HBD Venky Mama: Tracing 4 best Telugu movies of Venkatesh Daggubati from the 80’s that won him awards

Appealing to and entertaining family audiences of the Telugu Film Industry (TFI), Venkatesh Daggubati aka Venky Mama has become a household name for everyone, from age six to sixty. With over seventy-three films and two others in the making, he has always experimented with roles, stretching from comedy to drama and emotions to action. While we celebrate his 61st birthday, here are the 4 best Telugu movies of Venkatesh Daggubati from the 80’s that had won him awards during his early acting career stint. 

#1 Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986)

Kaliyuga Pandavulu is one of the initial masala films (mixed genres in one work) that was made in the Telugu Film Industry (TFI). Directed by K Raghavendra Rao, this film starred Kushboo alongside Venkatesh. The film revolves around a group of four who fight against anti-social elements and illegal activities in the society. Owing to the box office collections, Kaliyuga Pandavulu was remade in Kannada in 1993 as Poli Hudga. Venky Mama won the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut (Special Jury Award) for this film. 

#2 Brahma Puthrudu (1988)

Directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, Brahma Puthrudu, is an action film of the 80s. Alongside Venkatesh, it features Mohan Babu, Rajani, and Jayasudha. This film revolves around the struggles a mother and her daughter go through after her father deserts them. The film portrays the intensity of their search and their journey in taking the help of Shakti (Venkatesh) in this endeavour. The film’s teary climax won hearts and was remade in Tamil as Michael Raj. Venkatesh Daggubati won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for this film. 

#3 Swarna Kamalam (1988)

Swarna Kamalam is a dance drama that is considered to be one of the best and evergreen movies of Venkatesh Daggubati in Telugu cinema. Directed by K Viswanath, this film casts Venkatesh and Bhanupriya in the lead, and also features the legendary Odissi dancer, Sharon Lowen in a special role. Swarna Kamalam revolves around a young woman who hails from a family of dancers and her tryst with dancing. Various dance sequences for the film were shot in Vizag. Apart from being screened at various international festivals, this film received three Nandi Awards and Venky Mama received the Nandi Special Jury Award.  

#4 Prema (1989)

Prema is a musical romance film starring Venkatesh and Revathi Menon. Directed by Suresh Krissna, this film revolves around a Christian girl who falls in love with an orphan Hindu boy who wants to make it big as a singer. The soundtracks for the film were composed by the legendary musician, Ilayaraja. Owing to the success of the film in TFI, the film was dubbed in Tamil as Anbu Chinnam in 1990 and was remade in Hindi as Love in 1991. Venkatesh Daggubati received the Nandi Award for Best Actor for this film. 

Team F3 Wishes Venky Mama:

To celebrate Venkatesh Daggubati’s birthday in a style, the filmmaker’s and the team of F3 had a surprise for him. The team took to social media and shared a video from the making of the film.