Aadarsh Balakrishna is an Indian actor, primarily known for his negative roles in Telugu films. He is also the runner-up of Telugu reality TV show Bigg Boss 1.Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (2010) "Poised to Win", The Hindu, 3 April 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2014
Early life Aadarsh was born on 10 February 1984 in Bangalore. His father, Balakrishna, is a businessman while his mother Uma is a homemaker. He has a younger sister, Apoorva, who is an architect. Aadarsh studied at Sophia High School, Bangalore until 3rd standard. His family then moved to Hyderabad, where he continued his schooling at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School and St. Andrews High School. He completed his graduation from Nizam College in 2005–06, majoring in commerce. He was a cricketer and nurtured an ambition to play for India. He represented Hyderabad in various state-level categories and also played for Osmania University.
Kannada film director Prashanth Neel, Sriimurali’s wife, Vidya, and Naresh's second wife, Ramya Raghupathi, are his cousins.
Career
Aadarsh Balakrishna initially aspired to become a cricketer and played at the state level during his teenage years. While training at St. John's Cricket Academy, he was discovered by Nagesh Kukunoor's team, who were searching for a real cricketer to play the role of 'Kamal' in the film Iqbal opposite Shreyas Talpade. After auditioning, he was cast in the role. Iqbal became a critical and commercial success and won a National Award in 2005, produced by Subhash Ghai's Mukta Searchlight Films.
Balakrishna's significant break in Telugu films came with the film Happy Days (2007), directed by Sekhar Kammula. He portrayed Sanjay, a senior bully in an engineering college setting, a role that established his presence as a 'bad guy' in Telugu cinema. He continued to build his career with successful films like Vinayakudu (2008), directed by Sai Kiran Avidi, and Ride (2009), directed by Ramesh Varma.
Balakrishna has worked with notable directors such as Nagesh Kukunoor, Sekhar Kammula, Gopichand Mallineni, and Ram Gopal Varma. He made his Kannada film debut in Nooru Janmaku, directed by national award-winning director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, where he played the second lead. Additionally, he appeared in Govindudu Andarivadele, directed by Krishna Vamsi and Ram Charan."I’d like to make a mark as baddie: Aadarsh Balakrishna", The Indian Express, 30 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014
Apart from his acting career, Balakrishna represents the Telugu Warriors in the Celebrity Cricket League and is considered one of their key players. He gained further recognition as the runner-up in the grand finale of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 1.
Balakrishna is set to play the role of an Indian Research and Analysis Wing agent in Ullu App's upcoming web series Peshawar, based on the 2014 Peshawar school massacre. His character is loosely based on the real-life hero known as 'Black Tiger'.
Filmography Film Note: All films are in Telugu, unless otherwise noted. +List of films and roles Year Title Role Notes 2005 Iqbal Kamal Hindi Film 2007 Happy Days Sanjay 2008 Vinayakudu Ananth Naidu 2009 Ride Gaja Evaraina Epudaina Raja 2010 Maro Charitra Maddy Maa Annayya Bangaram Nooru Janmaku Jeevan Kannada Film KSD Appalaraju Babu Garu 2011 Cricket Girls and Beer Vijay 2012 Genius Nizamuddin Bodyguard 2014 Nee Jathaga Nenundali Govindudu Andarivadele Baachi 2015 Superstar Kidnap Jai 2016 Seethamma Andalu Ramayya Sitralu Seetha's suitor Sarrainodu Paddam Veerendra Jaguar Arya Bilingual Kannada-Telugu Film 2017 Babu Baga Busy Chax Winner PSV Garuda Vega 2018 Vijetha Kiran Neevevaro Blind sculptor W/O Ram Rocky Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava Basi Reddy's henchman 2019 Chanakya RAW agent Ranarangam Seshu 2020Aswathama Jagadish V Sharath Colour Photo Chandu 2021Thank You Brother SuryaThimmarusu: Assignment Vali Anubhavinchu Raja2022Atithi Devo Bhava2023Ranga MaarthaandaRanga RaoShaakuntalam2024Mix UpSahoo2025Thalli ManasuCharan2026Euphoria Television +List of television shows and roles Year Show Role NetworkLanguage Result 2017 Bigg Boss 1 Contestant Star MaaTelugu Runner up - on day 70 2020 Avrodh Army Personnel SonyLIVHindi 2022–2023 Jhansi Sankeeth Disney+ Hotstar Telugu2024The Mystery of Moksha Island Rohit/Dinesh Disney+ Hotstar Telugu
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