Chandoo Mondeti

Chandoo Mondeti
Born
Vemuluru, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupations
  • Film director
  • Screenwriter
SpouseSujatha
Children2

Chandoo Mondeti is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He has directed films like Karthikeya (2014), Premam (2016), Bloody Mary (2022).[1] For his work on Karthikeya, he was nominated for Best Director – Telugu at the 62nd Filmfare Awards South and the 1st IIFA Utsavam.[2] He fetched the Best Feature Film in Telugu for Karthikeya 2 at the 70th National Film Awards.[3]

Early life and career

Chandoo Mondeti was born in Vemuluru near Kovvur in Andhra Pradesh.

He debuted as a director with Karthikeya in 2014. It was a mystery thriller film starring Nikhil Siddhartha and Swathi Reddy in the lead roles. The film revolves showcases the life of a curious medico Karthik who investigates the mystery surrounding a closed Karthikeya temple in the village of Subrahmanyapuram.[4][5] An incident which happened in Talupulamma Temple in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh inspired Chandoo Mondeti to pen the story of Karthikeya. The film released on 24 October 2014 as a Diwali release to positive reviews from critics, and collected more than ₹20 crore, on a budget of ₹4–6 crore.[6][7][8]

He then directed Premam (2016), a remake of 2015 Malayalam film of the same name. The film was commercially successful. Later he directed Savyasachi (2018) starring Naga Chaitanya and Madhavan (in his Telugu debut) which did not perform well at the box office.

He later directed the crime drama film Bloody Mary (2022) stars Nivetha Pethuraj, Brahmaji, Ajay, and Kireeti Damaraju. Set in Visakhapatnam, the plot follows three orphaned childhood friends—Mary, Raju, and Basha who find themselves embroiled in a murder case. The film was digitally released on 15 April 2022 on the streaming platform Aha.

His next project Karthikeya 2, the sequel to Karthikeya, was officially launched in March 2020 in Tirupati with a puja ceremony.[9] Filming took place in India, predominantly in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, in addition to Spain, Portugal, and Greece in Europe.[10][11] It starred Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Anupam Kher in prominent roles. Karthikeya 2 was released in August 2022 and received positive reviews from critics and became the highest grossing film in Chandoo Mondeti's career.[12][13]

His next project Thandel, starring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in the lead roles, is underway. The lead actors are filming a Shivaratri song in a specially constructed set.

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Ref
2014 Karthikeya Yes Yes
2015 Surya vs Surya No Dialogues
2016 Premam Yes Dialogues [14]
2018 Kirrak Party No Dialogues [15]
Savyasachi Yes Yes [16]
2022 Bloody Mary Yes No
Karthikeya 2 Yes Yes
2025 Thandel † Yes Yes [17]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2015 62nd Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Telugu Karthikeya Nominated
4th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Debut Director – Telugu Nominated
2016 1st IIFA Utsavam Best Direction Nominated
2023 11th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Director – Telugu Karthikeya 2 Nominated
2024 70th National Film Awards Best Telugu Feature Film Won

References

  1. ^ "Telugu remake of Malayalam Movie Premam". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Naga Chaitanya Breaks Through In Telugu Romantic Comedy 'Premam' In India And The U.S."
  3. ^ "70th National Film Awards full winners list: Aattam wins Best Film, Rishab Shetty is Best Actor, KGF 2 and Kantara bag top honours". 16 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Karthikeya will be a suspense drama". The Times of India. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Karthikeya 2: Nikhil Siddharth's film to on floors from this date". The Times of India. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ^ "'Karthikeya', 'Pooja', 'Happy New Year', 'Ishq Wala Love' Set for Big Clash at Box Office". International Business Times India. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  7. ^ "'Karthikeya' Movie Review: Comic Quotient Thrills Viewers". International Business Times India. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  8. ^ Kavirayani, Suresh (6 November 2014). "First time lucky". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 14 July 2022. Karthikeya is a phenomenal hit. Made on a budget of 4 crore.....
  9. ^ "Sequel to Nikhil Siddhart's Karthikeya goes on floors". The Times of India. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Karthikeya 2 remains unaffected by COVID-19". Deccan Chronicle. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Nikhil Karthikeya 2 Shooting: నిఖిల్ 'కార్తికేయ 2' షూటింగ్‌పై మేజర్ అప్‌డేట్." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). 24 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Nikhil Siddhartha's Karthikeya 2 to get showcased on OTT soon. Check out when, where". The Economic Times. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022. The movie has received rave reviews from both audiences and critics. According to critics, the film has been described as an "engaging adventure" and an "adventure ride," which offers great content while being a visual treat.
  13. ^ "Karthikeya 2 gives tough competition to Laal Singh Chaddha, Raksha Bandhan, shows 300% growth in North India". DNA India. Retrieved 16 August 2022. Karthikeya 2 has already won rave reviews, and now it's winning North India as well.
  14. ^ "'Premam' made me a responsible filmmaker: Chandoo Mondeti". Business Standard India. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Nikhil's Kirrak Party First Look Poster Talk". The Hans India. 2 December 2017.
  16. ^ "'Savyasachi is shaping up so well': Director Chandoo Mondeti". The News Minute. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Naga Chaitanya's next with Chandoo Mondeti titled 'Thandel'". The Hindu. 22 November 2023.


Stub icon

This article about an Indian film director is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.