# Sivaji
**Sivaji Raja** (శివాజీ రాజా), also credited as **Shivaji Raja**, is a Telugu comedian and character actor whose screen career runs from the late 1980s into 2026, and who is best known for the sitcom *Amrutham* and for supporting comic roles in more than three decades of [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) • [2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) He is a former president of the Movie Artistes' Association (MAA).[3](https://telugu.samayam.com/tv/news/actor-sivaji-raja-talks-about-his-smoking-habit-and-chiranjeevi/articleshow/121058551.cms)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Sivaji Raja / Shivaji Raja (శివాజీ రాజా)[2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) |
| Born | 1962 in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh; 26 February per most databases, 29 July on DejaScene[2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) |
| Profession | Telugu comedian and actor[2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) |
| Known for | Victory (1996), Villain (2002), Neevevaro (2018); Amrutha Rao in Amrutham[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) • [2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) |
| Credit count | 97 (Plex), 106 (DejaScene), 101 acting credits (IMDb), or "more than 400 films" (Moviebuff, Cinetown)[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) • [6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja) • [7](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja) |
| Television | Amrutham (313 episodes), Amrutam, Alasyam Amrutham Visham, Mr. Romeo, Pandu Mirapakai, Papam Padmanabham, Moguds Pellams[8](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/585567-shivaji-raja?language=en-US) • [6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja) |
| Recognition | Four Nandi Awards and a Santosham Film Award, per Moviebuff and Cinetown[6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja) • [7](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja) |
| 2024–2026 credits | Saripodhaa Sanivaaram (2024), Hathya, Raju Weds Rambai, Karmanye Vadhikaraste (2025), Vanaveera, Ugly Story, Mr. Work from Home, Panchanama (2026)[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) • [9](https://trendimovies.com/person/585567) |
## Identity and disambiguation
Databases describe him as "a Telugu comedian and actor", and record the alternate spelling Shivaji Raja alongside the Telugu-script form శివాజీ రాజా.[2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) • [5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) The name is shared by others in Telugu cinema, so conflation is a real risk: IMDb maintains a separate record, Sivaji Raja (II), credited only as composer of *Raman Sreeraman* (1985) and *Bava Marudula Sawal* (1988), which is a different person from the actor profiled here.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356596/) Whether this actor is the same man as the Telugu actor Tadikonda Siva Raja of *[Missamma](https://www.edgepedia.org/missamma)* cannot be settled from the available databases, which do not address the question.
## Early life and disputed details
All databases agree that he was born in 1962 in [Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhimavaram-andhra-pradesh), India. Most give the date as 26 February 1962: the MovieDB Browser, TrendiMovies, TMDB, and Plex all print it.[2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) • [9](https://trendimovies.com/person/585567) • [8](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/585567-shivaji-raja?language=en-US) • [5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) DejaScene alone lists 29 July 1962, in the same birthplace.[4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) No primary or self-reported source has settled the discrepancy. His debut year is likewise unresolved: [Grokipedia](https://www.edgepedia.org/grokipedia) states he began with a supporting role in *Sankharavam* (1987),[11](https://grokipedia.com/page/Sivaji_Raja) while dated filmographies begin with *Kallu* (1988) and *Ontari Poratam* (1989, as Bose).[4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja)
## Film career: comedy and character roles
He built his career inside the Telugu supporting-comic economy. A commentary carried by Telangana Today calls the 1980s and 1990s the "golden era for comedy in Telugu industry", a period when comedians became, in the words of Mamidi Harikrishna, Director of the Department of Language and Culture, effectively mandatory in every hit film.[12](https://telanganatoday.com/comedy-through-the-decades-of-telugu-cinema)
Within that economy he accumulated a long run of supporting parts. Named early roles include Amurtha Rao in *Bobbili Raja* (1990) and [Zaheer Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/zaheer-khan) in *[Aithe](https://www.edgepedia.org/aithe)* (2003).[4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) IMDb and Cinetown list further titles across the decades: *Victory* (1996), *Sisindri* (1995), *Ugadi* (1997), *Pelli Peetalu* (1998), *Samudram* (1999), *Villain* (2002), *Maayajaalam* (2006), *Devaraya* (2012), *Chammak Challo* (2013), and *Nakshatram* (2017).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) • [7](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja) IMDb singles out *Victory* (1996), *Villain* (2002), and *Neevevaro* (2018) as the films he is most associated with, though it does not explain why those three in particular.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) He also appeared in ten-plus films in 2018 alone, including *Jai Simha*, *Bhaagamathie*, *MLA*, *[Nela Ticket](https://www.edgepedia.org/nela-ticket)*, and *Neevevaro* (as Kalyan's Father).[4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/)
His comedy sits beside that of **Brahmanandam**, with whom he shares more than three decades of screen partnerships. DejaScene's comparative profile describes [Brahmanandam](https://www.edgepedia.org/brahmanandam) as typically playing law-enforcement characters while Sivaji Raja played quirky sidekicks, in films such as *Mee Aayana Jagratha* and *Nuvvu Vasthavani*; their later collaborations include *MLA*, *Jai Simha*, and *Nela Ticket*.[13](https://www.dejascene.com/movies/index/brahmanandam/sivaji-raja)
## Television: Amrutham and the serials
His best-known work may be on television. He played Amrutha "Amrutham" Rao in the sitcom *Amrutham*, which premiered in 2001; TMDB credits him with 313 episodes in the role, and the MovieDB Browser rates the show 8.6.[8](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/585567-shivaji-raja?language=en-US) • [2](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567) TrendiMovies describes *Amrutham*, produced by Just Yellow Media, as "the longest running and most popular sitcom in Telugu".[9](https://trendimovies.com/person/585567) Moviebuff names his other serials as *Amrutam*, *Alasyam Amrutham Visham*, *Mr. Romeo*, *Pandu Mirapakai*, *Papam Padmanabham*, and *Moguds Pellams*.[6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja)
## Recent and current work (2024–2026)
His filmography remains active. Plex credits him as Rajanna in *Saripodhaa Sanivaaram* (2024) and as Shekar Prasad in *Hathya*; DejaScene adds *Raju Weds Rambai* and *Karmanye Vadhikaraste* (2025), and dates *[Vanaveera](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanaveera)* (2026), *[Ugly Story](https://www.edgepedia.org/ugly-story)* (2026, as Neha's Uncle), and *[Mr. Work from Home](https://www.edgepedia.org/mr-work-from-home)* (2026, as Balaram Chakravarthi) to 2026.[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) TrendiMovies also lists the 2026 series *Panchanama* among his credits.[9](https://trendimovies.com/person/585567) His recent named roles, from Zaheer Khan through Rajanna and Shekar Prasad, are character parts; the databases record no statement from him about a deliberate shift away from comedy.
## By the numbers
Credit counts for him diverge sharply. IMDb lists 101 acting credits plus one composer and one additional-crew credit; Plex lists 97; DejaScene lists 106; Moviebuff and Cinetown state he has appeared in more than 400 films and TV series.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/) • [5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja) • [6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja) • [7](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja) For scale, Brahmanandam holds the Guinness World Record for most screen credits of a living actor, with roughly 1,050 film credits and an average of about 40 movies per year through the 1990s, having gone from six films in 1987 to 18 in 1988.[14](https://www.slashfilm.com/1782724/actor-guinness-world-record-most-movie-appearances/) SlashFilm notes that Telugu actors of these decades routinely accumulated enormous film counts, which helps explain database undercounts for prolific supporting comedians like Sivaji Raja; against that ceiling, a 400-film total for a working comedian of the same decades is high but well below the industry's maximum.[14](https://www.slashfilm.com/1782724/actor-guinness-world-record-most-movie-appearances/) His dated credits run from the late 1980s to 2026, a span of more than 35 years.[5](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja) • [4](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja)
## Recognition and off-screen life
Moviebuff and Cinetown credit him with four [Nandi Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/nandi-awards) and a Santosham Film Award.[6](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja) • [7](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja) Grokipedia, a weaker source, adds specifics: a Copper Nandi for Best Comedian for *Alasyam Amrutham Visham* (2004), a Copper Nandi for Best Leading Actor in a TV mega serial for *Veerabheem* (2012), and the Special Jury Award at the 14th Santosham South Indian Film Awards in 2016.[11](https://grokipedia.com/page/Sivaji_Raja) The same source states he served as MAA president from 2017 to 2019; a Samayam Telugu interview report of 10 May 2025 identifies him as a former MAA president and says he quit smoking on 31 December 2000 after a vow made to [Chiranjeevi](https://www.edgepedia.org/chiranjeevi).[11](https://grokipedia.com/page/Sivaji_Raja) • [3](https://telugu.samayam.com/tv/news/actor-sivaji-raja-talks-about-his-smoking-habit-and-chiranjeevi/articleshow/121058551.cms) In the same interview he said he had once considered becoming a Naxalite under the influence of the singer Gaddar.[3](https://telugu.samayam.com/tv/news/actor-sivaji-raja-talks-about-his-smoking-habit-and-chiranjeevi/articleshow/121058551.cms) On 3 March 2026, NewsBytes Telugu reported that his father, G. Ramaraju, aged 85, died that morning at his home in Madhuranagar.[15](https://telugu.newsbytesapp.com/news/entertainment/deep-tragedy-at-actor-shivaji-raja-s-house-father-passes-away/story)
## References
1. [Sivaji Raja (I) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0707296/)
2. [Shivaji Raja - MovieDB Browser](https://www.tf.org/person.php?id=585567)
3. [Sivaji Raja interview - Samayam Telugu](https://telugu.samayam.com/tv/news/actor-sivaji-raja-talks-about-his-smoking-habit-and-chiranjeevi/articleshow/121058551.cms)
4. [Sivaji Raja - Actor Profile | DejaScene](https://www.dejascene.com/actors/view/sivaji-raja)
5. [Shivaji Raja Movies and TV Shows - Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/shivaji-raja)
6. [Shivaji Raja on Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/shivaji-raja)
7. [Sivaji Raja - Cinetown profile](https://www.cinetown.org/people/profile/sivaraja)
8. [Shivaji Raja — The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/585567-shivaji-raja?language=en-US)
9. [Shivaji Raja | TrendiMovies](https://trendimovies.com/person/585567)
10. [Sivaji Raja (II) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356596/)
11. [Sivaji Raja — Grokipedia](https://grokipedia.com/page/Sivaji_Raja)
12. [Comedy through the decades of Telugu Cinema - Telangana Today](https://telanganatoday.com/comedy-through-the-decades-of-telugu-cinema)
13. [Movies Starring Brahmanandam and Sivaji Raja Together | DejaScene](https://www.dejascene.com/movies/index/brahmanandam/sivaji-raja)
14. [The Actor With The Guinness World Record For Most Movie Appearances - SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1782724/actor-guinness-world-record-most-movie-appearances/)
15. [Sivaji Raja: నటుడు శివాజీ రాజా ఇంట్లో తీవ్ర విషాదం.. తండ్రి కన్నుమూత - NewsBytes Telugu](https://telugu.newsbytesapp.com/news/entertainment/deep-tragedy-at-actor-shivaji-raja-s-house-father-passes-away/story)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › South Asian scenes › South Indian film music: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada › Artists, groups, and people: South Indian film music: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada*
*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 11, 2026 · Last review: Sep 20, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license