Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra (born December 17, 1985) is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu films. Sesh grew up in Berkeley, California, after being born in Hyderabad. In 2010, he made his directorial and acting debut in Karma. Following antagonistic roles in Panjaa (2011), Balupu (2013), and Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), he established himself as a leading Telugu actor by appearing in commercial successes such as Ladies & Gentlemen (2015), Dongaata (2015), Kshanam (2016), Ami Thumi (2017), Goodachari (2018), Evaru (2019), Major (2022), and HIT: The Second Case (2017). (2022). His film Kshanam was nominated for numerous awards. Sesh received the IIFA Telugu Award for Best Screenplay and the Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer.
Early years
Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), India on December 17, 1985. He grew up in Berkeley, California, where he attended Berkeley High School and San Francisco State University for his undergraduate studies.
Sesh has a sister who will be studying medicine in Ireland in 2020. Sai Kiran Adivi, his cousin, is a film director. Adivi Baapiraju, Sesh's grandfather, was a novelist, playwright, and freedom fighter. Sesh eats only vegetables.
Career
Sesh made his acting debut in the film Sontham (2002) as a minor character. He made his directorial and writing debut with the 2010 film Karma, which also starred Jade Tailor and Sher Ali. Sesh's portrayal of Dev, a man who can predict events seconds before they occur, was well received. "As far as acting goes, Sesh Adivi does a good job. With a 'angelic' face, he is an apt choice to play enigmatic Dev. His scripting skills also deserve mention. He may have chosen an unconventional path and a novel theme, but he has tried to infuse something new in Telugu cinema," Rediff said of his performance.
Sesh made his film debut in Vishnuvardhan's Panjaa in 2011, alongside Pawan Kalyan, Sarah Jane Dias, Anjali Lavania, and Jackie Shroff. Sesh played Munna, an NRI who is a wealthy spoiled brat and a very dangerous person to those around him in this film. This was also his first appearance as a villain. His performance received high marks from critics. "Sesh Adivi is worth watching for his'maniacal' performance, which is just the opposite of what he did in Karma, his directorial and acting debut," Rediff said of his performance. CineGoer.com also praised his performance, saying "Sesh's Karma changes for the better with this film and he is quite a revelation." Then he directed the film Kiss, which was his only failure up to that point in his career. In 2015, he played a supporting role in Run Raja Run before returning to lead roles in Ladies & Gentlemen and Dongaata. He also appeared in S. Baahubali: The Beginning is an epic drama directed by S. Rajamouli.
In 2016, Sesh appeared in Kshanam, a story and screenplay written by him and Ravikanth Perepu, the film's director. Sesh captured the attention of the audience and the industry with this film. Following Kshanam, he turned down over 50 scripts that offered him the lead role. Then he made cameo appearances in Size Zero and Oopiri. He was in the comedy film Ami Thumi, directed by Mohanakrishna Indraganti. Goodachari, an action thriller, was released on 3 August 2018 to positive reviews and became a super hit, closing on 6 September at the box office, 33 days after its initial release. Sashi Kiran Tikka directed the film, which he wrote. He then made a cameo appearance in Oh! Samantha Akkineni stars in Baby. His next film was the 2019 suspense thriller Evaru, written and directed by Venkat Ramji, which opened to positive reviews on 15 August and went on to become a hit, running for more than 4 weeks in theaters.
Major, a biopic about Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's life, was released on June 3, 2022, and became his biggest success to date, making him a PAN India star. Sesh confirmed writing the script for Goodachari 2, the sequel to his 2018 spy thriller film Goodachari, in April 2020. Sesh then appeared in HIT: The Second Case, which was a huge success and is a sequel to the film HIT: The First Case (2020).
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Sontham | Venkat | |
| 2010 | Karma | Dev | |
| 2011 | Panjaa | Munna | |
| 2013 | Balupu | Rohit | |
| Kiss | Sunny | ||
| 2014 | Run Raja Run | Nayeem Basha | |
| 2015 | Ladies & Gentlemen | Rahul | |
| Baahubali: The Beginning[a] | Bhadrudu / Bhadra | ||
| Dongaata | Venkat | ||
| Size Zero[a] | Shekar | Cameo | |
| 2016 | Kshanam | Rishi | |
| Oopiri[a] | Abhinav | Cameo | |
| 2017 | Ami Thumi | Ananth | |
| 2018 | Goodachari | Gopi / Arjun Kumar | |
| 2019 | Oh! Baby | Savitri's Husband | Cameo |
| Evaru | Vikram Vasudev (Fake) / Adarsh Varma | ||
| 2022 | Major[b] | Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan | |
| HIT: The Second Case | Krishna Dev IPS "KD" | ||
| 2024 | Goodachari 2 | Gopi | Announced |
| Year | Film | Writer | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Karma | Yes | Yes |
| 2013 | Kiss | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 | Kshanam | Yes | No |
| 2018 | Goodachari | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Major | Yes | No |
| Film | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiss | 3rd SIIMA Awards | Best Male Debutant | Nominated |
| Kshanam | Nandi Award | Best Screenplay Writer | Won |
| 2nd IIFA Utsavam | Best Screenplay | Won | |
| Best Story | Nominated | ||
| Goodachari | Zee Cine Awards Telugu | Best Screenplay | Won |
| Major | Hello Awards | Break through Performance of the year | Won |
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra |
| Profession(s) | Actor, Writer, Model, and Director |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 75 kg in pounds- 165 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | - Chest: 36 inches - Waist: 32 inches - Biceps: 14 inches |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film (Telugu; As an actor): Sontham (2002) as Venkat Film (Tamil; As an actor, director, and writer): Karma (2010) as Dev Film (Hindi; As an actor): Major (2021) as Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer in the Telugu film ‘Kshanam’ (2016) • 2nd IIFA Utsavam for Best Screenplay in the Telugu film ‘Kshanam’ (2016) • Zee Cine Awards for Best Screenplay in the Telugu film ‘Goodachari’ (2018) • Sakshi Excellence Award for Best Film Critics Choice for the film ‘Goodachari’ (2019) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 17 December 1985 (Tuesday) |
| Age (as of 2022) | 37 Years |
| Birthplace | Hyderabad |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Hyderabad |
| School | Berkeley High School, California |
| College/University | San Francisco State University, US |
| Educational Qualification | A four-year course in film direction |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | He is in a relationship, but he has not disclosed her name. |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father- Sunshi Chandra Adivi (Doctor) Mother- Bhavani Adivi |
| Siblings | Sister- Shirley Adivi (Younger; Doctor) |
| Favourite Things | |
| Film Director(s) | Gowtam Tinnanuri and S.S. Rajamouli |
| Actor(s) | Ayushmann Khurrana and Aamir Khan |
| Cricketer | Sachin Tendulkar |
My amazing #grandparents Adivi Gangaraju garu and Adivi Seshagireeswari. My grandfather was a freedom fighter. I have never met my grandmother but I carry her in my name. Now you know why the name ADIVI SESH.”
