Being Sudeepians

Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1973), known mononymously as Sudeep, is an Indian film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, playback singer who works primarily in Kannada cinema.[1] A traditional actor, he has also been noted for his presence in pan-Indian cinema.

Sudeep is known for his performances in the Kannada films Sparsha (1999), Huchcha (2001), Nandhi (2002), Kiccha (2003), Swathi Muthu (2003), My Autograph (2006), Mussanjemaatu (2008), Veera Madakari (2009), Kempe Gowda (2011), Vishnuvardhana (2011), Bachchan (2013) and Maanikya (2014), and the Telugu film Eega (2012).[2] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada for three consecutive years for his films Huchcha (2001), Nandhi (2002) and Swathi Muthu (2003). Since 2013, he has been hosting the television reality show, Bigg Boss.
Early life[edit]
Sudeep was born to Sanjeev Manjappa and Saroja in Shimoga district of the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka). He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru. He was a University-level cricket player during the day and had also represented at the State-level in its Under-17 and Under-19 teams. Before taking up acting as a profession, Sudeep attended the Roshan Taneja School of Acting in Mumbai, where he overcame his "shyness".
Actor[edit]
Sudeep started his acting career with a TV serial, titled Premada Kadambari and directed by Sudhakar Bhandari, which was aired on Udaya TV. His first movie was Thaayavva (his first two films O Kusuma Bale and Brahma were abandoned mid-filming [4]); he then played a supporting role in the Sunil Kumar Desai directed movie Prathyartha and landed a leading actor role in the same director's Sparsha. In 2001, Sudeep acted in the hit film Huchcha, which gave him his first big following. In the year 2008 he made his debut in Bollywood with the movie Phoonk.[5] He has also starred in Ram Gopal Varma's movies Rann, Phoonk 2 and Rakta Charitra. His movies Kempe Gowda and Vishnuvardhana released in 2011 were blockbusters.[6]


Sudeep with S.S. Rajamouli and Samantha on the sets of Eega
His acting in the negative role in Telugu movie Eega directed by S.S. Rajamouli has made him enter the Tollywood-Telugu and Kollywood-Tamil Industries. Eega was a record hit at the Box Office. Sudeep played a major role in the movie and his performance was highly appreciated by several critics and celebrities.[7] His Bachchan and Varadanayaka released in 2013 were super hits. His Maanikya released in 2014 was blockbuster. His next movie is Ranna which is a remake of a Telugu super hit Attarintiki Daredi starring power star Pawan Kalyan

Director[edit]

Sudeep on the sets of Kempe Gowda
He has also directed Kannada movies and his directorial debut My Autograph . He has directed a few more movies, namely #73 Shaanthi Nivaasa, Veera Madakari, Just Maath Maathalli, Kempe Gowda and Maanikya.[8]

Television[edit]
He made his debut in television with Premada Kadambari and also appeared as a mentor in the reality show Pyate Hudgeer-Halli Lifu season 1 which was aired in Asianet Suvarna.[9][10] He was the host for the Kannada version of the reality show Bigg Boss season 1 which aired on ETV Kannada[11] and season 2 on Asianet Suvarna.

Producer[edit]
He also produced My Autograph which was a huge success in Kannada industry.

Playback singer[edit]
Apart from acting, Sudeep also had a singing career. His singing has been well received by his fans and audience. He sang for his movies Vaalee (2001), Chandu (2002), Ranga SSLC (2004), Nalla (2004), #73, Shaanthi Nivaasa (2007), Veera Madakari (2009), Kempe Gowda (2011), Bachchan (2013) [12] and also for others movies such as Mandya to Mumbai (2014), Ring Road Shubha (2014), Raate(2015).

Personal life[edit]
Sudeep married Priya in 2001 and they have a daughter named Saanvi (born 2004) together.[13] He is the captain of Karnataka Bulldozers cricket team that competes in the Celebrity Cricket League.[14] He owns a film production company named Kiccha Creations and a few films have been produced under the banner, including the 2007 No 73, Shanthi Nivasa that stars Sudeep himself. In 2013, he launched Stage 360°, an event management company, that his wife takes active part in.[15]

Recognition[edit]

Sudeep TeachAIDS
Sudeep is considered as one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He was listed 1st in the Times 25 Most Desirable Men in Bangalore for the year 2012.[16] Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KaRaVe) gave the Abhinaya Chakravarthy title to Sudeep for his contribution to cinema industry in the presence of a large number of fans.[17] He is the highest paid Kannada actor. Sources say that he signed for 6 crore for Tamil movie starring Tamil actor vijay.

Endorsements[edit]
In 2012, he was signed as the Brand Ambassador of Joyalukkas, a Jewellery Retail Chain.[18][19] In 2013, he was appointed as the brand Ambassador for Bangalore Traffic Police Department and Income Tax Department.[20] In 2014, he was appointed as the Brand Ambassador for Intex Technologies (India) Mobiles & Paragon Footwares.[21]

Social Cause[edit]
On the occasion of World AIDS day, Sudeep , Tejas and Vijay Raghavendra has given voice over for the Teach AIDS animation. It is reported that the animation video Kannada Teach AIDS is a conversation between the doctor and a student is about the prevention of AIDS.