Aadi (Telugu actor)

Aadi (born Aditya Pudipeddi) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is the son of popular Indian actor Sai Kumar and made his film debut in 2011 with the film Prema Kavali under the direction of K. Vijaya Bhaskar.^[2] The film garnered critical acclaim for Aadi and placed him among the noted upcoming actors. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South for 2011.^[3]

Early life

Aadi did his schooling in Chennai in Padma Sheshadri till 7th standard and then moved to St Andrews in Hyderabad followed by St Johns for Intermediate and Bhavans for Degree. Though he had an inclination towards acting, he had to concentrate on studies and sports. Being an all-rounder in Cricket, he was selected for under-19 Ranji Cricket Team. He played under the captaincy of Ambati Rayudu, the climax being Pragyan Ojha, the Indian Team player who was his room-mate during their Sri Lanka trip.^[4] Recently Aadi's Love marriage official details announced by his father Sai Kumar.^[5]

When his father Saikumar arranged KALA (Karnataka Andhra Lalithakala Academy), Aadi, being a fan of Chiranjeevi, wanted to dance before Chiranjeevi, who was the chief guest for that function. After gaining consent from his father, he performed to the song "Kodithe Kottalira" from Chiranjeevi-starrer Tagore. Chiranjeevi was impressed with Aadi's performance and advised Saikumar to make him an actor if he desired to be. Ravi Kumar Chavali, who was working with Saikumar for Samanyudu at that time, suggested Aadi to Dr. Venkat, who promised to launch Aadi as actor in the future. That made Aadi foray into films after extensive training in dance, acting and fights.^[6]

Career

Aadi debuted in 2011 with K. Vijaya Bhaskar's directorial Prema Kavali. In this love story, he played the role of Srinu, a NCC Cadet who sets out to find the one who tortures his lover, thus trying to regain her heart after a break-up. He got highly positive response from the critics as well as the audience. Oneindia Entertainment commented on his performance stating "Aadi has done his role with good ease and his in dialogue delivery is as good as his father. He is quite comfortable in emoting the love and emotional scenes and he is also good at dances and action scenes. However, he should further improve his body language, as he appeared a little rigid in some scenes. But for a debutant hero, such situations are unavoidable."^[7] GreatAndhra.com too commented on his performance stating "Aadi has made a confident debut. He has built a sturdy physique, nice dance moves, expressive body language and above all, a voice and facial countenance that reminds his father. He passed the debut test without any hassles."^[8] Aadi has won the Hyderabad Times award 2011 for Promising Newcomer Male,^[9] CineMAA Awards (2012) for best Debut Actor of 2012 and Filmfare Awards South (2012) for Best Male Debut – South of 2011.^[10] It ran for 100 days and was declared a Blockbuster.^[11]

His next release was B. Jaya's directorial Lovely, which released on 30 March 2012. He played the role of Akash, a jovial person who hates father-daughter relationship, but starts respecting it after he meets with the father of the girl he loved. His performance was highly praised by critics. 123telugu.com commented on his performance stating "Aadi has improved tremendously over his first film and he is impressive in songs and action sequences. He is now more at ease in emotional scenes and he will do well if he keeps working on it."^[12] The film was also a blockbuster, completing 100 days run on 7 July 2012 in 12 centres.^[13]

However in 2013, Aadi had his first debacle. He starred in G. Ashok's directorial Sukumarudu which released on 4 May 2013 to negative reviews panning the movie's length and bad film making. He played the role of Sukumar, a greedy and selfish NRI who comes to his village in India to own his property under the disguise of meeting his grand mother who later turns a responsible person who understands the value of family, similar to the role played by Nagarjuna in Greeku Veerudu. He was acclaimed for his performance. Zee News commented on his performance stating "After two back-to-back hits, Aadi rises again in a tailor-made role and proves his mettle as an actor. He shoulders his role with panache and conviction, while trying to strike a balance between comedy and action."^[14] Currently, he is working for the movie Rough, directed by C. H. Subba Reddy.^[15]

Filmography

Awards

Filmfare Awards South

• Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South – 2011

South Indian International Movie Awards

• Best Debutant Actor – 2011^[16]

CineMAA Awards

• Best Male Debut – 2011^[17]

Other Awards

• Hyderabad Times Film Awards – promising newcomer male – 2011^[18]

^[19]

References