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Ayyappa P Sharma Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth23 January

BirthplaceChennai, Tamil Nadu

ProfessionActor, Director, Screenwriter

NationalityIndian

FamilyFather - P. J. Sarma; Mother - Krishna Jyothi Pudipeddi; Siblings - P. Sai Kumar, P. Ravi Shankar, Kamala Narayan, Priya Karthikeyan

Ayyappa P Sharma Biography

Ayyappa P Sharma is an Indian actor, director and screenwriter known for his work in Kannada and Telugu cinema. From a family with deep roots in film, he’s

Early life and background

Ayyappa P Sharma was born on 23 January in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, into a family active in South Indian cinema. His father, Pudipeddi Jogeswara Sarma (known as P. J. Sarma), worked as a dubbing artist, actor and writer across Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. His mother, Krishna Jyothi Pudipeddi, was an actress noted for appearances in films from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ayyappa grew up with four siblings, including brothers P. Sai Kumar and P. Ravi Shankar, both of whom followed careers as dubbing artists, actors, directors and writers. He received training in music, dance and acting during his upbringing.

Career

Ayyappa P Sharma has built a multi-hyphenate career as an actor, director and screenwriter, primarily in the Kannada and Telugu film industries. He began his career in the mid-1990s, debuting as a screenwriter and director on the Kannada film Aayudha (1996). After formal education he joined Jyothi Movie Makers in Hyderabad in October 1997 and worked there as a director until July 1998.

In 1998 he produced and directed Eswar Allah, a film that received recognition at the Nandi Awards for its contribution to national integration. He went on to direct Kannada features such as Durgada Huli (2000), Veera (2013) and Varadhanayaka (2013). His directing work has included both feature films and television; he served as a director of television serials at Sonopix Productions Private Ltd from May 2008 to November 2009 and held director roles with production outfits including Eagle Entertainers in Chennai, Shankar Productions and Vistarah Transmedia Private Ltd.

As an actor, Ayyappa has a range of credits across Kannada and Telugu films. He appeared in the Kannada film Partha (2003) as Kitty and later acted in Gharshane (2014), Master Piece (2015) and Tiger Galli (2017). His Telugu appearances include Slokam (2005), Lacchimdeviki O Lekkundi (2016) and Aravindha Sametha (2018). In 2019 he played the antagonist Veerappa Nayaka in the Kannada action drama Bharaate, sharing the screen with his brothers P. Sai Kumar and P. Ravi Shankar.

Ayyappa reached a wider, pan-Indian audience through his role as Vanaram in the K.G.F. film series, appearing in K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) and K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022). In that series he portrayed the commander and bodyguard assigned to protect an heir of the Kolar Gold Fields. He also played the Tantrik Prachanda in the 2021 Telugu action drama Akhanda.

Beyond film production and acting, Ayyappa served as Executive Vice President of the Movie Artists Association in Hyderabad for a year. Between 2010 and 2012 he represented the Telugu Warriors in the Celebrity Cricket League, an amateur men’s cricket competition featuring film personalities.

Public profile

Ayyappa is listed at approximately 175 cm (1.75 m or 5'9") in height, with black eyes and black hair. He is associated with the Kannada and Telugu film industries and is identified as Indian by nationality. His hometown is given as Bengaluru, Karnataka, though he was born in Chennai.

Family and personal notes

Ayyappa comes from a cinematic family. His parents met through stage work; his mother stepped away from acting after marriage. His mother passed away at age 66 and his father died of a heart attack at age 81 on 14 December 2014. His siblings include Kamala Narayan and Priya Karthikeyan in addition to brothers Sai Kumar and Ravi Shankar, all part of a household with strong ties to performance and film crafts.

Latest updates

Recent notable appearances include Vanaram in K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) and the role of Prachanda in Akhanda (2021). His filmography also lists contributions as director and actor across both Kannada and Telugu projects through the 2010s and early 2020s.
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Recent Work

K.G.F: Chapter 2

Played Vanaram, the commander-cum-bodyguard in the pan-India action drama sequel.

2022
Akhanda

Portrayed Prachanda, a Tantrik, in this Telugu action drama.

2021
Bharaate

Played the antagonist Veerappa Nayaka in this Kannada action-drama.

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Directed and produced Eswar Allah, which won Nandi Awards for national integration (1998).
  2. Directed Kannada films including Durgada Huli (2000), Veera (2013) and Varadhanayaka (2013).
  3. Acted in K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) and K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) as Vanaram.
  4. Served as Executive Vice President of the Movie Artists Association in Hyderabad.
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ayyappa P Sharma born?

23 January

What is Ayyappa P Sharma known for?

Actor, Director, Screenwriter