1971–1995: Debut and early career Venkatesh first appeared as a child actor in the 1971 film
Prema Nagar. His first film as a full-fledged lead was
K. Raghavendra Rao-directed
Kaliyuga Pandavulu (1986), alongside
Khushbu Sundar which was a debut for both of them. The film won him a
Nandi Special Jury Award. He later worked on films like
Abbayigaru (1993),
Super Police (1994),
Muddula Priyudu (1994),
Pokiri Raja (1995) and
Taqdeerwala (1995). Venkatesh was so successful at the prime of his career that his name was tagged with ‘Victory’ to be rechristened as Victory Venkatesh.
1996–2012: Critical and commercial success In 1996, he portrayed an honest lawyer in
Dharma Chakram, which won him both the
Nandi Award and
Filmfare Award South. Later that year, he played a husband struggling between two wives in the
E. V. V. Satyanarayana directed hit
comedy drama Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu. The following year, he starred in the
romantic action film
Preminchukundam Raa. The film, which was one of the first portrayals of
factionalism in
Rayalaseema region, was a big commercial success. In
Ganesh (1998), he played a person fighting the ills of the Indian public healthcare system. His 1999
drama film Raja, where he plays a small time thief who is reformed by his love was also well received by the audience. In 2001, Venkatesh starred in the
romantic comedy Nuvvu Naaku Nachav which was a critical and commercial success. The success continued with
Malliswari (2004), his second collaboration with director
K. Vijaya Bhaskar after
Nuvvu Naaku Nachav.
2013–present: Multi-starrers and experimental roles Venkatesh is known for his multi-starrers in Telugu cinema. He has balanced lead roles with supporting characters, with both senior actors and upcoming actors. In 2013, Venkatesh co-starred alongside
Mahesh Babu in the critically acclaimed
drama Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu. The film was one of the first Telugu major
multi-starrer films after many years. Subsequently, Venkatesh went on to feature in other multi-starrers such as
Masala (2013)
, Gopala Gopala (2015) and
F2: Fun and Frustration (2019).
F2 grossed over and ended up as one of the
highest-grossing Telugu films of 2019. Venkatesh's performance in
Drushyam (2014) received several accolades from the critics. He portrayed a strict boxing coach in the
Sudha Kongara's
sports drama Guru in 2017. Later in 2019, he starred in
Venky Mama, alongside his nephew
Naga Chaitanya. The film was a profitable venture, grossing more than worldwide. In the same year, he dubbed in Telugu for the Genie in
Alladin. His 2021 film
Narappa was released on
Amazon Prime, which marked his first direct-to-OTT released. In 2022, the sequel to
F2,
F3: Fun and Frustration, released to a fairly positive reception from the critics and audience. In 2024, Venkatesh made his first ever pan-Indian film debut with
Saindhav, directed by
Sailesh Kolanu. In 2025, he reunited with Anil Ravipudi and Dil Raju on the comedy,
Sankranthiki Vasthunam, becoming the highest-grossing film in Venkatesh' career and the highest-grossing comedy in Telugu cinema. == Endorsements ==