Srinivasa Saambasiva Avasarala (born 19 March 1984) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, and television presenter known for his works in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. He received two Nandi Awards and a

SIIMA Award South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...

Early life

Srinivasa Saambasiva Avasarala was born on 19 March 1984 in

Kakinada Kakinada ( formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J. ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, India. His father worked at

Andhra Bank Andhra Bank was a medium-sized public sector bank (PSB) of India, with a network of 2885 branches, 4 extension counters, 38 satellite offices and 3798 automated teller machines (ATMs) as of 31 March 2019. During 2011–12, the bank entered t ...

. By virtue of his work, they had to travel across different locations. Hence, Avasarala completed his education in 4 cities –

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

, and

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

. He did his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from KL College of Engineering,

. Avasarala holds a Masters in

Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

with focus on

Finite Element Analysis The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat ...

from

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

and worked for

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an energy source. It is known ...

Career

Avasarala holds a screenwriting diploma from

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

and took acting classes for a year at

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, ...

, New York City. He did theatre in New York and then worked as an assistant director for a film called ''Blind Ambition''. He also hosted one of the quiz shows, Champion which aired on

ETV Telugu ETV is an Indian Telugu-language general entertainment pay television channel. The channel was launched on 27 August 1995 focusing on the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a part of the ETV Network owned by Ramoji Group. It is the second oldest Te ...

for the first season. He made his acting debut with the film ''Ashta Chamma''- an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. His portrayal of Anand, Algernon in the play, received wide critical acclaim. He made his directorial debut with the Telugu romantic-comedy, ''

Oohalu Gusagusalade ''Oohalu Gusagusalade'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Srinivas Avasarala in his directorial debut. The film is produced by Sai Korrapati and Rajani Korrapati on Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram banner. ...

'' (2014). He also essayed the role of Uday Bhaskar in the film which earned him South Indian International Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has essayed

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

roles in works such as ''

Pilla Zamindar ''Pilla Zamindar'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by G. Ashok. The film stars Nani, Haripriya, and Bindu Madhavi while Srinivas Avasarala, Dhanraj, Thagubothu Ramesh, Rao Ramesh and N ...

'', ''Anthakamundhu Aatharvaatha'', and ''

Kanche ''Kanche'' () is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language romantic war film written and directed by Krish. It stars Varun Tej, Pragya Jaiswal, and Nikitin Dheer. Produced by First Frame Entertainment, ''Kanche'' revolves around the enmity between t ...

'' which won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

for that year.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

;

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...

* Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) – ''Oohalu Gusagusalade'' (2014) – won ; Nandi Awards * Special Jury Award – ''Oohalu Gusagusalade'' (2014) – won * Best Dialogue Writer – ''Jyo achyutananda'' (2016) – won

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avasarala, Srinivas Living people Indian male film actors Male actors in Telugu cinema Telugu comedians Telugu screenwriters Telugu film directors Telugu-language lyricists 21st-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male dramatists and playwrights Telugu-language dramatists and playwrights Indian male comedians Male actors from Hyderabad, India Telugu male actors UCLA Film School alumni Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Indian emigrants to the United States Andhra University alumni 21st-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male writers 1984 births 21st-century Indian screenwriters South Indian International Movie Awards winners Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh Film directors from Andhra Pradesh Male actors from Andhra Pradesh People from Kakinada