Vijay Deverakonda
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Meet Vijay Deverakonda, born May 9th, 1989. This Indian actor and film producer has carved out a significant space in Telugu cinema, already collecting a Filmfare Award, a Nandi Award, and a remarkable three SIIMA Awards.
His journey began with *Nuvvila* in 2011, but it was his compelling supporting role in the coming-of-age drama *Yevade Subramanyam* in 2015 that truly started to turn heads. Then came the explosion of fame. 2016 saw him shine in *Pelli Choopulu*, and in 2017, his portrayal of a volatile surgeon in *Arjun Reddy* earned him the prestigious Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu, cementing his status as a leading man. He followed this success with a string of commercially hit films like *Mahanati*, *Geetha Govindam*, and *Taxiwaala*. While a subsequent series of films didn't quite hit the mark, his impact was undeniable.
But Vijay Deverakonda isn't just an actor. In 2019, he launched his own production house, King of the Hill Entertainment, bringing us films like *Meeku Maathrame Cheptha* and *Pushpaka Vimanam*. Beyond the silver screen, he's a fashion entrepreneur with his brand, Rowdy Wear, launched on Myntra in 2020, and he's a co-owner of the volleyball team, the Hyderabad Black Hawks. He's also a familiar face endorsing numerous products and a passionate supporter of various humanitarian causes.
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Born Vijay Sai Deverakonda in Hyderabad, his parents are Govardhan Rao and Madhavi. His father, a former television serial director, instilled a creative spirit. Vijay completed his education, earning a Bachelor of Commerce, and his younger brother, Anand Deverakonda, has also followed him into acting. And in a personal milestone, he got engaged to actress Rashmika Mandanna in October 2025.
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His early career saw him step into the spotlight with *Nuvvila* in 2011, followed by a minor role in *Life is Beautiful*. A pivotal moment came when Nag Ashwin cast him in a supporting role in *Yevade Subramanyam*, a film produced by the daughters of Ashwini Dutt, with Priyanka Dutt and Swapna Dutt championing his talent.
The true breakthrough arrived in 2016 with *Pelli Choopulu*, a coming-of-age romance that not only succeeded commercially but also garnered critical acclaim, winning Filmfare and National Awards. After a masala film like *Dwaraka*, it was *Arjun Reddy* in 2017 that became a phenomenon. While bold and divisive, his performance as the self-destructive surgeon was universally lauded, earning him that coveted Filmfare. Film Companion even recognized it as one of the decade's greatest performances.
2018 was a busy year. He played a key role in the biographical drama *Mahanati* and delivered his biggest hit yet with the romantic comedy *Geetha Govindam*, a massive worldwide grosser. He also ventured into Tamil with *NOTA* and concluded the year with the successful supernatural thriller *Taxiwaala*.
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While 2019 brought the romantic action drama *Dear Comrade*, and subsequent films like *World Famous Lover*, *Liger*, and *Kushi* saw mixed to negative reception, Vijay's spirit remained undimmed. Even a box-office disappointment like *The Family Star* in 2024 couldn't dim his presence, especially with his impactful cameo as Arjuna in the epic *Kalki 2898 AD*.
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Beyond acting, Vijay is a force. He was the brand ambassador for Zomato and launched his fashion brand, Rowdy Wear. His philanthropic efforts are significant, including donations to the Pulwama attack victims' families and the founding of The Deverakonda Foundation. Through the Foundation, he's supported individuals like kickboxer Ganesh Ambari and spearheaded a massive initiative to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, providing groceries and essentials to thousands of families with his Middle Class Fund. He even opened his first multiplex theater in Mahbubnagar in 2021.
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The media often refers to him as a "rowdy," a term he embraces, reflecting his unfiltered and honest personality, a trait that has garnered both immense popularity and criticism. He's consistently appeared on Forbes India's lists, including the Celebrity 100 and 30 Under 30, and has been the most-searched South Indian actor on Google. As of August 2024, he's a dominant presence on Instagram.
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While a case under the SC/ST Act was filed in June 2025, Vijay Deverakonda's story is one of resilience and ambition. From his early days to his current status as a multifaceted entertainer, he continues to captivate audiences and leave his mark on Indian cinema.
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Deverakonda Vijay Sai (born 9 May 1989), widely known as Vijay Deverakonda, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Telugu films. Vijay is an recipient of a Filmfare Award, a Nandi Award and three SIIMA Awards.
Deverakonda made his debut with Nuvvila (2011) and received praise for his supporting role in the coming-of-age drama Yevade Subramanyam (2015). He rose to prominence as a leading film actor by starring in Pelli Choopulu (2016) and Arjun Reddy (2017), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his performance as a volatile surgeon in the latter. He further established himself with commercially successful films such as Mahanati (2018), Geetha Govindam (2018), and Taxiwaala (2018). This success was followed by a series of poorly received films.
In 2019, Deverakonda launched his own production house King of the Hill Entertainment, which produced Meeku Maathrame Cheptha (2019) and Pushpaka Vimanam (2021). Beyond his film career, Deverakonda has designed his own fashion brand Rowdy Wear, which launched on Myntra in 2020, and is the co-owner of the volleyball team Hyderabad Black Hawks. Deverakonda is also a celebrity endorser for numerous products and supports various humanitarian causes.
== Early and personal life ==
Deverakonda Vijay Sai was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana) to Govardhan Rao and Madhavi. His family hails from Thummanpeta village of erstwhile Mahbubnagar district (present-day Nagarkurnool). His father was a television serial director who quit doing them due to lack of success.
Deverakonda completed his schooling from Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Puttaparthi. He then studied Intermediate at the Little Flower Junior College, Hyderabad. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Badruka College of Commerce & Arts. His younger brother, Anand Devarakonda, is also an actor in Telugu cinema.
Devarakonda got engaged to actress Rashmika Mandanna in October 2025.
== Career ==
=== Early career (2011–2015) ===
Deverakonda made his debut with Ravi Babu-directed romantic comedy Nuvvila (2011). He later appeared in Sekhar Kammula's Life is Beautiful (2012) in a minor role. He was introduced to Nag Ashwin, who later cast him in a supporting role for the 2015 coming-of-age drama Yevade Subramanyam alongside actor Nani. The film was produced by the daughters of Ashwini Dutt, a producer in the Telugu film industry; Priyanka Dutt backed him and once shooting started, Swapna Dutt signed him onto her company.
=== Breakthrough (2016–2018) ===
Deverakonda's first lead role was in Pelli Choopulu, a coming-of-age romance film directed by Tharun Bhascker. The film became commercially successful and won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu and the Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 64th National Film Awards. He starred in the masala film Dwaraka in 2017. He next starred in the romantic drama Arjun Reddy which received both praise and criticism for being bold and radical. However, his portrayal of a self-destructive, short-tempered, and alcoholic surgeon received widespread critical acclaim, and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. In 2019, Film Companion ranked Deverakonda's performance in Arjun Reddy in "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade".
Deverakonda starred in multiple films in 2018, the first of which was the delayed Ye Mantram Vesave, which was initially supposed to release in 2013. He played a pivotal role in the notable biographical film Mahanati, based on the life of actress Savitri. Deverakonda's most successful release of 2018 was Geetha Arts' romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, in which he played a naive and nervous college professor alongside Rashmika Mandanna. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, and proved to his highest-grossing release grossing ₹130 crore worldwide. He next appeared in the Tamil political thriller NOTA, directed by Anand Shankar, which performed poorly at the box office. His final film in 2018 was UV Creations' supernatural comedy thriller Taxiwaala, which garnered good box office returns.
=== Career downturn (2019–present) ===
In 2019, Deverakonda was seen in Bharat Kamma's Dear Comrade, a romantic action drama, alongside Rashmika Mandanna. He later signed Hero, directed by Anand Annamalai co-starring Malavika Mohanan but the film was reportedly shelved after beginning production. In 2020, he acted in Kranthi Madhav's romantic drama World Famous Lover opposite Raashii Khanna, Catherine Tresa, Aishwarya Rajesh, and Izabelle Leite which opened to negative reviews. In 2022, he acted in the Hindi–Telugu bilingual film Liger which was directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Karan Johar which also opened to highly negative reviews. He then starred in Kushi which was directed by Shiva Nirvana and it opened to mixed reviews. The film was an average grosser at the box office. In 2024, Deverakonda starred in The Family Star, which was a box-office bomb. Late that year, he was seen in a cameo appearance as the warrior Arjuna in Nag Ashwin's science-fiction epic Kalki 2898 AD.
== Other work ==
Deverakonda was the brand ambassador of food delivery app Zomato. On 15 October 2018, he launched his fashion brand Rowdy Wear. Later, in 2020 Rowdy Wear was launched on Myntra.
Deverakonda has donated to relief funds, including a donation to families of victims in the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Deverakonda conceptualised and founded The Deverakonda Foundation, a nonprofit organisation in April 2019. In early 2020, he donated ₹24,000 through the Foundation to help Ganesh Ambari, a kickboxer who won the Vaco Indian Open International Kick-boxing Championship Title 2020.
An initiative was started to battle COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The foundation has successfully aided 17,000 middle-class families with their groceries and basic essentials, spending ₹1.7 crores, with the help of his Middle Class Fund (MCF). More than 8,500 volunteers donated over ₹1.5 crores to join his community effort. Organisers decided to end the initiative on 2 June 2020. Devarkonda opened his first multiplex theatre in Mahbubnagar in 2021.
== In the media ==
Deverakonda says his family used to call him a rowdy every time he did something that they did not approve of. Over time, he started using this term for himself and his fans. Deverakonda is known to express his real, honest, and unfiltered opinions on stage or during interviews, for which he has gathered a lot of popularity and criticism, as seen during his speech at the audio launch of Arjun Reddy, in 2017.
Deverakonda placed 72nd in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list of 2018. He was ranked in The Times Most Desirable Men at No. 4 in 2018, at No. 3 in 2019, at No. 2 in 2020. He was additionally featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list, and became the most-searched South Indian actor according to Google's annual report. As of August 2024, he is one of the most-followed Telugu actors on Instagram.
== Controversies ==
In June 2025, a case under the SC/ST Act was filed against him for his alleged comments against the tribal community following the Pahalgam terror attack.
== Filmography ==
=== As an actor ===
All films are in Telugu, otherwise noted
=== As a producer ===
=== Music video ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Vijay Deverakonda at IMDb
Vijay Deverakonda on Instagram
Vijay Deverakonda at Bollywood Hungama
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