Adivi Sesh
Acting
1985-12-17 · Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Adivi Sesh is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works predominantly in Telugu cinema alongside Hindi films. Born on December 17, 1985, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana), he grew up in Berkeley, California, where he completed his schooling and graduated in Film Direction from San Francisco State University before relocating to India to pursue filmmaking. He made his directorial and lead acting debut with the Indo-American supernatural thriller *Karma* (2010), following an early minor appearance in *Sontham* (2002). He initially took on pivotal negative and supporting roles in major commercial projects such as Pawan Kalyan's *Panjaa* (2011), *Balupu* (2013), *Run Raja Run* (2014), *Ladies & Gentlemen* (2015), and S. S. Rajamouli's epic *Baahubali: The Beginning* (2015) as Bhadrudu. Sesh established himself as a prominent leading man and one of Telugu cinema's most acclaimed screenwriters by pioneering high-concept, taut suspense thrillers, beginning with the mystery thriller *Kshanam* (2016). The film became a major critical and commercial hit, winning him the Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer and the IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Screenplay. He cemented his reputation as a master of mystery and action narratives with back-to-back blockbusters, including the spy action thriller *Goodachari* (2018), the courtroom thriller *Evaru* (2019), and Sailesh Kolanu's investigative thriller *HIT: The Second Case* (2022). In 2022, he headlined and wrote the biographical action drama *Major*, based on the life of 26/11 martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi, *Major* achieved pan-Indian critical and commercial success, earning him the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actor and the Gaddar Telangana Film Award. Following a cameo in *HIT: The Third Case* (2025), he co-wrote and starred in Shaneil Deo's romantic action thriller *Dacoit: A Love Story* (2026) opposite Mrunal Thakur, and expanded his marquee spy franchise with the multilingual sequel *G2* (*Goodachari 2*).
