Happy Birthday Sukumar: Before venturing into films, Sukumar Bandreddi worked as a mathematics and physics lecturer at a junior college in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada. And maybe that’s why his films get the math and science of the audience’s choice absolutely right. Sukumar began his film career as a writer and assistant to filmmaker VV Vinayak. He meanwhile, started working on the script of his debut film Arya and narrated the story to producer Dil Raju.
The idea struck a chord with Raju and he gave his green signal to the project. The film received a great response from the audience and it paved the way for Sukumar’s rise to stardom. In the past 18 years since then, Sukumar has helmed several successful projects and made a special place for himself in the Telugu film industry.
As the director celebrates his birthday today, we take a look at his journey and list some of his top films:
Arya
Sukumar’s debut film Arya was a roaring hit at the box office. The plot revolved around the love story between Arya, played by Allu Arjun and Geethanjali lived by Anuradha Mehta on screen. The film not only established Sukumar in the Telugu film industry but also marked the emergence of Allu Arjun into the superstar that he is today.
Rangasthalam
Considered as one of the finest films of Ram Charan’s career, Rangasthalam narrates the story of Chittibabu (Ram Charan), a partially deaf, ill-tempered resident of a village named Rangasthalam. The film was a great success at the box office and be it the dialogues or the songs, everything about Rangasthalam was loved by the masses.
Nenokkadine
Sukumar has had a track record of working with the biggest stars of the Telugu film industry and delivering a hit with each one of them. His collaboration with actor Mahesh Babu was no different. The duo came together for the 2014 release Nenokkadine which featured Mahesh Babu playing Gautham, a schizophrenic Indian rock musician.
Nannaku Prematho
Jr NTR starrer Nannaku Prematho is a film about the son of a London-based businessman who lost all his wealth due to a cunning business rival. The drama in Nannaku Prematho kept the audience in grip throughout the films and it became one of the biggest hits of the year. The film went on to win several Nandi Awards that year.
Pushpa: The Rise
Last but surely not least on this list is the recently released Pushpa: The Rise. The first of the two-part gangster drama features Allu Arjun in the title role. The plot revolves around the illegal trade of sandalwood from the forest bordering the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The film was received with a roaring response from the audience upon its release. Despite several states being under restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film managed to cross the mark of Rs 300 crore at the box office.
