Born in
Tiflis, in a wealthy Armenian family, Sundukian learned both classical and modern Armenian, French, Italian and Russian, studied at the
University of Saint-Petersburg, where he wrote a dissertation on the principles of Persian versification. Then he returned to Tiflis and entered the civil service. In 1854–58 he was banished to
Derbend (
Dagestan,
Russia). Subsequently, he returned to Tiflis and stayed there until his death. In 1863, the Armenian theatre company of Tiflis staged his first play, ''Sneezing at Night's Good Luck
. His well-known play Pepo
(1871) was made into the first Armenian talkie in 1935. Another famous film based on his work is Khatabala'' (1971). The
Sundukian State Academic Theatre in Yerevan is named in his honor. The Armenian church in Derbent was built in 1870 or 1871 using the project drawn by Sundukian in the 1850s. The church is currently a listed building. ==Plays==