Srikanth (born 28 February 1979) is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in
Tamil and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films. He is credited as Sriram in Telugu films. He debuted in
K. Balachander's tele serial ''Jannal - Marabu Kavithaigal'' (1999). His film debut was in the romantic film ''
Roja Kootam'' (2002) and went on to star in more such films including ''
April Maadhathil'' (2002), ''
Parthiban Kanavu'' (2003) and ''
Okariki Okaru'' (2003). He subsequently went on to portray action roles in ''
Drohi'' (2010). In 2012, he starred in ''
Nanban'', the Tamil remake of ''
3 Idiots
''3 Idiots'' (stylized as ''3 idiots'') is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, co-written by Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Adapted loosely from ...
'', directed by
S. Shankar.
Personal life
Srikanth was born on 28 February 1979 to a
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
-father (from
Chittoor
Chittoor is a city and district headquarters in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is also the mandal and divisional headquarters of Chittoor mandal and Chittoor revenue division, respectively. The city has a popul ...
) and
Tamil-mother (from
Kumbakonam) in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...
. His family hailed from
Tirupati and he was raised in
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 (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. His father worked in
State Bank of India
State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the '' Fort ...
. Srikanth had an elder brother who died due to
dengue
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...
after he returned from
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Srikanth uses the name Sriram in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films to avoid ambiguity with his contemporary
Srikanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name.
* Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965
* Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002
* Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu acto ...
.
He married Vandana on 7 September 2008, who had completed her
MBA in
Australia. The couple has two children, Aahil and Ahaana.
Career
2002-2009: Debut and breakthrough
Looking to step into an acting career after beginning as a model, Srikanth was coached acting skills by then-assistant directors such as
Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2021, he has won five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty Int ...
and
Mysskin in the early 2000s.
Srikanth was selected to play the lead role in
Kathir's ''
Kadhal Virus'' (2002) and spent a year preparing for the film, before being replaced by fellow newcomer
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
. He was then considered to make his acting debut through
Jeeva's ''
12B
''12B'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romance film directed and written by cinematographer Jeeva (director), Jeeva; it is his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam (actor), Shaam in his debut, with Simran (actress), Simran a ...
'', but the role went to another newcomer
Shaam.
Further potential projects directed by
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
and
K. Balachander also did not work out, before he was cast by
Sasi in ''
Roja Kootam'' (2002), after the original lead actor had opted out. After the film's success, he became popularly known as ''Roja Kootam'' Srikanth for a while.
Srikanth then featured in another successful venture ''
April Madhathil
''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporting ...
'' (2002) alongside
Sneha
Sneha ( hi, स्नेहा) is a popular Hindu Indian feminine given name, which means "Affection".
Notable people named Sneha
*Sneha (actress) (born 1981), Indian actress in South Indian films - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languag ...
followed by ''
Manasellam'' (2003). He won the
Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in ''
Parthiban Kanavu'' (2003), directed by
Karu Pazhaniappan. Srikanth's straight Telugu film was
Rasool Ellore's directorial debut ''
Okariki Okaru'' under the stage name of Sriram to avoid confusion with established star
Meka Srikanth. The film received positive reviews upon release with one critic noting that "He did a sensible portrayal of the role". His first release of 2004 was ''
Varnajalam'', followed by ''
Bose'', in which he was paired with Sneha for the second time after ''April Maadhathil''. ''
Kana Kandaen'' (2005) directed by
K. V. Anand, with the Malayalam actor
Prithviraj Prithviraj or Pruthviraj may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* ''Samrat Prithviraj'', a 2022 Indian Hindi film
Mononym
* Prithviraja I (r. c. 1090-1110), Indian king from the Shakambhari Chahamana dynasty
* Prithviraja II (r. c. 1165-1169), Indi ...
in his first Tamil role. Srikanth and Prithviraj gave a good performance also. The film was followed by ''
Oru Naal Oru Kanavu'' (2005) and ''
Bambara Kannaley'' (2005). In 2006, he acted in the film ''
Mercury Pookkal
''Mercury Pookkal'' () is a 2006 Tamil language romantic drama film, directed by S. S. Stanley starring Srikanth, Meera Jasmine. The music is composed by Karthik Raja. This film's name is based on the famous Tamil novel of Balakumaran.
Plot ...
'', and ''
Uyir''. ''Behindwoods'' wrote: "Sri has come up with an excellent performance of a man lost in this juggernaut of emotions." TSV Hari at Rediff.com responded negatively to ''
Kizhakku Kadalkarai Salai'', noting a thin script and "meaningless songs". This was the third film and last collaboration between the director
S. S. Stanley
S. S. Stanley is an Indian film director and actor, who has directed Tamil films. He was active primarily as a filmmaker and a writer in the 2000s collaborating in ventures which often included Srikanth.
Career
S. S. Stanley apprenticed with ...
and Srikanth after ''April Maadhathil'' and ''Mercury Pookkal''. His next film was ''
Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule
''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan (credited as Sri Raghava). The film stars Venkatesh and Trisha while Sriram and Kota Srinivasa Rao play support ...
'', a Telugu film directed by Tamil director
Selvaraghavan. Srikanth play the second lead role after Telugu actor
Venkatesh Daggubati. This was followed by ''
Vallamai Tharayo'' (2008), ''
Poo'' (2008) and ''
Indira Vizha'' (2009).
2010-2017: Setbacks and success

In 2010, Srikanth released ''
Rasikkum Seemane'', ''
Police Police'' and ''
Drohi''. Srikanth co-starring with the new Tamil actor
Vishnu Vishal in this film. ''
Mandhira Punnagai'' was last released in guest appearance. In 2011, he began in Malayalam film ''
Uppukandam Brothers: Back in Action'', a Telugu film, ''
Dhada'' and ''
Sadhurangam''. The film was completed in 2006 but the film remained unreleased for five years. The project was released on 7 October 2011. These three movies was a box office failure. In 2012, he was first seen in
S. Shankar's comedy-drama ''
Nanban'', which featured him as part of an
all-star cast including
Vijay,
Jiiva,
Ileana D'Cruz and
Sathyaraj
Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also include works in Mala ...
. The movie is released to highly positive reviews. It was dubbed and released in Telugu as ''Snehitudu''. He also started in Telugu film ''
Nippu
''Nippu'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action film, produced by director YVS Chowdary on his Bommarillu banner and directed by Gunasekhar. Starring Ravi Teja, Deeksha Seth and music composed by S. Thaman
Plot
The story begins with S ...
'' (2011), a Malayalam film ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...
'' (2012) and comedy film ''
Paagan'' (2012). Later, he acted in ''
Buddy'' (2013) and ''
Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam'' (2014) as guest appearance directed by
R. Parthiepan. In 2015, he played in the supernatural drama film ''
Om Shanthi Om''. The following year, he acted in the horror film ''
Sowkarpettai
''Sowkarpettai'' is a 2016 Tamil Comedy horror film directed by Vadivudaiyan starring Srikanth and Lakshmi Rai with music composed by John Peter. The film was released only in Chennai on 4 March 2016.
Plot
When a couple is murdered by a cruel b ...
'' (2016) and comedy ''
Nambiyaar'' (2016). In 2017, he appeared in the Telugu action thriller ''
Lie
A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar. Lies can be inter ...
''.
2019-present
In 2019, his next movie was ''
Rocky: The Revenge'', a Tamil action crime thriller centered on dogs. The film was a box office failure. He also appeared in the Telugu film ''
Raagala 24 Gantallo'' (2019), where he played the cop.
Awards
*
ITFA Best New Actor Award The ITFA Best New Actor Award is given by the state government as part of its annual International Tamil Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The list
Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.
See also
* Tamil c ...
for ''
Roja Kootam'' (2002)
*
Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actor for ''
Parthiban Kanavu'' (2003)
*
Kalaimamani Award from the
Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
(2018)
Filmography
;Films
Television
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Srikanth
Telugu people
Tamil people
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Living people
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Indian male film actors
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
Male actors from Chennai
21st-century Indian male actors
1980 births