Sai Kumar completes five decades as an actor, all set to make his Malayalam debut soon

From theatre to films to television and web shows, the veteran has proved his versatility across multiple mediums in several departments

Sai Kumar in his first ever performance as Duryodhana (left)

Veteran Sai Kumar, who completes 50 years as an actor today, is a multi-faceted personality who's discovered life through art regardless of the medium. Be it as a lead, villain or supporting actor, labels have hardly mattered to him and that explains why he's successfully lasted as a performer, consistently adapting with times. It was on October 20, 1972 that he'd first donned the grease point for a solo mythological play Mayasabha Duryodhana, held in Chennai (then Madras).

Duryodhana was a play hosted by Doctor Raja Rao Arts Memorial Academy (DRAMA), commemorating star comedian Raja Babu’s birthday five decades ago. Several bigwigs in the industry, including the legendary SV Ranga Rao, were witness to Sai Kumar's prowess as a performer, the actor's first ever act on the stage. Following the footsteps of his actor-father PJ Sarma, Sai Kumar's tryst with cinema began with NTR's Samsaram in 1975 as a (child) dubbing artist. He hasn't had to look back ever since.

His first brush with feature films as an actor was for the Sobhan Babu starrer Devudu Chesina Pelli and his emphatic journey in the industry had him making a mark in multiple languages including Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil. In the coming months, he's also set to make an appearance in a Malayalam film soon. Sai Kumar needs no introduction as a voice artist; he has also made his presence felt on the small-screen and forayed into the digital space with ZEE5's show Gaali Vaana, which garnered good responses all over.

Police Story in Kannada remains the most-celebrated film in the actor's career and his performance in Prasthanam continues to wow audiences even today. The two-time Nandi award winner, who's won several laurels for his performances in Telugu and Kannada cinema, is grateful to his parents for their encouragement all along. "I must thank my first-ever mentor Sri Kakarala, who guided me for my first play Mayasabha Duryodhana."

"The presence of thespians like SV Ranga Rao at the event and the several legends who blessed me have brought me this far. My voice is a gift that I attribute to my father and it's my mother who groomed me as a person. I will always be indebted to the support of my family, staff, fans, well-wishers and all of this would've been possible the blessings of the almighty," Sai Kumar added. He cites Tamil acting legend Sivaji Ganesan as his inspiration and thanks JV Ramana Murthy for training him as an actor.

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