Varun Tej
Varun Tej | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 January 1990[1] |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Mega Prince |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Notable work | Fida, Gaddalakonda Ganesh, Anthariksham etc; |
| Parent | Nagendra Babu |
| Relatives | Niharika Konidela |
| Family | See Allu–Konidela family |
Varun Tej (born 19 January 1990) is an Indian film actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his debut as a lead in the film Mukunda, directed by Srikanth Addala opposite Pooja Hegde. His second film Kanche, also being the first Indian film on WWII, became a super hit and Varun Tej's portrayal of Dhupati Haribabu was critically acclaimed. Varun Tej played the role of protagonist in space thriller film Antariksham 9000 KMPH.[2]
Early life
Tej is the son of Telugu actor and producer Nagendra Babu.[1] He is also a nephew of actor Chiranjeevi.[3] He was educated at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, and at St. Mary's College, Hyderabad.[4]
Career
Varun Tej debuted as a child artist in his father Nagendra Babu's film Hands Up! when he was just ten years old. He made his adult debut with Mukunda, starring opposite fellow newcomer Pooja Hegde. The film earned mixed reviews. His second venture was the 2015 war film Kanche, starring opposite Pragya Jaiswal and received positive reviews from critics. Varun Tej's performance as Dhupati Haribabu was praised with The Times of India praising his "capability to shift gears from intense to sobriety".[5] His second release that year Loafer, was a box office failure, along with his 2017 outing Mister.
The later half of 2017 saw the release of Fidaa, where he played an NRI falling in love with a village belle. The film earned critical acclaim for its simplicity, performances by the principal cast and his portrayal as an NRI guy earned him praise as well, with 123telugu.com calling his "ease with emotions in the film quite heartwarming". His chemistry with costar Sai Pallavi was widely appreciated and it was one of the highest-grossing Telugu movies of 2017.[6] His 2018 release Tholi Prema was also a box office success and Varun Tej's performance as an impulsive young man was widely appreciated.
His next film is a space thriller titled Antariksham 9000 KMPH, directed by Sankalp Reddy of The Ghazi Attack fame and with Aditi Rao Hydari and Lavanya Tripathi cast as female leads.[7] The film was released on 21 December 2018. His next F2: Fun and Frustration which is a multistarrer with Venkatesh Daggubati. Tamannaah and Mehreen Pirzada are also a part of this movie which is huge blockbuster.[8] After F2: Fun and Frustration, he dubbed in Telugu for Aladdin's role in the film Aladdin along with Venkatesh Daggubati and starred in Gaddalakonda Ganesh which is a remake of Tamil hit Jigarthanda, directed by Harish Shankar.
Filmography
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hands Up! | Varun | Child artist |
| 2014 | Mukunda | Mukunda | Debut film |
| 2015 | Kanche | Dhupati Hari Babu | |
| Loafer | Raja | ||
| 2017 | Mister | Pichchaiah Naidu (Chai) | |
| Fidaa | Varun | ||
| 2018 | Tholi Prema | Aditya Sekhar | |
| Antariksham 9000 KMPH | Dev | ||
| 2019 | F2: Fun and Frustration | Varun | |
| Gaddalakonda Ganesh | Gaddalakonda Ganesh | ||
| 2020 | #VT10† | TBA | Filming[9] |
As a dubbing artist
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Aladdin | Aladdin (voice) | Dubbed in Telugu[10] |
References
- ^ a b "Tollywood's rising stars under 30". The Times of India. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Antariksham 9000 KMPH Teaser: A promising & thrilling space-adventure on the cards - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Four injured after Telugu actor Varun Tej's car rams into another". The News Minute. 13 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "9 Lesser Known facts about Nandi Award winner TV Host Niharika Konidela". The Times of India. 7 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "Kanche Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". 24 October 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Fidaa Telugu Movie Review | Varun Tej Fidaa Telugu Movie Review | Fidaa Cinema Review | Fidaa Review and Rating | Fidaa Telugu Review and Rating | Fidaa Telugu Cinema Review | 123telugu.com". www.123telugu.com. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ "Varun Tej's space-thriller Antariksham 9000 KMPH wraps up its shoot - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Tamannaah Bhatia, Mehreen Pirzada to share screen for F2: Fun and Frustration". 11 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ Nyayapati, Neeshita (4 January 2020). "Varun Tej prepping up for #VT10 based on boxing - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "F2 duo Venky & Varun dub for Hollywood biggie Aladdin". 25 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.