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J. D. Chakravarthy Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth16 April 1970

Age53 Years

BirthplaceHyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana)

ProfessionActor, Film Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Music Composer, Singer

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

SpouseAnukriti Sharma

FamilyFather - Nagulapati Suryanarayana Rao; Mother - Prof. Dr Kovela Shantha; Sister - Vijayanthi

J. D. Chakravarthy Biography

J. D. Chakravarthy is an Indian actor, filmmaker and musician whose career spans Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. He came to wide notice

Early life and background

Nagulapati Srinivasa Chakravarthy, known professionally as J. D. Chakravarthy, was born on 16 April 1970 in Hyderabad (then Andhra Pradesh, now Telangana). He spent his childhood in Rajahmundry and later attended schools in Hyderabad, including St. George’s Grammar School and Cambridge Junior College. He went on to study engineering at Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology and holds a Bachelor of Engineering. Chakravarthy has described himself as a vegetarian from a young age.

Career

Chakravarthy built a diverse career across multiple film industries as an actor, producer, director, screenwriter, music composer and singer. He made his Telugu film debut in 1989 with Shiva, appearing as J. Durga Rao/JD. Over the following decades he worked in Telugu titles such as Lathi (1992), Money Money (1994), Gulabi (1995), Homam (2008), Dynamite (2015) and Hippi (2019).

His work outside Telugu cinema includes early Hindi roles like Prem Qaidi (1991) and the breakthrough performance that brought him wider recognition in the Hindi-speaking market with Satya (1998). Later Hindi appearances include Vaastu Shastra (2004), Aag (2007), Ek Villain Returns (2022) and Dahini – The Witch (2022). Chakravarthy has also worked in Tamil films including Prathap (1993), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Sarvam (2009), Kacheri Arambam (2010) and Kaari (2022). His Malayalam film credits include Ennodishtam Koodamo (1992, debut), Bhaskar the Rascal (2015), Shikhamani (2016) and Mikhael (2019). In Kannada he appeared in Oppanda (2019) as Chakri.

Beyond acting, Chakravarthy has taken on producing, directing and writing responsibilities. He produced films such as Pape Naa Pranam (1998) and the Hindi title Durga (2002). In 2006 he directed segments for and worked on Hindi projects such as Darna Zaroori Hai (segment: A Bride’s Revenge) and Darwaaza Bandh Rakho. As writer-director in Telugu he contributed to Homam (2008), Sidham (2009), Money Money, More Money (2011) and All the Best (2012).

In the streaming era he appeared in recent web series roles: the Hindi series Taaza Khaba (2023) on Disney+ Hotstar and the Telugu series Dayaa (2023), where he played the lead role, also on Disney+ Hotstar.

Public profile

Chakravarthy has received recognition for his work across languages. His honors include a Nandi Special Jury Award for Gulabi in 1996, a Screen Award Special Jury Award for Satya in 1998, and festival awards in 2023 for his work in Dahini – The Witch.

His family background is artistic: his mother, Dr. Kovela Shantha, is a Carnatic singer, and his father is Nagulapati Suryanarayana Rao. He has an elder sister named Vijayanthi. Chakravarthy has cited actor Chiranjeevi among his favourites and lists cricket and several Indian cricketers among his interests.

Personal life

Chakravarthy’s personal life has been public at times. He married Anukriti Sharma in 2016; his marital status is listed as divorced. Media coverage over the years has also referenced friendships and reported disagreements with colleagues. He has addressed media speculation on personal relationships directly in interviews.

Latest updates

In 2019 Chakravarthy promoted his film Hippi and drew attention for a memorable response to an audience question. More recently he has continued acting in web series and films: Dayaa (2023) and Taaza Khaba (2023) on Disney+ Hotstar, and Dahini – The Witch (2022), which brought him festival recognition in 2023.

Chakravarthy remains active across multiple regional film industries, balancing acting with work behind the camera as a producer, director and writer.
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Recent Work

Dayaa

Telugu web series (lead role); streamed on Disney+ Hotstar

2023
Taaza Khaba

Hindi web series as Shetty; streamed on Disney+ Hotstar

2023
Dahini – The Witch

Hindi film; received festival awards in 2023

2022
Hippi

Telugu film; promotion in 2019 noted for a memorable public moment

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted in Telugu cinema with Shiva (1989)
  2. Breakthrough Hindi role in Satya (1998)
  3. Worked across Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada industries as actor and filmmaker
  4. Nandi Special Jury Award (1996) and Screen Award Special Jury Award (1998)
  5. Festival awards in 2023 for Dahini – The Witch
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was J. D. Chakravarthy born?

16 April 1970

What is J. D. Chakravarthy known for?

Actor, Film Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Music Composer, Singer

What is J. D. Chakravarthy’s marital status?

Divorced

Who is J. D. Chakravarthy married to?

Anukriti Sharma