Jagapati Babu

Biography

Jagapathi Babu (born Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Rao Chowdary; 12 February 1962), is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu cinema, as well as Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. He made his acting debut as a child artist in his father's Manchi Manushulu (1974) and made his lead debut in Simha Swapnam (1989).

He had his breakthrough with Peddarikam (1992) and appeared in Ram Gopal Varma's thriller Gaayam (1993), for which he won his first Nandi Award for Best Actor. During the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared in family dramas, comedies, and action films, including Subhalagnam (1994). He won Nandi Best Actor Awards for Maavichiguru (1996) and Manoharam (2000), and Best Supporting Actor awards for Anthahpuram (1998) and Lakshyam (2007), the latter also earning him a Filmfare Award.

In 2014, Jagapathi Babu played Jitendra in Boyapati Srinu's Legend, opposite Nandamuri Balakrishna. He won the Filmfare and Nandi Awards for Best Villain for the role. He subsequently appeared as an antagonist and character actor in films including Lingaa (2014), Srimanthudu (2015), Nannaku Prematho (2016), Pulimurugan (2016), Rangasthalam (2018), Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (2018), Maharshi (2019), Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019), and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023).

In 2024, his releases included Guntur Kaaram, The Family Star, Ruslaan, Mr. Bachchan, Kanguva, and Pushpa 2: The Rule. His 2025 projects include Jaat, Mirai, Ghaati, 45, and Akhanda 2: Thaandavam. In 2026, he appeared as Appala Soori in Buchi Babu Sana's sports drama Peddi, alongside Ram Charan, and in Nagabandham - The Secret Treasure, and Godari Gattupaina. His career includes nearly 180 films, seven Nandi Awards, and four Filmfare Awards.