Telugu actor Nani turns 38 today, 24 February. Born as Ghanta Naveen Babu on 24 February, 1984, the Jersey star has made a name for himself in cinema within a few years. Nani began his career in the film industry as an assistant director, before working as a radio jockey at World Space Satellite in Hyderabad. He began his acting career with the 2008 film Ashta Chamma. Since then, the ‘Natural Star’, as Nani is fondly called by his fans, has starred in several blockbusters including Bhale Bhale Magadivoy, Jersey, Gentleman and Eega.
Pilla Zamindar (2011): Nani portrays the role of a rich, spoilt guy who realises the realities of life when he enrols in a government college in order to fulfil the conditions of his grandfather’s will. The film also starred Haripriya and Bindhu Madhavi in pivotal roles.
Eega (2012): The Rajamouli film featured Nani in a unique role. The actor starred as a murdered man who is reincarnated as a housefly to take revenge on his killer. The film was released in Hindi as Makkhi. Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Suresh also played pivotal roles in the film.
Bhale Bhale Magadivoi (2015): This romantic-comedy sees Nani portray the role of an amnesiac scientist who is desperate to hide his medical condition from his girlfriend and her family. The film gave Nani great scope to showcase his comic timing and remains a favourite of many of his fans.
Gentleman (2016): Nani renunited with Ashta Chamma director Mohana Krishna Indraganti for this romantic thriller. His performance and the fast-paced narrative of the film, made it a delightful watch for all fans of the Natural Star.
Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha (2016): The film starred the Natural Star as a timid man who is in love with a gangster’s sister. The plot is set in the violence-ridden atmosphere of Rayalaseema and focuses on how the actor manages to win his love and defeat the villains, overcoming his soft-spoken nature due to changing circumstances. Nani was nominated for several awards including the IIFA Utsavam award for Best Actor for his role in the film.
Ninnu Kori (2017): The film saw Nani play a jilted lover who goes to great lengths to sabotage his ex-girlfriend’s marriage, only to realise that he is destroying her life with his antics. The film ditched the formula of the lead star reuniting with his love interest and instead showed them as friends, leading to much appreciation from audiences.
Jersey (2019): Gautam Tinnanuri’s engaging sports drama saw the actor play a failed cricketer in his 30s. Nani plays the role of Arjun, who decides to get back into the game, despite everyone’s skepticism about his skills, fulfil his son’s dream of getting a jersey of the Indian cricket team. The great father-son relationship shown in the movie and Nani’s tremendous acting abilities made the film a super hit. The Hindi remake of the film, starring Shahid Kapoor, is set to release later this year.
