M. S. Raju is an Indian film producer, director, and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is the founder and owner of the film production company Sumanth Art Productions. He won three Filmfare Awards South becoming the first producer to receive three consecutive Filmfare Awards for the films Okkadu (2003), Varsham (2004), and Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005). He also produced the successful films Sathruvu (1991), Devi (1999), Manasantha Nuvve (2001), and Nee Sneham (2002).
Early life M. S. Raju's father, Rayaparaju, owned hundreds of acres of land in erstwhile West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Rayaparaju sold all of their properties there and migrated to Madras. Producer Arjuna Raju, of Roja Movies, is a cousin of his father. Inspired by him, his father became a film producer and made five to six films.
Career M. S. Raju was interested in films right from his childhood. After completing his education, he started his career in films with the help of a friend. He made a film titled Manavadostunnadu (1987) with Arjun and Sobhana in the lead roles. His father's good will helped him in getting financiers.
He established a new production company called 'Sumanth Art Productions' named after his son. The first film made on the banner was Sathruvu (1991) starring Venkatesh, Vijayashanti, and Kota Srinivasa Rao and directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. M. S. Raju himself provided the basic story idea of the film and Satyamurthy was roped in as a writer to develop the storyline. The film was also dubbed into Tamil. Sathruvu was commercially successful in both Telugu and Tamil.
His next film was Police Lock-up (1993) starring Vijayashanti in a dual role. Police Lock-up also became a big hit. The Tamil dubbed version of the film was also successful. His next film was Street Fighter starring Vijayashanti with B. Gopal as the director. Street Fighter was a box-office disaster.
His upcoming film Agadha is being directed by him. The teaser of the film was released on 7 May 2026.https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/tollywood/agadha-teaser-unveiled-ms-raju-promises-a-grand-visual-wonder-1073193
Personal life M. S. Raju has two children son Sumanth Ashwin and daughter Rishita. Rishita was born before the release of Devi (1999) and there is 11-year gap between Sumanth and Rishita. Sumanth Ashwin made his acting debut with the film Tuneega Tuneega (2012), under M. S. Raju's direction.
Filmography
As producer Year Title 1991 Sathruvu 1993 Police Lockup 1995 Street Fighter 1999 Devi2001 Devi Putrudu Manasantha Nuvve 2002 Nee Sneham 2003 Okkadu 2004 Varsham 2005 Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana 2006 Pournami 2007 Aata 2008 Vaana 2009 Maska
As director Year Title Notes 2008 Vaana Remake of Mungaru Male 2012 Tuneega Tuneega 2020 Dirty Hari 2022 7 Days 6 Nights2023Malli Pelli2026Agadha
Awards Filmfare Awards Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) - Okkadu (2003) Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) - Varsham (2004) Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) - Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005)
Nandi Awards Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - Okkadu (2003) Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005)
References
External links