Sushanth

Early life and background

Sushanth was born as Sushanth Anumolu on 18 March 1986 in Hyderabad. He is the son of Anumolu Sathya Bhushana Rao and Naga Susheela Akkineni. He is the grandson of Akkineni Nageswara Rao and the nephew of Nagarjuna. Actors Sumanth, Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni are his cousins.

Sushanth completed his schooling from Hyderabad Public School and completed his bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He worked at United Technologies and Schlumberger as an Electrical Engineer before his acting career. Sushanth attended the Kreating Charakters Training School, Mumbai for a short acting course along with his cousin Naga Chaitanya.

Career Debut and early career (2008–2019) Sushanth made his film debut in 2008 with the romantic drama Kalidasu, co‑starring Tamannaah. Critics at Telugucinema.com observed that “Sushanth makes a decent debut” and suggested he could “become a good actor by honing his skills further.” The film performed well at the box office.

He made a cameo appearance in the 2015 comedy thriller Dongaata.

In 2016, he starred as an NRI opposite Sonam Bajwa in the family drama Aatadukundam Raa. However, The New Indian Express criticized his performance as “exaggerated” and noted that “at no point do you feel like rooting for him.”

Sushanth’s breakthrough came in 2018 with the romantic comedy Chi La Sow, in which he played an unwilling bachelor opposite Ruhani Sharma. The film was both a critical and commercial success. India Today praised his performance, writing that he “finally got his break in the industry,” and the Deccan Chronicle noted, “Sushanth delivers a subtle, apt performance and proves he can truly act.”

Career progression (2020–present) In 2020, Sushanth appeared as a young businessman in the ensemble cast film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, starring opposite Nivetha Pethuraj. The film became one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time and was among the top-grossing Indian films of 2020. However, Hindustan Times commented, "Sushant is wasted in a role that has no importance and it barely makes any impact."

In 2021, he played the role of an architect in Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu, opposite Meenakshi Chaudhary. Pinkvilla noted, "Sushanth's character acquires a gravitas of its own in the pre-climax and climax." Times of India stated, "Sushanth is decent as Arun but it’s not his best work."

In 2022, Sushanth made his web series debut with the ZEE5 original Maa Neella Tank, where he played a sub-inspector opposite Priya Anand. According to the Times of India, "Sushanth presented a different shade in his acting, portraying the character of a police inspector."

Sushanth is set to appear alongside Ravi Teja in the upcoming film Ravanasura, scheduled for release in April 2023.

Filmography Films +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2008 Kalidasu Kalidasu 2009 Current Sushanth 2013 Adda Abhi 2015 Dongaata Himself Special appearances in song "Break Up Antu" 2016 Aatadukundam Raa Karthik 2018 Chi La Sow Arjun 2020 Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo Raj Manohar 2021 Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu Arun 2023Ravanasura Saketh Bhola Shankar Srikar

Web series Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2022 Maa Neella Tank Vamsi

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Film Result Ref. 2021 20th Santosham Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo