Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971) is an Indian Kannada film actor, as well as a producer, presenter, screenwriter and singer. He has worked in Kannada films as well as Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. He is popularly known as ‘Kiccha Sudeepa’ for his role in the film “Huchcha”. In his acting career spanning over two decades, he has won several awards, including four Filmfare Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and a Nandi Award.
He has won the Filmfare Award for “Best Actor – Kannada” for three consecutive years for his performances in the films “Huchcha”, “Nandhi” and “Swathi Muthu”. He hosts the television reality show “Bigg Boss Kannada”
| Attribute | Details |
| Born | 2 September 1971 |
| Other Name | ‘Kiccha Sudeepa’ |
| Education | Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering |
| Years Active | 1997 – Present |
| Spouse | Malayali Priya Radhakrishna |
| Children | Saanvi |
Personal Details
Sudeepa was born on 2 September 1971 to Sanjeev Manjappa and Saroja in Shimoga, Shimoga district, Karnataka. His family originally resided in Narasimharajpura, Chikmagalur district. He graduated from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru. She studied acting at the Roshan Taneja School of Acting, Mumbai.
Sudeepa represented the U-17 college cricket team. He is currently the captain of the Karnataka Bulldozers cricket team in the Celebrity Cricket League.
Sudeepa married Malayali Priya Radhakrishna in 2001. The couple has a son named Saanvi. Before marriage, Priya was associated with an airline. Sudeepa started an event management company called “Stage 360°” where his wife is actively involved. They divorced in September 2015, but later reconciled.
Career
As a Actor
Sudeepa has been involved in acting for almost 3 decades. He started his acting career in 1997 with the movie “Thayabhava”. Initially, he played supporting roles, but since 2000, he has been playing lead roles. His film “Huchcha”, released in 2001, brought his fame. For this film, he was known as “‘Kiccha Sudeepa‘”. He made his Bollywood debut with the film “Funk”, released in 2008. He has acted in Bollywood movies like “Rann”, “Funk 2” and “Rakta Charitri”.
He entered the Telugu film industry in 2012 with the movie “Eega”. In 2013, his films “Bachchan” and “Bardanayak” were released. He also worked in a drama film “Manikya”. He acted in the Telugu films “Mirchi”, “Attarintiki Daredi” which were remakes and later “Baahubali: The Beginning” which was a commercial success.
In 2019, he acted in the Bollywood movie “Dabangg 3” as the main villain opposite Salman Khan. After this, he acted in the films “Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy”, “Vikrant Rona”, “Nirup Bhandari” and “Neeta Ashok”.
Other movies he acted in are: “Valley” (2001), “Chandu” (2002), “Ranga” SSLC” (2004), “Nalla” (2004), “Shanti Nivasa” (2007), “Veera Madkari” (2009), “Kempe Gowda” (2011), “Bachchan Te” (2002), “Mumbai” (2014), “Ring Road Shubh” (2014) and “Raate” (2015).
As a Director
He made his directorial debut in 2006 with the movie “My Autograph”. After this, he directed movies like “No. 73”, “Shanti Nivasa”, “E Shathamanda Veera Madakari”, “Just Math Mathalli”, “Kempe Gowda” and “Manikya”.
He founded a film production company called Kichha Creations. The company produced the movies “My Autograph” (2006), “No. 73”, “Shantinivas” (2007), “Jigarthanda” (2016), “Manikya” (2013), “Ambi Ning Wayasayto” (2019)
Identity and branding
Sudeepa made his debut in TV shows with the serial “Bandhana”. He then appeared as the main host in the show “Piyaate Hajiyar-Halli Lifu“. He was selected for Endemol Shine Group’s flagship show “Big Boss Kannada”. He was signed for 5 seasons of “Colors Kannada” in 2023.
He is a talented actor in the Kannada film industry, who has been awarded the title of “Abhina Chakraborty” for her acting. He was ranked first in the Times 25 Most Desirable Men in Bangalore in 2012.
Sudeepa was signed as the brand ambassador of a Jewellery Retail Chain in 2012. In 2013, he was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Bengaluru Traffic Police Department, the Income Tax Department and Intext Technologies (India) Mobiles and in 2014, Paragon Footwear. Since 2022, he has been the brand ambassador for the Karnataka State Animal Husbandry Department’s cow adoption program.
He recorded a voice cover for Teach AIDS interactive software on World AIDS Day in 2013 along with Vijay Raghavendra and other actors. He did a Kannada advertisement for OLX.in with veteran actor Ananth Nag in 2015. In 2021, Chess.com suspended their accounts for fair play violations for cheating in a chess championship.
Donations and Charity
Sudeepa founded a charity organization called “Kiccha Sudeepa Charitable Society”. Its main work was to help underprivileged school children, providing them with clothing as well as scholarships. The society also works to provide necessary assistance to senior Kannada film artists, technicians and others who were unable to find work during the COVID pandemic.
Politics
In the 2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly, he openly supported the current Chief Minister of Karnataka and the BJP. He also said that he would campaign for the BJP in all the seats where the Chief Minister would vote for him.
