' (2011), '' Emo Gurram Egaravachu'' (2014) and ''
Naruda Donoruda ''Naruda Donoruda'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film, directed by Mallik Ram and produced by Supriya Yarlagadda and John Sudheer Pudhota. The film is a remake of the 2012 Hindi film ''Vicky Donor''. It stars Sumanth and Pal ...
'' (2016). Among these, ''
Naruda Donoruda ''Naruda Donoruda'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film, directed by Mallik Ram and produced by Supriya Yarlagadda and John Sudheer Pudhota. The film is a remake of the 2012 Hindi film ''Vicky Donor''. It stars Sumanth and Pal ...
'' was anticipated as it was a remake of the Bollywood hit ''
Vicky Donor ''Vicky Donor'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham in his maiden production venture with Sunil Lulla under Eros International and Ronnie Lahiri under Rising Sun Fi ...
''. The film however received disappointing reviews, and its theatrical run was further negatively affected by the coinciding
2016 Indian banknote demonetisation On 8 November 2016, the Government of India announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series. It also announced the issuance of new ₹500 and ₹2,000 banknotes in exchange for the demonetis ...
. Sumanth made a comeback in late 2017 with the romantic drama '' Malli Raava'', under the direction of debutant
Gowtam Tinnanuri Gowtam Naidu Tinnanuri is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. Filmography Awards and nominations References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinnanuri, Gowtam Year of birth missing (living peo ...
. This film was a box office hit and was well reviewed, with
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calling it “a pleasant surprise” and "Sumanth's best film in a long time". It won four awards including best film from the Telugu Chamber of Film and Commerce. Sumanth next played the lead role in ''
Subrahmanyapuram ''Subrahmanyapuram'' is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language mystery thriller film starring Sumanth and Eesha Rebba directed by Santosh and produced by Sudhakara Reddy and Dheeraj. This film is spiritual sequel to the film ''Karthikeya'' starring ...
'' (2018). This mystery thriller was commercially an average runner after receiving mixed reviews. It was followed by the flop ''
Idam Jagath ''Idam Jagath'' () is a 2018 Indian Telugu language film directed by Anil Srikantam and starring Sumanth and Anju Kurian. Plot Nishith Vidyadhar is accused of being a cheater, selfish, and dangerous by Mahati, Anand, and Rajiv. He is arreste ...
'' (2018). Sumanth then played the lead role in '' Kapatadhaari'', which was a remake of the Kannada
Neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...
Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
''
Kavaludaari ''Kavaludaari'' () is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Hemanth Rao, presented by Puneeth Rajkumar and produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar of PRK Productions. Kavaludaari will be the first feature fil ...
''. This film released in February 2021 with 50% theatre occupancy
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
restrictions and turned out to be commercially unsuccessful despite positive reviews. His next film '' Malli Modalaindi'' (2021) released directly on OTT to negative reviews. However, the popular website Greatandhra.com called it a “soft hit” based on streaming hours. The various supporting and cameo roles Sumanth did starting from 2019 received a positive response. Despite the film’s commercial failure, Sumanth's supporting role as his grandfather
Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...
was well received in '' NTR: Kathanayakudu''. In 2022, he did a key supporting role in the film ''
Sita Ramam ''Sita Ramam'' () is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language period romantic drama film directed by Hanu Raghavapudi. Produced by C. Aswani Dutt, under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema, it starred Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur in the titular ro ...
'', a war romance starring
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (; born 28 July 1983) is an Indian actor, singer and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. One of the highest paid Malayalam actors, Salmaan is a recipient of several awards including five Film ...
. This film was a major commercial and critical success and Sumanth's performance received appreciation. He then appeared in an integral cameo role in the
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in Dhanush filmography, 50 films over his car ...
starrer '' Vaathi'' (2023) which was also successful. In May 2025, Sumanth played the lead in
Anaganaga (film) Anaganaga (transl. ''Once upon a time'') is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Sunny Sanjay. The film stars Sumanth, Kajal Choudhary, and Viharsh in the lead roles. It is loosely adapted from the Marathi fi ...
, which opened to positive reviews and was declared a hit. The
India Herald ''India Herald'' was a newspaper published in Madras, Madras Presidency, British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governa ...
wrote, "Anaganaga has become a breakout success in the OTT space, firmly establishing itself as a standout".
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
said the film "celebrates the joy of storytelling, as Sumanth chips in with one of his finest performances".


Filmography


As actor


As dubbing artist

* ''83'' (2021) for Ranveer Singh (Telugu dubbed version)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumanth Akkineni–Daggubati family Living people Indian male film actors 1975 births Columbia College Chicago alumni 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Hyderabad, India Male actors in Telugu cinema Telugu male actors 21st-century Indian male actors