OTTplay Awards 2022: Know Your Winners: Priyadarshi Pulikonda wins Emerging OTT star of the year - Male

Popular Telugu actor, comedian Priyadarshi Pulikonda earned the ‘Emerging OTT Star of the Year’ award (male category) at the recently held OTTPlay Awards 2022 in Mumbai. He bagged the award for his performances in two web shows, Loser 2 and Unheard. While Loser 2 is a sports drama, streaming on ZEE5 directed by Abhilash Reddy, Unheard is a conversation drama helmed by KV Aditya for Disney+ Hotstar.

About the winner

While Priyadarshi started his career with a negative role in Terror, he shot to fame with a breakthrough performance in the national-award winning film Pelli Choopulu. The film stabilised his position as a comedy actor in Telugu cinema but he constantly reinvented himself from time to time with appearances in hits like Jathi Ratnalu, Tholi Prema, Awe, F2, Mallesham and Mail, to name a few.

Accolades

Loser 2, the sports drama on ZEE5, had Priyadarshi playing an air rifle shooter who’s corrupted by success and fails to come to terms with reality and his relationships. The show was received well by critics and audiences alike. Unheard had him play a young extremist leader who fights for the freedom of the nation and is about to be hung. Both performances reflected his versatility as an actor.

Know Priyadarshi Pulikonda a little better

Priyadarshi had made several appearances in short films and had brief stints in production houses before he turned an actor with Terror. He was a University of Hyderabad passout with an avid passion for reading, culture, arts and cinema. After a successful beginning in cinema, he branched out to the OTT space with several acclaimed outings like Mail, In the Name of God, Unheard and Loser.

A heartfelt gratitude, straight from the winner's heart

“I am slightly nervous today to get the award on a national level amidst so many celebrities across industries. It literally feels like ‘Taare Zameen Par.’ OTTPlay has been a saviour for many in terms of navigating content in the digital space. I would say Internet is my Godfather. I heard a quote, ‘when a writer falls in love, you never die’ and I’ll thank all my writers for the award,” he said.

“I am grateful to the directors and producers who’ve made me stand here. For all those who’re watching from the Telugu land, if you truly believe in yourself and work hard, you can make it big and that’s why I am here today,” Priyadarshi added.

Upcoming films/web series/project

Priyadarshi was seen in films like Sita Ramam, Radhe Shyam and Oke Oka Jeevitham this year. His next release is a project alongside Anjali produced by Geetha Arts. He also plays a key role in Satyadev Kancharana’s Gurtunda Seethakalam.