Sukumar Bandreddi

Bandreddi Sukumar, widely recognized as Sukumar, is a prominent screenwriter, film director, and producer in the Telugu film industry. Born to Tirupathi Rao Naidu, a rice merchant, and Veera Veni, a homemaker, Sukumar completed his education at a Zilla Parishad High School in Razole, Andhra Pradesh, before earning a master’s degree in Mathematics.

Prior to his entry into filmmaking, Sukumar served as a mathematics lecturer at a junior college in Bhimavaram. He chose to transition to the film industry, feeling that his teaching career had become monotonous. Relocating to Hyderabad to pursue his passion for cinema, he initially began writing for television serials and films. He later gained experience as an assistant director on several projects, including Manasichi Choodu (1999).

Sukumar made his directorial debut with Arya (2004), a romantic film featuring Allu Arjun, Siva Balaji, and Anuradha Mehta. He also penned the screenplay for this project, which centers on the romantic entanglements of three college students. The film achieved remarkable success, running for over 420 days in eight locations, and earned Sukumar the Filmfare South Award for Best Director – Telugu in 2004, along with the Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer. This film catapulted him to fame.

His second directorial project, Jagadam (2007), was an action film starring Ram Pothineni and Isha Sahani. Sukumar also wrote the screenplay for this film, which tells the story of a young boy aspiring to become a thug and the subsequent challenges he faces due to this ambition. Following this, he wrote and directed Arya 2 (2009), the sequel to Arya (2004), featuring Allu Arjun, Navdeep, and Kajal Aggarwal. The film explores the complex love-hate dynamics between two childhood friends who both fall for the same girl, receiving mixed reviews from critics.

In his subsequent film, 100% Love (2011), Sukumar ventured into the romantic comedy genre, starring Naga Chaitanya Akkineni and Tamannaah Bhatia.