Sai Dharam Tej
Sai Dharam Tej

Sai Dharam Tej

Sai Dharam Tej Wiki

Panja Sai Dharam Tej (born 15 October 1986) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. A member of the prominent Allu–Konidela family, he made his acting debut with the box office success Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham (2014) for which he received SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut and CineMAA Awards Best Male Debut.Post his debut, Tej appeared in films such as Subramanyam for Sale (2015) and Supreme (2016), which were box office successes. This was followed with back to back critical and commercial failures. Tej then went onto establish himself with successful films Chitralahari (2019) and Prati Roju Pandage both (2019), Solo Brathuke So Better (2020) and Republic (2021). His highest grossing release came with Virupaksha (2023).

Early life

Sai Dharam Tej was born to Vijaya Durga, sister of notable Telugu film actor-politician Chiranjeevi. Tej did his schooling at Nalanda School, Hyderabad and completed his graduation from St. Mary's College, Hyderabad. Actors Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Allu Sirish, Varun Tej and Niharika Konidela are Tej's cousins. He has a younger brother Vaisshnav Tej who is also an actor.

Early life and background

Sai Dharam Tej was born to Vijaya Durga, the younger sister of Telugu film actor-politician Chiranjeevi, on 15 October 1986. Tej did his schooling at Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai and Nalanda School, Hyderabad and completed his graduation from St. Mary's College, Hyderabad.Actors Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Allu Sirish, Varun Tej and Niharika Konidela are Tej's cousins. His younger brother Vaisshnav Tej is also an actor. Pawan Kalyan and Nagendra Babu are his maternal uncles.

Career

Tej made his film debut with ''Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham'', opposite Regina Cassandra in 2014. The film was a hit at the box office. ''Times of India'' noted, "Sai Dharam Tej’s rustic charm makes his actions believable. The actor is particularly quite impressive with his dance moves". ''Deccan Chronicle'' stated, "Sai Dharam Tej delivers a mature performance. He entertains throughout the film with his performance and he has done this quite comfortably." He received SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut - Telugu for his performance.Tej had two releases in 2015. His first film was ''Rey'' where he portrayed Rock opposite Saiyami Kher. ''123telugu'' said, "Sai Dharam Tej’s electrifying performance is the major asset of this film." Tej's second release in 2015 was ''Subramanyam for Sale'', which was successful at the box office, grossing over ₹33.95 crore. He starred alongside Regina Cassandra, for the second time, after ''Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham'' (2014). Although various critics called it "routine", Tej's portrayal was cited as "improved performance", "spontaneous", and "stunning".Tej's action comedy ''Supreme'' which released the following year, was also financially successful and is one of his best movies. Following ''Supreme,'' Tej went onto star in five films (in lead), including ''Thikka'' (2016), ''Winner'' (2017), ''Jawaan'' (2017), ''Inttelligent'' (2018) and ''Tej I Love You'' (2018). Tej was criticized for selecting similar and regular stories in his films.''Chitralahari'' was his first release of 2019. The film was a box office success with critics praising his performance and Tej giving one of his career best performances. ''The Times of India'' had called the character Vijay in the film, the best in Tej's career so far. About his role in the film, ''Deccan Chronicle'' reported "Sai Tej has put on weight and with a beard looks fresh and fits the character. For this role, he has completely set aside his mass image". His next film of the year, ''Prati Roju Pandage'' was also successful. Murali Krishna CH of ''The New Indian Express'' in his review of the film, wrote that "The film definitely Sai Tej’s canvas and he delivers his standard chops with flamboyance". Later in 2020, his film ''Solo Brathuke So Better'' was released following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the restriction of 50% occupancy in cinemas, the film was successful at the box office. ''Idlebrain'''s Jeevi appreciated Tej's performance, particularly his comedy timing and acting in the emotional scenes of the film. In contrast, Y Sunita Chowdhary of ''The Hindu'' opined that "Tej could have benefited from a better script."In his next film ''Republic'' (2021), directed by Deva Katta, Tej played the role of an IAS officer. The film, a political drama, opened to positive reviews, with critics calling his performance "matured" and the film was well received by audience and became a 'hit'. Prakash Pecheti of ''Telangana Today'' stated: "''Republic'' surely adds a cap in the feather for Sai Dharam Tej."Tej's 15th film, ''Virupaksha'', a socio-fantasy thriller directed by Karthik Varma Dandu of ''Bham Bolenath'' fame, opened to generally positive reviews and became the highest-grossing film of his career. He next acted with his maternal uncle, Pawan Kalyan, in the remake of ''Vinodhaya Sitham'', ''Bro'', directed by Samuthirakani, who also directed the original. It released in July 2023. He has also signed films with debutant Jayanth Panuganti and Sampath Nandi.

Debut, few ups and downs (2014–2016)

Tej made his debut with the film Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham in 2014 though he shot for YVS Chowdary's Rey earlier, which was completed in 2013 but delayed until 2015. In his review about the film Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham, Hemanth Kumar of The Times of India wrote that "The hero’s characterization is written in an arbitrary manner; however, Sai Dharam Tej’s rustic charm makes his actions believable. The actor is particularly quite impressive with his dance moves". Another critic too opined the same, and praising his looks in particular. His performance in the film fetched him various accolades. His next film Rey (2015) received negative reviews. Tej's second release in 2015 was Subramanyam for Sale, which was successful at the box office, grossing over ₹33.95 crore. He starred alongside Regina Cassandra, for the second time, after Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham (2014). Although various critics called it "routine", Tej's performance was cited as "improved performance", "spontaneous", and "stunning".

Debut and early work (2014–2016)

Tej made his film debut with ''Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham'', opposite Regina Cassandra in 2014. The film was a hit at the box office. ''Times of India'' noted, "Sai Dharam Tej’s rustic charm makes his actions believable. The actor is particularly quite impressive with his dance moves". ''Deccan Chronicle'' stated, "Sai Dharam Tej delivers a mature performance. He entertains throughout the film with his performance and he has done this quite comfortably." He received SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut - Telugu for his performance.Tej had two releases in 2015. His first film was ''Rey'' where he portrayed Rock opposite Saiyami Kher. ''123telugu'' said, "Sai Dharam Tej’s electrifying performance is the major asset of this film." Tej's second release in 2015 was ''Subramanyam for Sale'', which was successful at the box office, grossing over ₹33.95 crore. He starred alongside Regina Cassandra, for the second time, after ''Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham'' (2014). Although various critics called it "routine", Tej's portrayal was cited as "improved performance", "spontaneous", and "stunning".

Resurgence and other work (2016–2018)

Tej's action comedy ''Supreme'' which released the following year, was also financially successful and is one of his best movies. Following ''Supreme,'' Tej went onto star in five films (in lead), including ''Thikka'' (2016), ''Winner'' (2017), ''Jawaan'' (2017), ''Inttelligent'' (2018) and ''Tej I Love You'' (2018). Tej was criticized for selecting similar and regular stories in his films.

Success and recent work (2019–present)

''Chitralahari'' was his first release of 2019. The film was a box office success with critics praising his performance and Tej giving one of his career best performances. ''The Times of India'' had called the character Vijay in the film, the best in Tej's career so far. About his role in the film, ''Deccan Chronicle'' reported "Sai Tej has put on weight and with a beard looks fresh and fits the character. For this role, he has completely set aside his mass image". His next film of the year, ''Prati Roju Pandage'' was also successful. Murali Krishna CH of ''The New Indian Express'' in his review of the film, wrote that "The film definitely Sai Tej’s canvas and he delivers his standard chops with flamboyance". Later in 2020, his film ''Solo Brathuke So Better'' was released following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the restriction of 50% occupancy in cinemas, the film was successful at the box office. ''Idlebrain'''s Jeevi appreciated Tej's performance, particularly his comedy timing and acting in the emotional scenes of the film. In contrast, Y Sunita Chowdhary of ''The Hindu'' opined that "Tej could have benefited from a better script."In his next film ''Republic'' (2021), directed by Deva Katta, Tej played the role of an IAS officer. The film, a political drama, opened to positive reviews, with critics calling his performance "matured" and the film was well received by audience and became a 'hit'. Prakash Pecheti of ''Telangana Today'' stated: "''Republic'' surely adds a cap in the feather for Sai Dharam Tej."Tej's 15th film, ''Virupaksha'', a socio-fantasy thriller directed by Karthik Varma Dandu of ''Bham Bolenath'' fame, opened to generally positive reviews and became the highest-grossing film of his career. He next acted with his maternal uncle, Pawan Kalyan, in the remake of ''Vinodhaya Sitham'', ''Bro'', directed by Samuthirakani, who also directed the original. It released in July 2023. He has also signed films with debutant Jayanth Panuganti and Sampath Nandi.

Personal life

In September 2021, Tej was in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident near the Durgam Cheruvu Bridge in Hyderabad. He was admitted to Apollo Hospitals whose doctors announced that he sustained soft tissue injuries and a collar bone fracture but was out of danger. He announced a six-month career break in July 2023 to focus on fitness and get back into form.
Source: Wikipedia

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