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Puri Jagannadh Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth28 September 1966

Age56 Years

BirthplacePithapuram, Andhra Pradesh

ProfessionFilmmaker, Actor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseLavanya

FamilySon - Akash Puri; Daughter - Pavithra; Father - Simhachalam (died 2010); Brothers - Petla Uma Sankara Ganesh, Sairam Shankar

Puri Jagannadh Biography

Puri Jagannadh is an Indian filmmaker and actor from Andhra Pradesh. Active since the late 1980s, he has directed and produced films across Telugu, Hindi,和

Early life and background

Petla Puri Jagannadh was born on 28 September 1966 in Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh, and grew up in the village of Bapiraju Kothapalli in Anakapalli district. He completed his schooling at St. Theresa High School, Pedda Boddapalli, and graduated from A. M. A. L. College in Anakapalli. Jagannadh belongs to the Koppula Velama community, categorized among the Other Backward Classes in Andhra Pradesh, and practices Hinduism.

Career

Jagannadh began his film career assisting established filmmakers, including work with Ram Gopal Verma. He first appeared on screen in 1989 with a special appearance in the song “Botany” from the film Shiva. He made his directorial debut in Telugu cinema with Badri (2000). That film was later remade in Hindi by Jagannadh himself as Shart: The Challenge (2004).

Over the years he has directed more than forty films across Telugu, Kannada and Hindi cinema. Notable Telugu directorials include Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi (2003), 143 (2004), Pokiri (2006), Heart Attack (2014), Mehbooba (2018) and iSmart Shankar (2019). In Kannada cinema he directed Yuvaraja (2001) and launched Puneeth Rajkumar in Appu (2002), a film credited with boosting the actor’s career.

Jagannadh has also produced films, with credits including Idiot (2002) as a producer. He wrote the story for and directed the 2011 Bollywood film Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap, starring Amitabh Bachchan; that film’s material was later archived by the Academy’s library.

Alongside directing and producing, Jagannadh has taken on acting roles and cameos in a number of projects. He played small parts such as a taxi driver in Businessman (2012), a biker in Temper, and Govardhan in the 2022 film Godfather. He has made cameo appearances in Ye Maaya Chesave (2010), Ism (2016), iSmart Shankar (2019) and Liger (2022).

Business ventures and production

Jagannadh co-owns multiple production outfits. His companies include Puri Jagannadh Touring Talkies, Vaishno Academy and Puri Connects, which he runs with former actor Charmme Kaur. He also owns a music company called Puri Sangeet.

Public profile

Jagannadh has received several industry awards over his career. His accolades include Nandi Awards for story writing and dialogue writing, Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu and Santosham Best Director Awards. The film Pokiri earned him multiple honors, including a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film. He is known for a prolific output in Telugu commercial cinema and for launching or boosting the careers of actors in multiple languages.

He shares aspects of his views and personality through a podcast titled Puri Musings, which he publishes on his YouTube channel.

Personal life

Jagannadh married Lavanya on 6 September 1996. The couple has two children: a son, Akash Puri, who is an actor, and a daughter, Pavithra. His father, Simhachalam, died in 2010. He has two brothers: Petla Uma Sankara Ganesh, who is active in politics as an MLA with the YSR Congress Party, and actor Sairam Shankar.

Physical profile

Jagannadh’s height is listed at about 172 cm (5'8") and his weight around 65 kg (143 lbs). He has black eyes and black hair. He is known to have tattoos on his left hand near the thumb and on his right bicep.

Controversies and public disputes

Jagannadh has been involved in several public disputes and controversies. He and partner Charmme Kaur were charged by authorities over alleged violations of FEMA norms related to investment in the film Liger; investigations traced funds that were routed through Dubai before being returned as film financing. He has also filed a complaint over unpaid remuneration against producer D. V. V. Danayya, and in 2022 received threats from distributors following Liger’s commercial failure, after which he sought police protection. In 2020 he attracted attention for remarks on marriage made on his podcast, where he described the institution as outdated in the context of prioritizing creative ambition.

Latest updates

In 2022 Jagannadh released the bilingual film Liger in Hindi and Telugu; the film was also dubbed into Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. He appeared in the 2022 film Godfather in a supporting role. He continues to work as a director, writer, producer and occasional actor while managing his production and music businesses and producing content for his podcast.
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Recent Work

Liger

Bilingual film released in 2022 in Hindi and Telugu; later dubbed into Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.

2022
Godfather

Appeared as the character Govardhan in the 2022 film.

2022
Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap

Directed and wrote the story for the 2011 Bollywood film starring Amitabh Bachchan; the film's material was archived by the Oscar library.

2011
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Career Highlights

  1. Directorial debut with Badri (2000)
  2. Directed Pokiri (2006), which earned multiple awards
  3. Directed films across Telugu, Kannada and Hindi cinema and launched notable actors
  4. Wrote and directed Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap (2011)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Puri Jagannadh born?

28 September 1966

What is Puri Jagannadh known for?

Filmmaker, Actor

What is Puri Jagannadh’s marital status?

Married

Who is Puri Jagannadh married to?

Lavanya