Jeedigunta Varun Sandesh (born 21 July 1989) is an Indian American actor known primarily for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his debut with Sekhar Kammula's coming-of-age blockbuster drama Happy Days (2007), and went on to star in films such as Kotha Bangaru Lokam (2008), Kurradu (2009), Yemaindi Ee Vela (2010), D for Dopidi (2013), Pandavulu Pandavulu Thummeda (2014), Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu (2015), Michael (2023) and Nindha (2024). In 2019, Sandesh appeared in Telugu reality TV show Bigg Boss 3 as a contestant and finished as a finalist.
Varun Sandesh | |
|---|---|
 Varun Sandesh in 2023 | |
| Born | 21 July 1989[1] |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | Vithika Sheru |
Personal life
Varun Sandesh was born in Rayagada, Odisha and later lived in Hyderabad for four years. His family then moved to Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, in the United States, where he was educated.[2] Varun Sandesh is the grandson of noted Telugu writer Jeedigunta Ramachandra Murthy, who worked for All India Radio for 28 years in Hyderabad. His uncle Jeedigunta Sridhar is a popular Telugu television personality in Hyderabad, India.[3][4] He has one younger sister, Veena Sahithi, who has worked as a singer and lyricist in Nandini Reddy's Ala Modalaindi.[5]
Sandesh and actress Shraddha Das, who was his co-star in Maro Charitra, had a short-lived relationship in 2011.[6][7][8] Varun got engaged with actress Vithika Sheru whom he met in Paddanandi Premalo Mari (2015) on 7 December 2015, and they went on to get married.[9]
Career
In 2007, Sandesh applied for auditions for a Sekhar Kammula film through an online advertisement, despite having no prior acting experience and previously planning to pursue medical studies.[10]
He received a reply of one scene's film script, which he was asked to act out and send back.[11] He shot and sent video clippings of himself to Kammula, which promptly landed him a lead role in the film Happy Days. Featuring an ensemble cast, comprised almost entirely with newcomers,[12] Happy Days was a major critical and commercial success, winning several accolades, including six Filmfare Awards South and three Nandi Awards.[13][14]
He then starred in romantic drama Kotha Bangaru Lokam (2008), which received critical acclaim and went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Sandesh followed this initial success by starring in a number of films that did not perform well at the box office, including action film Kurradu (2009), a remake of the 2007 Tamil hit film Polladhavan,[15][16] and romantic drama Maro Charitra (2010), a remake of the K. Balachander-directed 1978 blockbuster of the same title, which starred Kamal Haasan.[17] Sandesh's career prospects declined further following a series of box office flops through the 2010s, with his only successes being the romantic comedy Yemaindi Ee Vela (2010), crime comedy D for Dopidi (2013),[18] and ensemble comedy Pandavulu Pandavulu Thummeda (2014).
In 2019, Sandesh became a notable television personality for his participation in Star Maa's reality TV show Bigg Boss Telugu 3, reaching the grand finale and finishing in 4th place. Sandesh is also the brand ambassador for the Kalanjali store in Andhra Pradesh, India.[19][20]
Filmography
Films
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Happy Days | Chandrashekar "Chandu" | Debut Film |
| 2008 | Kotha Bangaru Lokam | Balu | |
| 2009 | Evaraina Epudaina | Venkat | |
| Kurradu | Varun | ||
| 2010 | Maro Charitra | Balu | |
| Happy Happy Ga | Santosh | ||
| Yemaindi Ee Vela | Seenu | ||
| 2011 | Kudirithe Kappu Coffee | Venu | |
| Brahmi Gadi Katha | Siva | ||
| Priyudu | Karthik | ||
| 2013 | Chammak Challo | Shyam | |
| Priyathama Neevachata Kushalama | Varun | ||
| Saradaga Ammayitho | Santosh | ||
| Abbai Class Ammai Mass | Sri | ||
| D for Dopidi | Vicky | ||
| 2014 | Nuvvala Nenila | Krishna Mohan | |
| Pandavulu Pandavulu Thummeda | Varun | ||
| Ee Varsham Sakshiga | Jai | ||
| 2015 | Paddanandi Premalo Mari | Ram | |
| Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu | Goutham Naidu | ||
| Lava Kusa | Prem / Kushal | Dual role | |
| 2016 | Mister 420 | Avinash | |
| 2018 | Marla Puli | Varun | |
| 2019 | Nuvvu Thopu Raa | Kaushik | [21] |
| 2022 | Induvadana | Vasu | 25th film |
| 2023 | Michael | Amarnath | [22] |
| Organic Mama Hybrid Alludu | Actor | Cameo appearance | |
| 2024 | Nindha | Vivek | [23] |
| Viraaji | Andy | ||
| TBA | Yadbhaavam Tadbhavati † | TBA | filming[24] |
| Chitram Chudara † | TBA | announced[25] |
Web Series
- All series are in Telugu, unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Web Series | Role | Availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hey Krishna | Krishna | Yupp TV |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bigg Boss 3 | Contestant (3rd Runner up) | Star Maa | Reality TV Series |
Music Video
| Year | Title | Singer | Composer | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tumse Kehna Tha | Yazin Nizar | Joell Mukherjee | Hindi |
References
- ^ As, Sashidhar. "Varun Sandesh's birthday celebrations on the sets of his film in Hyderabad - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Varun Sandesh". www.idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Varun Sandesh Interview Stills - MaaStars". www.maastars.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (6 May 2012). "Waiting for the turn". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (21 November 2010). "Singing sibling". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
- ^ "I was really shocked: Shraddha Das". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Varun Sandesh breaks Shraddha Das' heart!". 29 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Varun and I are over: Shraddha Das". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Varun Engagement Video with Vithika Sheru :NewsPaper". The TNP. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ MADHURI KALYAN, TNN (17 March 2008). "Ticket to Tollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Varun Sandesh talks about his movies and his cricket - telugu cinema news". Idlebrain.com. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Movie Review:Happy Days". Sify. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "filmfare south awards 2008 - Telugu cinema function". Idlebrain.com. 12 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Nandi awards 2007 announced - Telugu cinema news". Idlebrain.com. 12 January 2008. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Varun Sandesh in 'Kurradu'". Sify. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ B V S Prakash, TNN (24 February 2010). "Money's not important: Varun". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ TNN (26 February 2010). "Varun stepping into Kamal Haasan's shoes". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Another hiest [sic] drama". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Telugu Cinema News - Telugu Movie Reviews - Telugu Movie Trailers - IndiaGlitz Telugu". Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ Ragalahari. "Varun Sandesh at Kalanjali, Visakhapatnam Photo Gallery". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ "Induvadana first-look sees Varun Sandesh and Farnaz Shetty in a romantic embrace - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Telugu star Varun Sandesh joins team of Ranjith Jeyakodi's 'Michael' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Arikatla, Venkat (16 May 2024). "Varun Sandesh's Nindha Teaser: Mysterious". greatandhra.com. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Desk, Tollywood (21 July 2022). "Varun Sandesh's new film gets an interesting title". Tollywood. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Varun Sandesh's next title Chitram Chudara; first-look released". The Times of India. 9 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 August 2023.