Varun Tej Explained

Varun Tej
Birth Name:Konidela Sai Varun Tej
Birth Date:1990 1, df=yes
Nationality:Indian
Alma Mater:St. Mary's College, Hyderabad
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:2014–present
Father:Nagendra Babu
Family:See Konidela–Allu family
Spouse:[1] [2]
Children:1

Konidela Sai Varun Tej, better known as Varun Tej (born 19 January 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut in 2014 with Mukunda. He received praise for featuring in Krish's critically acclaimed war film Kanche (2015). He established himself as a leading actor with the romantic drama Fidaa (2017), a major critical and commercial success. He has since starred in films including Tholi Prema (2018), Gaddalakonda Ganesh (2019), F2 (2019) and F3 (2022). He is married to his co-actress Lavanya Tripathi.[3]

Early life and family

Tej is the son of Telugu actor and producer Nagendra Babu.[4] He is a nephew of actors Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan. His younger sister Niharika is also an actress. Actors Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Allu Sirish, Sai Tej and Panja Vaisshnav Tej are his cousins.[5] He was educated at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, and at St. Mary's College, Hyderabad.[6]

Career

Tej debuted as a child artist in his father Nagendra Babu's film Hands Up when he was ten years old. He made his adult debut with Mukunda, starring opposite Pooja Hegde. The film earned positive reviews. His second venture was the 2015 war film Kanche, starring opposite Pragya Jaiswal and received positive reviews from critics.[7] Tej's performance as Dhupati Haribabu was praised with The Times of India praising his "capability to shift gears from intense to sobriety".[8] His second release that year Loafer, was a box office failure, along with his 2017 outing Mister.

The later half of 2017 saw the release of Fidaa, where he played an NRI falling in love with a village belle. The film was commercially successful grossing over 90 crore at the box office.[9] His 2018 release Tholi Prema was also a box office success and Tej's performance as an impulsive young man was widely appreciated.[10] [11] His next film that year was space thriller Antariksham 9000 KMPH, directed by Sankalp Reddy.[12]

In 2019, Tej's first release was which is a multistarrer with Venkatesh, Tamannaah and Mehreen Pirzada are also a part of this movie which is huge blockbuster.[13] After F2, he dubbed in Telugu for Aladdin's role in the film Aladdin. He later starred in Gaddalakonda Ganesh, a remake of Tamil film Jigarthanda, directed by Harish Shankar which was a failure at the box office.[14]

As of January 2020, Tej has two films under production, Ghani, and F2's sequel F3.[15] [16] Tej next played the role of a boxer, in Ghani (2022) directed by Kiran Korrapati.[17] [18] Following the film's release, Tej acknowledged the reviews and apologised, accepting the film's failure at the box office through a note on social media.[19]

Personal life

Tej met actress Lavanya Tripathi, on the sets of their film Mister (2017) and eventually started dating her.[20] They went onto work together in Antariksham 9000 KMPH in 2018. The couple got engaged on 8 June 2023 in Hyderabad. The couple got married on 1 November 2023 in Tuscany, Italy in a traditional ceremony.[21] On 9 September 2025, Tripathi gave birth to their son.[22] [23] Varun Tej and Lavanya Tripathi announced the name of their firstborn son as Vaayuv Tej Konidela on the occasion of Vijayadashami on 2 October 2025.[24] [25]

Media image

Tej stood at the 27th place on Forbes Indias most influential stars on Instagram in South cinema for the year 2021.[26] In the Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Men list, Tej was place 7th in 2019 and 17th in 2020.[27] [28] In Rediff.coms "Top Telugu Actors" list, Tej was placed 5th in 2012.[29]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000Hands UpVarunChild actor
2014MukundaMukundaDebut as lead role
2015KancheDhupati Hari Babu
LoaferRaja Murali
2017MisterPichchayya Naidu "Chai"
FidaaVarun
2018Tholi PremaAditya Sekhar
Antariksham 9000 KMPHDev
2019Varun Yadav
AladdinAladdin (voice)Telugu dubbed version[30]
Gaddalakonda GaneshGaddalakonda Ganesh "Gani"
2022GhaniGhani
F3Varun Yadav
2023Gandeevadhari ArjunaArjun Varma[31]
2024Operation ValentineArjun Dev alias "Rudra"[32] [33]
Matka"Matka" Vasu[34]
2026KanakarajuFilming[35] [36]

Television

!Year!Shows!Role!Network!Notes
2018Nanna KoochiNarratorZEE5
2019Bigg Boss 3HimselfStar MaaGuest appearance

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2015South Indian International Movie AwardsBest Actor – TeluguKanche[37]
2017Zee Telugu Golden AwardsEntertainer Of The Year (Male)Fidaa[38]
2018Zee Cine Awards TeluguBest Film ActorTholi Prema[39]
2019South Indian International Movie AwardsBest Actor – TeluguGaddalakonda Ganesh[40]

Notes and References

  1. News: Allu Arjun with family, Ram Charan and pregnant Upasana arrive at Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi's engagement. 9 June 2023. India Today.
  2. News: Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun attend Varun Tej and Lavanya Tripathi's engagement ceremony. 9 June 2023. Indian Express.
  3. News: Varun Tej Konidela and Lavanya Tripathi's engagement: Star-studded guest-list, venue, designer details. 9 June 2023. Times of India.
  4. Web site: 29 October 2018. Tollywood's rising stars under 30. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201011223133/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/tollywoods-rising-stars-under-30/photostory/66416903.cms. 11 October 2020. 14 August 2020. The Times of India. en.
  5. News: Four injured after Telugu actor Varun Tej's car rams into another . 4 July 2019 . . 13 June 2019 . 4 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190704141446/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/four-injured-after-telugu-actor-varun-tejs-car-rams-another-103521 . dead .
  6. News: 9 Lesser Known facts about Nandi Award winner TV Host Niharika Konidela . The Times of India . 7 May 2018 . en . 24 June 2020 . 17 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200717121247/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/telugu/9-lesser-known-facts-about-nandi-award-winner-tv-host-niharika-konidela/photostory/64064974.cms . live .
  7. News: 'Kanche' movie review roundup: Critics call it a brave attempt by Krish, Varun Tej . 6 March 2021 . International Business Times India . 25 October 2015. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170510210529/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/kanche-movie-review-roundup-critics-call-it-brave-attempt-by-krish-varun-tej-651877 . 10 May 2017 .
  8. News: Kanche Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India . 24 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151024124242/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/Kanche/movie-review/49507638.cms . 26 August 2017. 24 October 2015. The Times of India.
  9. News: Hooli. Shekhar H.. 17 December 2017. Tollywood in 2017: 15 highest grossing Telugu movies of the year – Baahubali 2, Khaidi No 150, JLK, DJ and others. 6 March 2021. IB Times. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630044059/https://www.ibtimes.co.in/tollywood-2017-15-highest-grossing-telugu-movies-year-baahubali-2-khaidi-no-150-jlk-dj-753526. 30 June 2020.
  10. News: Hooli. Shekhar H.. 10 September 2018. Tollywood box office report of 2018: highest grossing Telugu movies of year; List of hits and flops. 6 March 2021. IB Times. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920215058/https://www.ibtimes.co.in/2018s-tollywood-movies-box-office-collection-list-highest-grossing-telugu-films-year-780150. 20 September 2020.
  11. News: 'Tholi Prema': Five reasons to watch Venky Atluri's directorial debut starring Tej and Raashi Khanna. 6 March 2021. The Times of India. en.
  12. News: Varun Tej's space-thriller Antariksham 9000 KMPH wraps up its shoot. The Times of India. 17 October 2018. 8 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108173256/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/varun-tejs-space-thriller-antariksham-9000-kmph-wraps-up-its-shoot/articleshow/66029054.cms. live.
  13. News: 21 February 2020. Mahesh Babu playing extended cameo in 'F3'?. 6 March 2021. The News Minute. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405154008/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mahesh-babu-playing-extended-cameo-f3-118674. 5 April 2021.
  14. News: Vyas. 16 October 2019. Gaddalakonda Ganesh worldwide collections. 6 March 2021. Hans India. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028174211/https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/tollywood/gaddalakonda-ganesh-worldwide-collections-573124. 28 October 2020.
  15. News: Nyayapati. Neeshita. 4 January 2020. Varun Tej prepping up for #VT10 based on boxing. en. The Times of India. live. 20 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200105092140/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/varun-tej-prepping-up-for-vt10-based-on-boxing/articleshow/73096567.cms. 5 January 2020.
  16. News: Shooting of F3 underway in Hyderabad: Venkatesh joins the proceedingsa. en. The Times of India. live. 23 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201223112638/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/shooting-of-f3-underway-in-hyderabad-venkatesh-joins-the-proceedings/articleshow/79923877.cms. 23 December 2020.
  17. Web site: NS . Sukhjeevan Singh Dhillon makes his presence felt on screen with his debut Telugu film Ghani APN News . 28 April 2022 . 2022-04-29 . en-US.
  18. Web site: News . Nagpur . 2022-04-27 . Sukhjeevan Singh Dhillon's debut Tollywood film Ghani enters the OTT realm. . 2022-04-29 . Nagpur Today : Nagpur News . en-US . 27 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220427043345/https://www.nagpurtoday.in/sukhjeevan-singh-dhillons-debut-tollywood-film-ghani-enters-the-ott-realm/04271002 . live .
  19. Web site: Varun Tej pens an emotional note about Ghani. 123Telugu.com. 12 April 2022. 12 April 2022. 12 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220412101443/https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/varun-tej-pens-an-emotional-note-about-ghani.html. live.
  20. Web site: Lavanya Tripathi and Varun Tej are engaged. 10 June 2023 . 12 September 2023 . India Today .
  21. Web site: Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi look regal in red and golden in first pics from grand wedding in Italy. 2 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . Hindustan Times .
  22. Web site: Chiranjeevi welcomes Varun Tej-Lavanya Tripathi’s baby boy to Konidela family, shares photo . The Indian Express . 11 September 2025 . en-In . 10 September 2025.
  23. Web site: Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi's home decorated in flowers to welcome their baby boy. Watch . Hindustan Times . 15 September 2025 . en-In . 14 September 2025.
  24. News: Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi introduce son Vaayuv Tej Konidela, a name with spiritual significance . 2 October 2025 . Mint . 2 October 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20251002161601/https://www.livemint.com/entertainment/varun-tej-lavanya-tripathi-introduce-son-vaayuv-tej-konidela-a-name-with-spiritual-significance-11759410731298.html . 2 October 2025 . en.
  25. News: 2 October 2025 . Varun Tej-Lavanya Tripathi introduce son Vaayuv, share pics from naming ceremony . 2 October 2025 . India Today . en.
  26. Web site: Meet the 30 most influential social media stars of South cinema . 17 December 2022 . Forbes India . 10 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310062133/https://www.forbesindia.com/amp/article/south-celebrity-special-2021/meet-the-most-influential-social-media-stars-of-south-cinema/71017/1 . live .
  27. News: Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Men 2019: Vijay Deverakonda . 25 September 2020 . Times of India . en.
  28. News: Hyderabad Times 30 Most Desirable Men 2020: Hyderabad’s Diggin’ These Dishy Dudes . 27 September 2021 . Times of India . en.
  29. Web site: The 5 BEST Telugu Actors . 13 January 2016 . Radhika Rajamani . Rediff.com . 27 February 2019 .
  30. Web site: 26 April 2019. Venkatesh and Varun Tej dub for 'Aladdin' Telugu version. 2 July 2021. The Times of India. en.
  31. Web site: Gandeevadhari Arjuna Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos . 2023-07-27 . . en.
  32. News: 2022-09-19 . VT13: Varun Tej to play an IAF officer in his next, a Hindi-Telugu bilingual . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-07-27 . 0971-751X.
  33. Web site: Varun Tej and Manushi Chhillar to do 'Operation Valentine'!. 14 August 2023. Telugu Cinema . en.
  34. Web site: 2023-07-26 . VT14: Varun Tej to romance THIS Bollywood bombshell in his next film with director Karuna Kumar . 2023-07-27 . PINKVILLA . en.
  35. https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/varun-tejs-indo-korean-film-vt15-titled-korean-kanakaraju-10779291/amp/1
  36. https://kz.kursiv.media/en/2025-06-20/engk-nknk-bollywood-meets-south-korea-in-almaty/
  37. News: SIIMA 2016 nominations out – here is the list. The News Minute. 27 May 2016. 3 August 2017. 20 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170803135047/http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/siima-2016-nominations-out-%E2%80%93-here-list-43912. dead.
  38. Web site: Zee Telugu Golden Awards 2017 nomination list: Baahubali 2 gets highest nods, will Prabhas get an award? . IB Times . 19 December 2017.
  39. Zee Cine Awards Telugu 2018 . Zee Cine Awards Telugu. ZEE5. 27 January 2019.
  40. Web site: SIIMA Nominations: Here Is The Complete List Of Nominations For 2019 And 2020 . The Hans India . 30 August 2021.

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