Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (pronunciation), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. Babu has appeared in 170 feature films, and has received four Filmfare Awards and seven state Nandi Awards.

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...
Jagapathi Babu
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Babu at the 62nd Filmfare Awards South, 2015
Born
Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary[1]

(1962-02-12) 12 February 1962 (age 62)
Other namesJB, Jaggu Bhai, Prime Star, Jaggu
OccupationActor
Years active1977—present
WorksFull list
SpouseLakshmi
Children2
ParentV. B. Rajendra Prasad (father)
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He has worked with notable directors like Kodi Ramakrishna, S. V. Krishna Reddy, Ram Gopal Varma, Krishna Vamsi, E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Gunasekhar, Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Siva, A. M. Rathnam, K. Raghavendra Rao, Radha Mohan, Mohan Raja, J. D. Chakravarthy, Boyapati Srinu, Trivikram Srinivas, Vysakh, K. S. Ravikumar, Sukumar and Prashanth Neel.[2]

Early life

Babu was born on 12 February 1962 in Machilipatnam to producer-director V. B. Rajendra Prasad. He was brought up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu before working in Telugu cinema.[3][4] He married Lakshmi and has two daughters.[5]

Career

1989–2013: Lead roles

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Babu at the 60th Filmfare Awards South in 2013

Babu made his debut in Telugu with the movie Simha Swapnam (1989) which was produced by his father and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao.[6] That same year, he starred in Adavilo Abhimanyudu. His first commercial success came with Peddarikam released in 1992. He had his breakthrough in the form of Gaayam directed by Ram Gopal Varma in the year 1993. In 1994, with the super hit film Subhalagnam, he reached family audience. He won the Nandi Award for Best Actor in 1996 for his role in the movie Maavichiguru directed by S V Krishna Reddy.

1997 saw hit films including Subhakankshalu and Pelli Pandiri. In 1998, he won the Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Anthahpuram. In 2000, he won the Nandi Best Actor Award for his performance in the thriller Manoharam. In 2003–05, he did runway hit films like Kabaddi Kabaddi, Athade Oka Sainyam, Pedababu and Anukokunda Oka Roju. In 2006, he appeared in Samanyudu and Pellaina Kothalo. He received the Nandi Best Supporting Actor Award for the second time in the year 2007 for his role in the film Lakshyam in addition to a won Filmfare Award. In 2011, he received the Kala Bhushana Award for his contribution to cinema by TSR Lalitha Kala Parishat.[7][8]

His first Tamil movie was Madrasi, and in 2012, he appeared as the antagonist in Tamil film Thaandavam.[9] He played the lead role in Jai Bolo Telangana, which won five Nandi Awards. In 2012, he debuted in the Kannada film Bachchan as a cop.

2014–present: Supporting roles

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Babu promoting Patel S. I. R. in 2017

Since 2014, Babu decided to play antagonistic and supporting roles.[10][11][12] He appeared in Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer Legend (2014), where played an antagonist for the first time.[3] His performance as Jitendra won many accolades.[3] In the same year, he played a negative role opposite Rajinikanth in Lingaa. In 2015, he played Mahesh Babu's father in Srimanthudu. In 2016, Babu's role as a London-based billionaire in Sukumar-directed Nannaku Prematho, starring Jr NTR, was also appreciated.[3] He played the antagonist in Ism and Jaguar. He also played opposite Mohanlal in Malayalam film, Pulimurugan. In 2017, he played Naga Chaitanya's father in Rarandoi Veduka Chudham.

In the 2018 film Rangasthalam, also directed by Sukumar, Babu played an oppressive president of the eponymous village.[3][13] Grossing more than 2 billion, Rangasthalam was the highest grossing Telugu of that year.[14] Alongside this, he played a Bangladeshi-terrorist in Goodachari, which became a sleeper hit.[3] His antagonist role in the Trivikram Srinivas-directed film Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava is termed as one of finest performances of his career.[10][3] In 2019, his notable works were Maharshi along with a crucial role in Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy.[10] In 2023, he played one of the villains in the Hindi film Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, starring Salman Khan and Venkatesh.[15]

He also played the role of Rajamannar in the blockbuster film Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire directed by Prashanth Neel in 2023.[16]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

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Babu receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from Venkaiah Naidu in 2018

Filmfare Awards

More information Year, Category ...
Year Category Film Result Ref.
1993 Best Actor – Telugu Gaayam Nominated
1994 Subhalagnam Nominated
1996 Maavichiguru Nominated
1997 Chilakkottudu Nominated
2005 Best Supporting Actor – Telugu Anukokunda Oka Roju Nominated
2007 Lakshyam Won [17]
2008 Kathanayakudu Nominated [18]
2011 Jai Bolo Telangana Nominated
2014 Legend Won [19]
2015 Srimanthudu Nominated [20]
2016 Nannaku Prematho Won [17]
2018 Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava Won [17]
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Nandi Awards

More information Year, Category ...
Year Category Film Result Ref.
1989 Special Jury Award Adavilo Abhimanyudu Won [21]
1993 Best Actor Gaayam Won [21]
1996 Maavichiguru Won [21]
1998 Best Supporting Actor Anthahpuram Won [22]
2000 Best Actor Manoharam Won [23]
2007 Best Supporting Actor Lakshyam Won [24]
2014 Best Villain Legend Won [25]
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SIIMA Awards

More information Year, Category ...
Year Category Film Result Ref.
2014 Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) Legend Won [26]
2016 Nannaku Prematho Won [27]
2019 Rangasthalam Nominated
2021 Maharshi Nominated
2016 Special Jury Award Pulimurugan Won [27]
2016 Best Actor in a Negative Role (Malayalam) Pulimurugan Nominated
2021 Best Actor in a Negative Role (Tamil) Viswasam Nominated
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IIFA Utsavam

More information Year, Category ...
Year Category Film Result Ref.
2016 Best Supporting Actor Srimanthudu Won [28]
2017 Best Actor in a Negative Role Nannaku Prematho Won [29]
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Asianet Film Awards

More information Year, Category ...
Year Category Film Result Ref.
2017 Best Actor in a Negative Role Pulimurugan Won [30]
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References

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