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Priyadarshi Pulikonda is an Indian actor, comedian, writer, and film director, who mainly works in Telugu films. He came into the limelight after playing the role of Kaushik in the Telugu-language romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu (2016). He is well known for his versatility and comic timing.
Wiki/Biography
Priyadarshi Pulikonda was born on Friday, 25 August 1989 (age 33 years; as of 2022) in Khammam, Hyderabad, Telangana. His zodiac sign is Virgo.
His parents relocated to Hyderabad when Priyadarshi was two years old. He grew up shuttling between cities, moving from Hyderabad (old city) to Gachibowli and Chandanagar. As a child, he was a strong believer in Science and logic. Priyadarshi attended MNR Degree & PG College, Hyderabad, Telangana, to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Statistics. Thereafter, he obtained a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication from the University of Hyderabad. He developed an interest in acting after watching the Telugu film Sagara Sangamam and joined his university’s theatre group. Later, he enrolled himself at Aruna Bikshu’s acting school. In an interview, while talking about the same, Priyadarshi said,
I was seven when I saw Sagara Sangamam and decided to be an actor. It was a paradigm shift for me. I am a big fan of Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi. I saw many films by K. Balachander, K. Vishwanath, and Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. Aruna Bikshu taught me how to learn and unlearn, and then I gained experience from short films.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Priyadarshi belongs to a Telugu-speaking family in Telangana.
Parents & Siblings
Priyadarshi Pulikonda’s father, Pulikonda Subbachari, is a professor who hails from Mahabubnagar, Telangana, and his mother, Pulikonda Jayalakshmi, hails from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Wife & Children
While studying at the University of Hyderabad, Priyadarshi met Richa, a writer, who was his senior. They instantly fell in love with each other and tied the knot in February 2018 after dating for a while.
Religion
Priyadarshi Pulikonda follows Hinduism.
Career
Actor
Film
Priyadarshi Pulikonda started his acting career in 2016 with the Telugu film Terror. He hogged the limelight after playing the role of Kaushik in the 2016 Telugu film Pelli Choopulu.
After the box-office success of Pelli Choopulu, Priyadarshi played the role of a Tamil refugee in Iraq, who is stuck in the ISIS war, in the Malayalam film Take Off (2017). In the same year, he appeared in many popular Telugu films like The Ghazi Attack (Simultaneously shot in Hindi), Winner, Arjun Reddy, Jai Lava Kusa, and Spyder; He played supporting roles in all the films. Subsequently, he played supporting roles in the Telugu films Awe (2018), Nela Ticket (2018), NOTA (2018), and Mr. Majnu (2019). In 2019, Priyadarshi played the lead role of Chintakindi Mallesham in the Telugu film Mallesham. Streamed on Netflix and directed by Raj R, Mallesham is a biopic of Chintakindi Mallesham, the inventor of the Asu machine that reduced the manual efforts of weavers in Pochampally.
He then went on to play lead roles in the Telugu films Balgam (2023) and Mail (2021). His performances in films like Jathirathanlu and Oke Oka Jeevitham have been watched across the nation and are critically acclaimed. Having more than 50 films to his credit, Priyadarshi has evolved as a dependable actor over the years.
Web Series
Priyadarshi Pulikonda made his digital debut in 2020 with the Telugu-language web series Loser in which he played the role of Suri Yadav. The series streamed on ZEE5. He also appeared in its sequel.
In 2021, he played the role of Aadi in Aha’s Telugu web series In the Name of God. He has also appeared in Disney+ Hotstar’s Telugu web series Unheard as Badri. In 2023, he played the role of Ghanta Ravi, a dairy farm owner, in the Telugu comedy series Save The Tigers. Streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, the story of the series revolves around three frustrated husbands who meet by chance.
Writer
In 2012, Priyadarshi Pulikonda wrote the story and screenplay of the Telugu short film Ponnu Vaadu. In the same year, he wrote the story of the Kannada film Dakota Picture. He has also written the story of the Telugu short film The Delivery (2019).
Film Director
Priyadarshi Pulikonda has directed two Telugu language short films Ponnu Vaadu (2012) and The Delivery (2019).
Voice Artist
Besides being an actor, Priyadarshi has also worked as a voice-over artist in a few films. In 2018, he lent his voice to RJ Balaji for the Telugu version of the Tamil film Thaanaa Serndha Koottam. He has also lent his voice to Olaf in the Telugu version of Frozen 2.
Other Work
Priyadarshi Pulikonda has performed live at various stage shows.
He has also walked the ramp at various fashion shows.
Awards & Honours
- 2nd IIFA Utsavam for Best Performance In A Comic Role – (Telugu) for the film Pelli Choopulu (2016)
- 7th South Indian International Movie Awards for Best Comedian (Telugu) for the film Pelli Choopulu (2017)
- Radio City Cine Awards S2 for Best Comedian for the Telugu film Tholi Prema (2019)
- Listed in the 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade for the Telugu film Mallesham (2019)
- Zee Cine Awards Telugu for Best Comedian for the Telugu film Brochevarevarura (2020)
- Emerging OTT Star Award by Hindustan Times for the web series Unheard and Loser 2 (2022)
- Best Actor at the Swedish International Film Festival 2023 for the Telugu film Balagam
- Best Actor in a Feature Film at Indo French International Film Festival for Balagam
Favourites
- Film: Sagara Sangamam (1983)
- Film Director(s): K. Balachander, Kasinathuni Viswanath, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao
- Comedian(s): Vennela Kishore, Brahmanandam
- Food: Hyderabadi Dum Biryani
Facts/Trivia
- He loves travelling and painting in his leisure time.
- He is fondly called Darshi by his friends and family members.
- An avid dog lover, Priyadarshi has a pet dog named Oreo.