Indukuri Sunil Varma (born 28 February 1974), known mononymously as Sunil, is an Indian actor primarily known for his work in Telugu films, with occasional appearances in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
films. He has appeared in over 180 films, predominantly in comedic roles, and has received three
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 two
Filmfare Awards South
The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
. During the 2000s, he was regarded as one of Telugu cinema's leading comedians, recognised for his distinctive laugh and comedic timing.
Sunil transitioned to lead roles with '' Andala Ramudu'' (2006) and went on to star in several commercially successful films, including ''
Maryada Ramanna
''Maryada Ramanna'' is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the script with S. S. Kanchi. Produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works, the film stars Sunil ...
Tadakha
''Tadakha'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. A remake of the 2012 Tamil film ''Vettai'', the film stars Naga Chaitanya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil (actor), Sunil and Andrea Jere ...
'' (2013). However, his career saw a decline in the late 2010s as his focus on lead roles resulted in multiple unsuccessful films. In recent years, he experienced a resurgence by taking on versatile supporting roles, antagonistic roles, and returning to comedic roles. He played an antagonist in commercially successful films such as ''Colour Photo'' (2020), ''Pushpa: The Rise'' (2021), and its sequel ''Pushpa 2: The Rule'' (2024). His Tamil film credits include '' Maaveeran'' (2023), ''
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...
Sunil started his career in 1996 as an extra in the film '' Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi''. However, his scenes did not make it to the final cut of the film. His career began on a slow note with movies like ''Second Hand'' (which was stopped from production), and ''Peruleni Cinema''. ''Prema Katha'' and ''Swayamvaram'' were his first real opportunities in the industry. '' Chiru Navvutho'' and '' Nuvve Kavali'' were the first films that he acted in. ''Nuvve Kavali'' was the first one to release.
In 2010, Sunil starred in S. S. Rajamouli-directed ''
Maryada Ramanna
''Maryada Ramanna'' is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the script with S. S. Kanchi. Produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works, the film stars Sunil ...
'', which was a commercial success. A reviewer from ''
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and ...
'' noted that: "Sunil would no longer look like a comedy hero. His dances are simply superb."
Sunil was then cast in the lead role in '' Poola Rangadu'', directed by Veerabhadram Chowdary which was released across 450 theatres worldwide. The film received positive reviews. He was the
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Colour Photo'' (2020), which brought him critical acclaim.
The 2021 film '' Pushpa: The Rise'' saw Sunil in an unusual role of a serious gangster Mangalam Seenu, very different from the comedy roles he usually plays. The success of the film brought him many offers to play negative roles and he made his Tamil debut in 2023 with '' Maaveeran'' (2023).
Personal life
Sunil hails from
Bhimavaram
Bhimavaram is a city and headquarters of West Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bhimavaram mandal in Bhimavaram revenue division. It is a part of Eluru Urban Development Authorit ...
of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
, India. Sunil celebrated his 40th birthday for a noble cause donating to a blind school and spending time with them.
Director Trivikram Srinivas and Sunil have been friends since their days in Bhimavaram. They, along with director Gunasekhar, were roommates in Punjagutta during their struggling days. As of 2016, Trivikram rents the room as a memory.
Accolades
Filmfare Awards South
The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
Tadakha
''Tadakha'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. A remake of the 2012 Tamil film ''Vettai'', the film stars Naga Chaitanya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil (actor), Sunil and Andrea Jere ...
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 ...
Nuvvu Nenu
''Nuvvu Nenu'' () is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Teja, who co-wrote the script with Dasaradh. The film stars Uday Kiran and Anita in lead roles, with Tanikella Bharani, Telangana Shakuntala, Sunil, and ...
Maryada Ramanna
''Maryada Ramanna'' is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the script with S. S. Kanchi. Produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works, the film stars Sunil ...
'' (2010)
South Indian International Movie Awards
The South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA Awards) rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreciate and hono ...
Tadakha
''Tadakha'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. A remake of the 2012 Tamil film ''Vettai'', the film stars Naga Chaitanya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil (actor), Sunil and Andrea Jere ...
'' (2013)
Santosham Film Awards
Santosham Film Awards, currently known as Santosham South Indian Film Awards are one of the most popular awards given for Tollywood films and Telugu Music Artistes.
Background
The awards first began in 2004 by the annual ''Santosham'' magazine ...