Victory Venkatesh is a man with no haters. Loved by every single Telugu movie fan, he's the son of legendary producer Daggubati Ramanaidu garu and brother of famous producer Suresh Babu and uncle to actor Rana Daggubati. Known for this incredible comic timing, intense performances, and immense following in women and the family audience, Venkatesh is an actor who will always be in our hearts whether it be Shadow or Nuvvu Naaku Nachav.
Here's a look at his top 15 movies.
15) After the blockbuster success of SVSC, Venkatesh took it upon himself to act in more multi starrers. A remake of the Hindi movie Oh My God, Gopala Gopala featured Powerstar Pawan Kalyan in an extended role as God. Though it wasn't as good as the original, the sight of seeing two superstars on screen once again was more than enough for fans alike.
14) Chintakayala Ravi: Being one of the rare telugu movies which I never finished, this might be higher for some people due to it's comedy quotient and ridiculous premise. About a bartender who's lying to his parents that he's a big software engineer in New York, Venky's look and comic timing was on full display here. The icing on the cake was a cameo from Jr NTR in the song Shava Shava Balle Balle. The film's final result is a bit of a mystery but the debut for Bollywood music composers Vishal-Shekar left an impression with their musical album.
13) Jayam Manade Raa: One of my most watched movies as a kid, Jayam Manade Raa was a revenge drama featuring a massive faction flashback in the 2nd half. Venky was ruthless as Mahadeva Naidu and brought his trademark intensity while the Europe episode featuring Abhiram has his comic chops on full display. Another blockbuster from the evergreen pair of Venky and Soundarya, it also features a rocking album by Vandemataram Srinivas.
12) Gharshana: A remake of his own Kaakha Kaakha with Suriya and Jyothika, Gautham Vasudev Menon made his Telugu debut with Gharshana. Venkatesh filled Suriya's shoes which was always going to be a tough task and holds his own with an intense performance. Asin was adequate but Salim Baig was unbearable as the villain Panda. Excessive violence, unlimited shouting, and disturbing content throughout makes Gharshana an intense watch and features the classic song Cheliya Cheliya.
11) Namo Venkatesa: The only combo between venkatesh and Sreenu Vaitla, it was like any other typical Vaitla film with a hero, a bakra, and the heroines extended family whom she needs to be saved from. Inferior to other Vaitla movies, Venkatesh as a ventriloquist and Brahmanandam as Paris Prasad carry the entire movie. Their chemistry and combination scenes make for a laugh riot and fun movie overall. Add the good songs by DSP and it's always a breezy watch.
10) Thulasi: Directed by Boyapati Sreenu, Thulasi is one of my personal favorites Venky movies partially due to the fact that it has an unlimited number of fights. About a separated couple who find out their son has a condition, Thulasi was the perfect mix of sentiment and action and Venky made you cry, laugh, and fought like a beast throughout. The scene where he goes back after beats up everyone after they insult his father in the flashback is probably the best scene of the movie. Another rocking album by DSP makes Thulasi a pulsating action movie in the end.
9) Fun and Frustration (F2): Since Malliswari back in 2004, the audience had been craving for a wholesome entertainer from Venkatesh that brought back his iconic timing. The 4th movie of director Anil Ravipudi who always understands fans elements and expectations, unleashed Venkatesh's legendary comic timing and it made for a hilarious entertainer for the most part. Despite the superficial 2nd half and the arguably misogynistic plot, F2 was easily Venky's best universal entertainer after 15 years.
8) SVSC: The first multi starrer since the legendary days of ANR garu and Sr NTR garu, SVSC saw two superstar in Mahesh and Venkatesh on screen for the first time. While Mahesh was playful and mischievous in his role, Venky was stoic adamant and arrogant throughout the movie and refused to change. It was as much Venky's movie as it was Mahesh's and seeing them on screen together was a feast for fans. A family movie with the 2 actors who have the largest female and family audience following, sky is always the limit. And it was. Result: BLOCKBUSTER.
7) Lakshmi: Directed by VV Vinayak, Lakshmi was another pulsating sentimental action movie. Venky fought and romanced his way through this movie which is about a man who tries to control his two brothers and has a flashback about a girl he's trying to save played by Nayanthara. It was also a notable supporting for hero Sharwanand in his initial days. With it's amazing action scenes and solid emotions, Lakshmi was a solid movie overall which also featured a hilarious comedy track with the late Venu Madhav and of course the famous song Lakshmi Bava Lakshmi Bava.
6) Adavari Matalau Ardhale Verule: Directed by Tamil director and Dhanush's brother Selvaraghavan, AMAV was the sweet and emotional story of a guy who falls for his colleague played by Trisha. Through numerous ups and downs, fate has them travel to Trisha's village for her impending wedding. Venky once again made us cry with his nice guy act and the hard hitting emotions and realistic story made it a nice watch. Yuvan Shankar Raja's album also had a big part to play with some good songs.
5) Raja: I don't remember much about the movie other than it was very emotional and has classic songs. Another blockbuster and classic from the combo of Venky and Soundarya, Raja is good old fashioned romantic Telugu movie that will have you in the feels.
4) Preminchukundam Raa: One of the many Raa movies that Venky had in the late 90's, Preminchukundam Raa was the age old story of faction rival children proving that love trumps all hate. Venky once again gave an all around performance and Anjala Zaveri did extremely well and was gorgeous as the heroine. Faction family entertainers were the norm and classic songs from Mani Sharma and Mahesh Mahadevan have made last the test of time.
3) Malliswari: The epic combo of Venkatesh-Trivikram-K Vijaya V Bhaskar made a movie that's on par with Nuvvu Naaku Nachav. The debut movie for now superstar Bollywood heroine Katrina Kaif, Malliswari told the story of Pellikani Prasad who is desperate to get married and falls in love with Kaif's Malliswari at first sight. Trivikram's hilarious and world class dialogues throughout make this movie a laugh riot and a true classic. Venky, Sunil, and Brahmanandham carry this movie their comic timing and hilarious situations. The dinner scene is one of my favorite Telugu movie scenes ever that will have your stomach hurting from laughter. One word: CLASSIC.
2) Kalisundam Raa: This movie always make me nostalgic and emotional because this is the very FIRST Telugu movie I ever watched. Featuring Simran as the heroine, Kalisundam Raa told the story of two warring families in Rayalaseema who fall out due to an unfortunate incident. Venky falls in love with Simran's Manga who happens to be from the opposing families side. The perfect mix of emotions, action, romance, and family sentiment, Kalisundam Raa will always have a special place in my heart for introducing me to Telugu movies.
1) Nuvvu Naaku Nachav: Me even writing something about this movie is probably a waste of time. The first combo between Venky, Trivikram, and director K Vijaya Bhaskar, Nuvvu Naaku Nachav is a unanimous classic for every Telugu movie fan. Hilarious dialogues and razor sharp writing from Trivikram Srinivas, Venky's legendary comic timing, the natural romantic track, the direction, and the classic songs have and always will make this movie a masterpiece for the rest of eternity.
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