Sumanth Opens Up on ANR’s Influence, Career Breaks and Films He Missed

Akkineni Sumanth, who made his silver-screen debut as the third-generation actor from the Akkineni family, has carved a distinct identity for himself by taking up both lead and special roles. Speaking about his journey, Sumanth recalled the strong influence of his grandfather, legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. He said that when his parents moved to the US during his childhood, ANR took responsibility for him, brought him up like his own son and encouraged him to make independent decisions. Inspired by his grandfather, Sumanth eventually chose cinema as his profession. He made his debut with Ram Gopal Varma’s Prema Katha and later earned recognition as a hero with Satyam. Sumanth also revealed that he continues to enjoy watching films in theatres and often watches morning shows while wearing a mask when he gets time away from shooting.

Sumanth said cinema remains an important part of his life and that his career breaks happened mainly because he did not come across stories that appealed to him. He revealed that he had missed out on Nuvve Kavali due to date issues and also listened to the story of Desamuduru, two films that went on to become successful. He expressed interest in exploring horror films and said he is open to supporting roles and even negative characters. Sumanth credited his uncle Nagarjuna for encouraging him during the early stages of his career, while describing Mahesh Babu as his favourite hero and a good friend. He also said he is an introvert and prefers to keep his personal life away from social media. Sumanth is currently gearing up to entertain audiences with Mahendragiri Varahi.