# Dasari Arun Kumar (దాసరి అరుణ్ కుమార్)
**Dasari Arun Kumar** (దాసరి అరుణ్ కుమార్) is an Indian film actor known for his work predominantly in [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema), and the son of the veteran director, producer, and former Union Minister Dasari Narayana Rao.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/biography.html) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1) He made his acting debut as the lead in his father's Telugu film *Greeku Veerudu* (1998), later played lead roles through the 2000s without a commercial breakthrough, and since 2017 has worked mainly in supporting and villain roles.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/biography.html) • [3](https://telugucinema.com/news/dasari-arun-kumar-turns-villain)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debut | *Greeku Veerudu* (1998), directed and written by his father Dasari Narayana Rao, with Pooja Batra as the female lead[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/biography.html) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257733/fullcredits/) |
| Family | Son of Dasari Narayana Rao; his brother is Taraka Prabhu (also called Taraka Harihara Prabhu) and his sister is Hemalaya Kumari[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/310517/dasari-narayana-rao-ace-filmmaker-is-no-more.html) |
| Lead career | Films such as *Chinna* (2001), *Samanyudu* (2006), and *Aadi Vishnu* (2008) did not give him a commercial break[2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1) • [6](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/news/2007/sneha-dasai-arun-kumar-160707.html) |
| Best-remembered appearance | A special role in Krishna Vamsi's *Anthahpuram*[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/bouncing-back/articleshow/3275189.cms) |
| Later career | Villain in *Okka Kshanam* (2017); supporting roles in *Sailaja Reddy Alludu* (2018) and *Venky Mama* (2019, as Dora Babu)[3](https://telugucinema.com/news/dasari-arun-kumar-turns-villain) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1) |
## Debut and lead roles
Arun Kumar's entry into films came through his father. [Dasari Narayana Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/dasari-narayana-rao) directed and wrote *Greeku Veerudu*, a romantic drama released on 1 January 1998, casting his son opposite [Pooja Batra](https://www.edgepedia.org/pooja-batra), with [Brahmanandam](https://www.edgepedia.org/brahmanandam) in a supporting role and music by Deva.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257733/fullcredits/) • [8](https://www.moviebuff.com/greeku-veerudu-1998-telugu) The film did not establish him as a hero, and a 2007 report noted that his earlier films had not given him the desired break in Tollywood.[6](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/news/2007/sneha-dasai-arun-kumar-160707.html)
He continued to act in lead and central roles through the following decade: *Chinna* (2001) and *Orey Thammudu* (2001), *Kondaveeti Simhasanam* (2002), *Pelli Kosam* (2004), *Samanyudu* (2006, as Abhi, alongside [Jagapathi Babu](https://www.edgepedia.org/jagapathi-babu)), and *Tiger Harishchandra Prasad* (2003).[2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1) • [9](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar.html) *Chinna* was produced and directed by his father himself.[10](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/cinema/where-are-dasari-narayana-rao-sons-arun-kumar-prabhu-under-spotlight-after-dasari-ghat-neglect-controversy-248984)
**Adivishnu and the comeback attempt.** In 2008 he played the lead in *Aadi Vishnu* (also written *Adivishnu*), directed by Bharat Parepalli from a script written by Dasari Narayana Rao; the film was scheduled for release the month after a July 2008 profile described his career as one in which most films had proved box-office duds.[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/bouncing-back/articleshow/3275189.cms) A Telugu-language account states that the film also failed, after which his father stopped casting him as a full hero.[10](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/cinema/where-are-dasari-narayana-rao-sons-arun-kumar-prabhu-under-spotlight-after-dasari-ghat-neglect-controversy-248984) Despite producing more than 53 films under the Thaaraka Prabhu Films banner, Dasari Narayana Rao did not treat his son's launch as a dynastic project, according to a Telugu360 retrospective.[11](https://www.telugu360.com/legend-legacy-dasari-narayana-rao/)
In a 2018 interview, Arun Kumar took responsibility for the outcomes himself, saying that his father had wanted to establish him as a hero and that the failure was his, not his father's, adding that doubts born of those failures had held him back.[12](https://www.ap7am.com/tn/600872/teluguhtml)
## Shift to character and villain roles
After a gap, he returned in supporting and negative parts. In September 2017, TeluguCinema.com reported that he was playing the villain in [Allu Sirish](https://www.edgepedia.org/allu-sirish)'s film then being directed by Vi Anand, which became *Okka Kshanam* (released 28 December 2017).[3](https://telugucinema.com/news/dasari-arun-kumar-turns-villain) • [13](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/upcoming-movies.html) Cinejosh reported the same year that he would also sport a negative role in Chiranjeevi's *Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy*, and noted that his last screen appearance before this return had been *Samanyudu* (2006).[14](https://www.cinejosh.com/news/3/56998/dasari-son-gets-mega-opportunity.html) He subsequently appeared in *Sailaja Reddy Alludu* (2018) and as Dora Babu in *Venky Mama* (2019).[2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1)
## Family background
His father, Dasari Narayana Rao, was among the most prolific figures of Telugu cinema as director, producer, actor, lyricist, and dialogue writer, and died in [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad) on 30 May 2017 at the age of 75.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/310517/dasari-narayana-rao-ace-filmmaker-is-no-more.html) Arun Kumar is one of two sons, alongside Taraka Prabhu, with a sister, Hemalaya Kumari.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/310517/dasari-narayana-rao-ace-filmmaker-is-no-more.html)
## Legal incident
In January 2022, Hyderabad police took Arun Kumar into custody after a late-night incident in Jahranagar, near Road No. 10, Banjara Hills, in which, according to the ETV Andhra Pradesh report, he collided with two two-wheelers while driving a vehicle at speed under the influence of alcohol and was later moved to the Banjara Hills police station for questioning.[15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3skUz234Q)
## References
1. [Dasari Arun Kumar Biography, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/biography.html)
2. [Dasari Arun Kumar filmography, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/dasari-arun-kumar-1)
3. [Dasari Arun Kumar turns villain, TeluguCinema.com (Jalapathy Gudelli, 8 September 2017)](https://telugucinema.com/news/dasari-arun-kumar-turns-villain)
4. [Greeku Veerudu (1998) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257733/fullcredits/)
5. [Dasari Narayana Rao, ace filmmaker, is no more, Deccan Chronicle (31 May 2017)](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/310517/dasari-narayana-rao-ace-filmmaker-is-no-more.html)
6. [Sneha with Dasari Arun, FilmiBeat (17 August 2007)](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/news/2007/sneha-dasai-arun-kumar-160707.html)
7. [Bouncing back?, Times of India (25 July 2008)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/bouncing-back/articleshow/3275189.cms)
8. [Greeku Veerudu (1998), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/greeku-veerudu-1998-telugu)
9. [దాసరి అరుణ్ కుమార్ filmography, FilmiBeat Telugu](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar.html)
10. [Where Are Dasari Narayana Rao Sons Arun Kumar Prabhu Under Spotlight, ABP Desam (31 May 2026)](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/cinema/where-are-dasari-narayana-rao-sons-arun-kumar-prabhu-under-spotlight-after-dasari-ghat-neglect-controversy-248984)
11. [The Legend and the Legacy of Dasari Narayana Rao, Telugu360](https://www.telugu360.com/legend-legacy-dasari-narayana-rao/)
12. [ఆ ఫెయిల్యూర్ నాన్నగారిది కాదు.. కచ్చితంగా నాదే!: దాసరి అరుణ్ కుమార్, AP7AM (10 January 2018)](https://www.ap7am.com/tn/600872/teluguhtml)
13. [Dasari Arun Kumar Filmography, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/dasari-arun-kumar/upcoming-movies.html)
14. [Dasari's Son Gets Mega Opportunity!, Cinejosh (19 November 2017)](https://www.cinejosh.com/news/3/56998/dasari-son-gets-mega-opportunity.html)
15. [పోలీసుల అదుపులో నటుడు దాసరి అరుణ్ కుమార్, ETV Andhra Pradesh (20 January 2022)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3skUz234Q)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, 2000s onward › Surnames H to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license