Chandoo Mondeti is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. His successful films include Karthikeya (2014), Premam (2016), Karthikeya 2 (2022) and Thandel (2025). He is the recipient of a National Film Award and a Nandi Award.
Early life and career Chandoo Mondeti was born in Vemuluru near Kovvur in Andhra Pradesh.
He debuted as a director with Karthikeya in 2014. It was a mystery thriller film starring Nikhil Siddhartha and Swathi Reddy in the lead roles. The film revolves showcases the life of a curious medico Karthik who investigates the mystery surrounding a closed Karthikeya temple in the village of Subrahmanyapuram. An incident which happened in Talupulamma Temple in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh inspired Chandoo to pen the story of Karthikeya. The film released on 24 October 2014 as a Diwali release to positive reviews from critics, and collected more than , on a budget of .
He then directed Premam (2016), a remake of 2015 Malayalam film of the same name. The film was commercially successful. Later he directed Savyasachi (2018) starring Naga Chaitanya and Madhavan (in his Telugu debut) which did not perform well at the box office.
He later directed the crime drama film Bloody Mary (2022) stars Nivetha Pethuraj, Brahmaji, Ajay, and Kireeti Damaraju. Set in Visakhapatnam, the plot follows three orphaned childhood friends—Mary, Raju, and Basha who find themselves embroiled in a murder case. The film was digitally released in April 2022 on the streaming platform Aha.
His next project Karthikeya 2, the sequel to Karthikeya, was officially launched in March 2020 in Tirupati with a puja ceremony. Filming took place in India, predominantly in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, in addition to Spain, Portugal, and Greece in Europe. It starred Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Anupam Kher in prominent roles. Karthikeya 2 was released in August 2022 and received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing film in Chandoo's career.
He has collaborated with Chaitanya for the third time in Thandel, with Sai Pallavi playing the lead actress. It was released in February 2025.
Filmography Year Title DirectorWriter Ref2014 Karthikeya 2015Surya vs Surya2016 Premam2018Kirrak PartySavyasachi2022Bloody MaryKarthikeya 22025ThandelTBAVayuputraAnimated Sci fi film
Awards and nominations + Award Year Category Work Result Filmfare Awards South2015Best Director – TeluguKarthikeyaIIFA Utsavam2016Best Director – TeluguNandi Awards2014Best First Film of a DirectorNational Film Awards2024Best Telugu Feature FilmKarthikeya 2South Indian International Movie Awards2015Best Debut Director – TeluguKarthikeya2023Best Director – TeluguKarthikeya 2Sensation of the Year
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