Uday Kiran

Vajapeyajula Uday Kiran, better known as Uday Kiran (26 June 1980 – 5 January 2014) was an Indian actor who primarily worked in Telugu cinema and has acted in some Tamil films. His first three films, Chitram (2000), Nuvvu Nenu (2001), and Manasantha Nuvve (2001) were successful, earning him the title "Hat-trick Hero". The three films, all love stories, earned him a 'Lover Boy' image in the early 2000s. Even till today in social media, he is often referred to as "Evergreen Star".

In 2001, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu for Nuvvu Nenu, and became the youngest winner in the category. Subsequently, he acted in successful romantic films Kalusukovalani (2002) and Nee Sneham (2002). He also starred in the films Sreeram (2002) and Avunanna Kadanna (2005).

In 2006, he made his Tamil debut with the film Poi, directed by veteran director K. Balachander. Most of his films post-2005 like Nuvvekkadunte Nenakkadunta (2012), Jai Sriram (2013) were not commercially successful. Uday Kiran died by suicide at his home in Hyderabad in January 2014.