Teja Sajja

Teja Sajja
Sajja in 2024
Born (1995-08-23) 23 August 1995 (age 29)[1]
India
OccupationActor
Years active1998–2009
2019–present

Teja Sajja (born 23 August 1995) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema.[2] He began his career as a child actor in Choodalani Vundi (1998) leading up to Boss (2006). As an adult, Sajja had a supporting role in Oh! Baby (2019). He has since played the lead roles in films such as Zombie Reddy (2021) and Hanu-Man (2024), latter being one of the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and ninth highest-grossing Telugu film worldwide.[3]

Early life

Teja was born on 23 August 1995 in a Telugu family.[4][5][6] He did his schooling at The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. Sajja entered the Telugu film industry at a very young age as a child artist and acted in many successful films, of which, most were produced by C. Aswini Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies.

Career

Sajja made his debut at the age of two in Choodalani Vundi (1998) and acted in over 20 films alongside leading actors in Telugu cinema.[7] These include Kalisundam Raa (2000), Yuvaraju (2000), Indra (2002), Tagore (2003), Gangotri (2003), Vasantam (2003), Samba (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Balu (2005) with actors Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Pawan Kalyan.[8][9][10][11] Sajja then made a comeback and played a supporting role in Oh! Baby (2019).[12]

His made debut in a lead role in Zombie Reddy (2021).[13] It is the first zombie film in Telugu cinema and received positive reviews from critics.[14] He also starred in Ishq: Not a Love Story alongside Priya Prakash Varrier which got mixed reviews. He completed his first sci-fi romantic film named Adbhutham alongside Shivani Rajashekar, which was released on Disney+ Hotstar, the same year.[15][16][17] He next worked in the Prasanth Varma's superhero film Hanu-Man (2024).[18] He will be next seen in another superhero film titled Mirai, which is scheduled to release in April 2025.[19]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Choodalani Vundi Rama Krishna's son
1999 Rajakumarudu Vengalla Rayudu
2000 Kalisundam Raa Sandeep
Yuvaraju Teja
Bachi Habibi
2001 Deevinchandi Siva's son
Prema Sandadi Siddu Sidhartha Roy
Akasa Veedhilo Ram and Lakshman
2002 Indra Young Indrasena Reddy
2003 Gangotri Young Simhadri
Ottesi Cheputunna Young Surya
Vasantam Young Ashok Bilingual film; Shot in Telugu and Tamil
Priyamaana Thozhi
Tagore Tagore's adopted son
2004 Adavi Ramudu Young Ramudu
Samba Chinna
2005 Balu Cherry
Naa Alludu Young Chandram / Young Suryam Dual role
Andarivaadu Govinda "Govindu" Raju Jr.
Chatrapathi Young Ashok
2006 Sri Ramadasu Raghunathudu
Astram Teja
Boss Young GK
2009 7 Days In Slow Motion Ravi Debut as lead actor; Bilingual film; Shot in Telugu and English
7 Rojullo
2019 Oh! Baby Rama Krishna “Rocky” Debut as adult actor
2021 Zombie Reddy Marripalem "Mario" Obul Reddy Debut as lead adult actor
Ishq Siddharth "Siddhu"
Adbhutham Surya
2024 Hanu-Man Hanumanthu
2025 Mirai † TBA Filming[20]

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes
2024 3rd IIFA Utsavam Host Gemini TV Television special[21]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Work Result Ref.
Cinegoers Association Awards 2004 Best Child Actor Gangotri Won [22]
Sakshi Excellence Awards 2022 Jury Special Debutant Lead Actor Of The Year Zombie Reddy Won [23]
South Indian International Movie Awards 2022 Most Promising Newcomer – Male Won [24][25]
Best Male Debut – Telugu Nominated
GAMA Awards 2024 Best Trending Actor Hanu-Man Won [26]
Radio City Cine Awards Telugu 2024 Best Actor in a Leading Role Won [27]
Dadasaheb Phalke MSK Trust Award 2024 Best Actor Won [28]

References

  1. ^ https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/a-rising-star-in-indian-cinema-922728
  2. ^ "Teja Sajja wraps up shooting and commences dubbing for Prasanth Varma's Zombie Reddy - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  3. ^ "HanuMan director Prasanth Varma says he 'wasted a lot of time' waiting for stars like Ram Charan, Allu Arjun and Jr NTR: 'Even if Tom Cruise comes to me…'". The Indian Express. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Teja Sajja busy with 4 projects in Tollywood". 123telugu.com. 31 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  5. ^ Shamanthula, Raju (19 November 2024). "A Rising Star in Indian Cinema". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Teja Sajja reveals a secret about Megastar Chiranjeevi's Indra - Times of India". The Times of India. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Tollywood Child Artist Teja Sajja Biography, News, Photos, Videos". nettv4u. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Teja Sajja reveals a secret about Megastar Chiranjeevi's Indra - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Child artiste Teja Sajja turns lead actor". Telugucinema.com. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Living the dream". The New Indian Express. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Former child artist and 'Oh Baby' actor Teja Sajja turns a male lead - Telugu News". IndiaGlitz.com. 23 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Oh! Baby' fame Teja Sajja turns hero in fantasy love flick". Telangana Today.
  13. ^ "Varun Tej heaps praise on Teja Sajja at 'Zombie Reddy' pre-release event - Times of India". The Times of India. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Zombie Reddy Movie Review: A desi zombie film complete with factions and lots of drama", The Times of India, archived from the original on 29 September 2022, retrieved 8 February 2021
  15. ^ Vyas (1 July 2020). "Shivani Rajashekar as Vennela". www.thehansindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Ishq: Not A Love Story Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes". Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  17. ^ "'Ishq: not a love story' review: A scathing indictment of moral policing". The Week. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  18. ^ Janani K. (25 June 2021). "Teja Sajja and Prasanth Varma's Hanu-Man goes on floors". India Today. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Teja Sajja's next film titled 'Mirai', makers unveil first-look poster". India Today. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  20. ^ "'Mirai': Glimpse of Manoj Manchu as Black Sword from Teja Sajja's film out". The Hindu. 20 May 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Rana Daggubati, Teja Sajja's joke on Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram upsets fans". India Today. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Telugu cinema news - AP cine goers awards list for excellence in Telugu cinema". www.idlebrain.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Winners - 2021 - Cinema Awards". www.sakshiexcellenceawards.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  24. ^ "SIIMA 2022 winner's list: Allu Arjun's Pushpa wins big in several categories". India Today. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  25. ^ "10th South Indian International Movie Awards: Pushpa wins big, check full list of winners - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Teja Sajja: తేజ సజ్జాకు మోస్ట్‌ పాపులర్‌ యాక్టర్‌ అవార్డు.. ఇది ఆరంభం మాత్రమే అంటూ పోస్ట్‌". EENADU (in Telugu). Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  27. ^ Shamanthula, Raju (19 November 2024). "A Rising Star in Indian Cinema". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  28. ^ https://www.etvbharat.com/te/!entertainment/telugu-young-hero-teja-sajja-won-dada-saheb-phalke-award-for-hanuman-movie-telugu-news-ten24100505383