Nani

Born: 1984-02-24 • Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Ghanta Naveen Babu, known professionally by the mononym Nani, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television presenter who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Born on February 24, 1984, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana), he graduated from Wesley Degree College in Secunderabad. Deeply passionate about filmmaking, he worked as a radio jockey for World Space Satellite and served as an assistant director under veteran filmmakers Bapu and Srinu Vaitla before transitioning in front of the camera.

He made his acting debut with Mohana Krishna Indraganti's acclaimed romantic comedy *Ashta Chamma* (2008) and gained his commercial breakthrough with Nandini Reddy's *Ala Modalaindi* (2011). Known for his effortless, grounded acting style and emotive range, he earned widespread popularity with prominent roles in *Pilla Zamindar* (2011), S. S. Rajamouli's fantasy epic *Eega* (2012), and Gautham Vasudev Menon's romance *Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu* (2012). Over the following decade, he solidified his reputation as a bankable mainstream star and one of Telugu cinema's most dependable performers, headlining critical and commercial hits such as *Yevade Subramanyam* (2015), *Bhale Bhale Magadivoy* (2015), *Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha* (2016), *Gentleman* (2016), *Nenu Local* (2017), *Ninnu Kori* (2017), *Middle Class Abbayi* (2017), the widely celebrated sports drama *Jersey* (2019), *Nani's Gang Leader* (2019), *Shyam Singha Roy* (2021), *Ante Sundaraniki* (2022), the rural period drama *Dasara* (2023), the emotional drama *Hi Nanna* (2023), and the vigilante action thriller *Saripodhaa Sanivaaram* (2024).

A recipient of two Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards South (including Best Actor for *Dasara* and two Critics Awards for Best Actor for *Bhale Bhale Magadivoy* and *Shyam Singha Roy*), and multiple SIIMA Awards, Nani is widely recognized for his versatility across slice-of-life, drama, and high-octane genres. Beyond acting, he hosted the reality television show *Bigg Boss Telugu 2* (2018) and established his production banner Wall Poster Cinema, backing critically acclaimed and commercially successful ventures including *Awe* (2018), *HIT: The First Case* (2020), *HIT: The Second Case* (2022), and *Court – State vs a Nobody* (2025).