Sonu Sood
Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, model, humanitarian, and philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He is known for his performances as the negative lead in most of his films. In 2009, he received the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Villain and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu for his work in the Telugu blockbuster Arundhati.
Sonu Sood

Bollywood Hungama · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- Sonu Sood
- Born
- 30 July 1973
- Birthplace
- Moga, Punjab, India
- Occupation
- * Actor
- Education
- Yashwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (BS in Engineering)
- Nationality
- India
- Honours
- Nandi Award · Filmfare Awards South · International Indian Film Academy Awards
- Languages
- Tamil · Telugu · Hindi
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, model, humanitarian, and philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He is known for his performances as the negative lead in most of his films. In 2009, he received the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Villain and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu for his work in the Telugu blockbuster Arundhati.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Sonu Sood (born 1976) is an actor, film director and film producer, among other activities, of Indian nationality. The actor was born in Punjab.
Languages used include Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Honours include Filmfare Awards South, International Indian Film Academy Awards and Nandi Award.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Sonu Sood. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
bnf · loc · wikidata · Q2573055 · wikipedia · Sonu Sood
In this article
Biography
Biography
In 2010, he garnered the Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role and the IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role for his performance in Bollywood film Dabangg. In 2012, he received the SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) for his role in Julayi. Sood's other successful works include Yuva (2004), Athadu (2005), Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Ashok (2006), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), Kandireega (2011), Dookudu (2011), Shootout at Wadala (2013), R.. Rajkumar (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Devi (2016), Kung Fu Yoga (2017), Simmba (2018), and Kurukshetra (2019). He also appeared in commercials for Apollo Tyres and Airtel. In July 2016, he established the production house Shakti Sagar Productions, which is named after his father, Shakti Sagar Sood. In September 2020, Sood was chosen for the ‛SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award’ by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for his humanitarian works during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2022, he launched his social media app called Explurger.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Sonu Sood • Born — 30 July 1973 • Birthplace — Moga, Punjab, India • Occupation — * Actor • film producer • director • humanitarian • philanthropist • Children — 2 • Education — Yashwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (BS in Engineering) • Years Active — 1999–present
Education
Education
Sonu Sood was educated at Sacred Heart School, Moga, Punjab and B.Tech in Electronics engineering at Yashwantrao Chavan College of Engineering
Career
Career
In 1999, Sood began his career through his first two Tamil language films, Kallazhagar and Nenjinile. He then appeared as an antagonist in the Telugu film Hands Up! in 2000. In 2001, he appeared in Majunu. He then began starring in Hindi films, with Shaheed-E-Azam, as Bhagat Singh in 2002. Sood earned recognition as Abhishek Bachchan's brother in Mani Ratnam's Yuva in 2004 and in Aashiq Banaya Aapne in 2005. In Tollywood, with the release of Super in 2005, he received greater recognition for his work. In this film, his co-star was Nagarjuna as a high-tech thief. His next film was Athadu. In 2006, he again portrayed the antagonist in Ashok. It was an average grosser, but by now he had become popular in Telugu films. In 2009, he played the role of Pasupathy in Arundhati. Following the Tollywood release of Arundhati, he played the role of Rajkumar Sujamal in the Indian epic film Jodha Akbar, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. In 2009, he played the role of gangster Bada in Anjaneyulu opposite Ravi Teja. In the latter half of 2009, he acted in another Telugu film Ek Niranjan, in which he again played the antagonist. In 2010, he played the lead antagonist in Abhinav Kashyap's Dabangg, co-starring with Salman Khan. His Kannada debut with Sudeep, Vishnuvardhana (2011), released to positive reviews of his performance. He was appointed "the state icon of Punjab" by the state election commission. In April 2022, the popular reality show MTV Roadies - Season 18 was hosted by Sonu Sood in South Africa. As he reflected on the experience, he emphasized that the "magic" attribute of the show was that it demanded one to be absolutely real & every single day of our 45-day stay in South Africa was a learning experience for him.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Language — Notes • 1999 — Kallazhagar — Soumya Narayanan (Priest) — Tamil • Nenjinile — Gangster • 2000 — Hands Up! — Tuglak — Telugu • Sandhitha Velai — Sandeep — Tamil • 2001 — Majunu — Heena's brother • 2002 — Shaheed-E-Azam — Bhagat Singh — Hindi • Zindagi Khoobsurat Hai — Murad • Raja — Bhavani — Tamil • 2003 — Ammayilu Abbayilu — Rakesh — Telugu • Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi — Rajiv Mathur — Tamil • Kahan Ho Tum — Karan — Hindi • 2004 — Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero — Lt. Col Shah Nawaz Khan • Mission Mumbai — Capt. Rajeev Singh • Yuva — Gopal Singh • 2005 — Sheesha — Raj • Chandramukhi — Oomayan — Tamil • Super — Sonu — Telugu • Athadu — Malli • Aashiq Banaya Aapne — Karan Oberoi — Hindi • Siskiyaan — Dr. Vishwas • Divorce: Not Between Husband and Wife — Siddharth Joshi • 2006 — Ashok — K K — Telugu • Rockin' Meera — Prince — English • 2007 — Fu’un Super Combo — Kim Sue Il — Malayalam • 2008 — Jodhaa Akbar — Prince Sujamal — Hindi — Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor • Mr Medhavi — Siddharth — Telugu • Singh Is Kinng — Lakhan 'Lucky' Singh — Hindi • Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi — Prem Ajmera • 2009 — Arundhati — Pasupathi — Telugu — Nandi Award for Best Villain Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award (Telugu) • Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge — Aryan — Hindi • Anjaneyulu — Bada — Telugu • Bangaru Babu — Rajendra • Ek Niranjan — Johnny Bhai • City of Life — Basu/Peter Patel — Arabic, English, Hindi — Trilingual film • 2010 — Dabangg — Chhedi Singh — Hindi — IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role • 2011 — Shakti — Mukthar — Telugu • Theenmaar — Sudhir • Bbuddah... Hoga Tera Baap — ACP Karan Malhotra — Hindi • Kandireega — Bhavani — Telugu • Dookudu — Nayak — CineMAA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role • Vishnuvardhana — Adhishesha — Kannada — Nominated, SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – Kannada Nominated, Sandalwood Star Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Nominated, Bangalore Times Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Male • Osthe — Boxer Daniel — Tamil • 2012 — Maximum — Inspector Pratap Pandit — Hindi • Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara? — Phanindra Bhupathi — Telugu • Julai — Bittu — Nominated, SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) • 2013 — Shootout at Wadala — Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar — Hindi • Ramaiya Vastavaiya — Raghuveer • Bhai — James — Telugu • R... Rajkumar — Shivraj Gurjar — Hindi • 2014 — Entertainment — Arjun • Aagadu — Damodar — Telugu • Happy New Year — Jagmohan Prakash (Jag) — Hindi • 2016 — Saagasam — Bittu — Tamil • Xuanzang — Harsha — Mandarin — Chinese film • Ishq Positive — Himself — Urdu — Pakistani film; Cameo appearance • Devi — Raj Khanna — Tamil — Trilingual film; Also producer for Hindi version • Abhinetri — Telugu • Tutak Tutak Tutiya — Hindi • 2017 — Kung Fu Yoga — Randall — Mandarin — Trilingual film • Hindi • English • 2018 — Paltan — Maj. Bishen Singh — Hindi • Simmba — Durva Ranade • 2019 — Kurukshetra — Arjuna — Kannada • Devi 2 — Raj Khanna — Tamil — Bilingual film; Cameo appearance • Abhinetri 2 — Telugu • Sita — Basavaraju — Telugu • 2021 — Alludu Adhurs — Gaja • 2022 — Acharya — Basava • Samrat Prithviraj — Chand Bardai — Hindi • 2023 — Tamilarasan — Rana Prathap Singh — Tamil • Sreemanta — - — Kannada • 2025 — Fateh — Fateh Singh — Hindi — Also director, writer, and producer; directorial debut • Madha Gaja Raja — Karukuvel Vishwanath — Tamil
Dubbing career
Dubbing career
• Film title — Actor — Character — Dub Language — Original Language — Original Year release — Notes • The Legend of Hercules — Kellan Lutz — Hercules/Alcides — Hindi — English — 2014
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2022–2023 — MTV Roadies — Host — Season 19 & 20
Music videos
Music videos
• Year — Track — Musical Artists — Director — Language — Notes • 2021 — Pagal Nahi Hona — Sunanda Sharma, Jaani, Avvy Sra — Mahi Sandhu, Joban Sandhu — Punjabi • Saath Kya Nibhaoge — Tony Kakkar, Altaf Raja — Farah Khan — Hindi
Personal life
Personal life
In 1996, Sood married Sonali, a Telugu lady, who hails from Andhra Pradesh. They have two sons named Ayaan and Ishant. He is an eggetarian.
Sood Charity Foundation
Sood Charity Foundation
Sood has founded the Sood Charity Foundation "to help people of all stature". An initiative by Sood for providing free coaching to UPSC exam candidates from underprivileged financial backgrounds. Sood was announced as the Delhi Government's brand ambassador of its Desh ke Mentor ("country mentor") programme by the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on 27 August 2021. SANKALP is one of the flagship campaigns of the Sood Charity Foundation. It is a free law entrance coaching program to assist people with academic guidance and other essential resources for CLAT and AILET exam preparation. The goal has been to bridge the gap between the less-privileged deserving candidates and Law schools. The train accident in Odisha's Balasore resulted in the death of over 250 people and left more than 1,000 injured. Sonu launched Helpline For Odisha Train Accident Victims and requests the government to set up a relief fund.
Fraudsters impersonating Sood Charity Foundation
Fraudsters impersonating Sood Charity Foundation
Across the country there are many volunteers and agents who have possibly associated to support the work of the organization and have started contacting people via twitter, Facebook and Instagram to impersonate Sonu Sood and Sonali Sood and are collecting fees in his name. They take the money online via bank transfers and later withdraw the money via ATM machines. Reports also suggest that they spoof emails of Sood Charity Foundation. The Foundation has not actively taken steps to ensure this stops and contacting the foundation senior management is near impossible to most civilians.
Social work during the COVID-19 pandemic
Identity
Identity
Sonu Sood is recorded with the occupation television actor. Recorded with the occupation film producer. Established in Bibliothèque nationale de France under 16170018p. Established in Library of Congress under no2009157820. Recorded as having received Nandi Award, Filmfare Awards South and International Indian Film Academy Awards. Recognition and collections. Sood received Nandi Award, Filmfare Awards South and International Indian Film Academy Awards.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1976
Sonu Sood was born on 30 July 1976.
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 16170018p
General reference · Bibliothèque nationale de France
- ISNI authority file 0000000119383054
General reference · ISNI
- Library of Congress authority file no2009157820
General reference · Library of Congress
- VIAF authority file 101478411
General reference · VIAF
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2573055: Sonu Sood
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Sonu Sood”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Goyal, Divya. Sonu Sood's father passes away, actor says he is 'shattered'. The Indian Express. 8 February 2016.
- 2.Sonu Sood about his childhood memories with ANI.
- 3.Service, Tribune News. Sonu Sood shares his birthday plans, reveals why he is making action-thriller 'Fateh'. Tribuneindia News Service.
- 4.Joshi, Tushar. Sonu Sood Wins Nandi Award For Arundhati. Mid Day. 26 October 2009.
- 5.(AFP). 'Dabangg' wins best picture at IIFA awards. Khaleej Times.
- 6.Sonu Sood turns producer with Lucky Unlucky. The Hindu. 1 November 2011.
- 7.Top 100 Handsome Indian Men – Sonu Sood. Webindia123.com.
- 8.Kotwani, Hiren. Jackie Chan unveils the poster of Sonu Sood's production '2 in 1'. The Times of India. 28 January 2017.
- 9.Sonu Sood's UNDP award makes his personal brand even taller. ET Brand Equity.com. 29 September 2020.
- 10.Sonu Sood joins the likes of Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio as he receives UN award. Wionews.com. 29 September 2020.
- 11.Sonu Sood receives SDG special humanitarian action award by UNDP. Business Standard. 29 September 2020.
- 12.Actor Sonu Sood Wants To 'Make People Addicted In A Good Way' With His Social Media App Explurger. outlookindia.com. 2022-06-10.
- 13.Tech, HT. Sonu Sood App Explurger to Take on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? Check Out the Rewards You'll Get. The Hindustan Times. June 8, 2022.
- 14.Bose, Madhuchhanda. Explurger: Get Out Get Social — India’s Travel-Tech Startup Making Waves Globally. News Blog - Explurger. 2025-11-03.
- 15.Service, Tribune News. Actor Sonu Sood's father dies. Tribuneindia News Service.
- 16.Vanjani, Suhani. Interview with Sonu Sood. Nagpur Today. 25 September 2012.
- 17.Idlebrain.com. Super – Telugu film – Nagarjuna, Ayesha Takia, Sonu Sood. 7 May 2005.
- 18.Sonu's on a high. starboxoffice.com.
- 19.Kannada Review: 'Only Vishnuvardhana' is racy. IBNLive. 11 December 2011.
- 20.Sonu Sood Appointed As State Icon Of Punjab By Election Commission. NDTV.com.
- 21.Sonu Sood MTV Roadies : How Sonu Sood prepared to host 'MTV Roadies'? He turned into a Roadie to connect with contestants. The Economic Times.
- 22.Vijayakumar, Sindhu. Tamil cinema is my first love: Sonu Sood. The Times of India. 6 April 2019.
- 23.Iyengar, Anusha. Kajal Aggarwal shares a 'chilling' shot from her upcoming Telugu film, Sita [PHOTO]. Times Now. 3 April 2019.
- 24.Sonu Sood on shooting with Chiranjeevi: He refused to hit me on screen, saying people will curse him. 20 December 2020.
- 25.BREAKING: Yash Raj Films announces theatrical release dates for Bunty Aur Babli 2, Prithviraj, Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Shamshera!. Bollywood Hungama. 26 September 2021.
- 26.SreemantaU. The Times of India.
- 27.Sonu Sood, Jacqueline Fernandez starrer 'Fateh' starts filming in Punjab. The Hindu. 11 March 2023.
- 28.Sunanda Sharma's latest song 'Pagal Nahi Hona' ft. Sonu Sood is out. The Times of India.
- 29.Jain, Vaishali. Saath Kya Nibhaoge: Sonu Sood, Nidhhi Agerwal drops FIRST glimpse of music video. www.indiatvnews.com. 3 August 2021.
- 30.Interview with Sonu Sood. The Times of India.
- 31.Garoo, Rohit. Sonu Sood Marriage: The First Love Is Forever For This Actor. The Bridal Box. 15 November 2016.
- 32.Dedhia, Sonil. Want a bikini body like Esha Gupta? Read this!. Rediff.
- 33.About Us. Sood Charity Foundation.
- 34.Bharadwaj, Akanksha. Sonu Sood Free IAS Coaching Scholarship [Sambhavam] by Sood Charity Foundation: Apply by June 30. Lawctopus. 14 June 2021.
- 35.Bose, Joydeep. Sonu Sood to be brand ambassador for Delhi's mentorship initiative, says Kejriwal. Hindustan Times. 27 August 2021.
- 36.Kohli, Robbie. SANKALP – Free Law Education. Sood Charity Foundation. 28 March 2017.
- 37.Sonu Sood Launches Helpline For Odisha Train Accident Victims. Zee News. 8 June 2023.
- 38.Sonu Sood Launches Helpline To Help Odisha Train Accident Victims. News18. 8 June 2023.
- 39.Sonu Sood thanks Cyberabad police for saving his name from fraudsters. The Siasat Daily. 2021-04-06.
- 40.Gosh, Raya. Sonu Sood trends online for helping migrants go back home. Real hero, says Internet. India Today. 24 May 2020.
- 41.Dixit, Prashant. Sonu Sood is the new Sushma Swaraj, helping stranded Indians one Twitter request at a time. ThePrint. 24 May 2020.
- 42.Punjab CM hails 'Moga boy Sonu Sood' for helping migrant workers in crisis. ANI News.
- 43.Kapil Sharma tells Sonu Sood 'You have played a villain in films but you are a real life hero'. Times of India. 22 July 2020.
- 44.Sonu Sood arranges charter flights for over 1,500 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan, group of airborne students send actor message of gratitude. Times of India. 26 July 2020.
- 45.Pandey, Geeta. Bollywood actor hailed for helping stranded migrants. BBC News. 25 May 2020.
- 46.Pavan, P. Andhra Pradesh: Sonu Sood sends tractor to Chittoor farmer to plough fields. Mumbai Mirror. 26 July 2020.
- 47.Sonu Sood's largesse continues, actor helps 100 TN students stranded in Moscow reach Chennai. 5 August 2020.
- 48.Sonu Sood Launches App With Three Lakh Job Opportunities For Migrant Workers. Mumbai Live.
- 49.Sonu Sood is now Punjab icon, announces Election Commission. Hindustan Times. 16 November 2020.
- 50.Sonu Sood's autobiography to be titled 'I Am No Messiah'. The Times of India.
- 51.Sonu Sood Tests Positive For COVID-19: "Mood And Spirit – Super Positive". NDTV.
- 52.Sonu Sood Brings Oxygen Plants From France To Fight Covid-19, Says 'Time is Biggest Challenge. India.com. 11 May 2022.
- 53.Sonu Sood, Kumar Vishwas back poet's Covid care campaign. Hindustantimes. 18 May 2021.
- 54.Sonu Sood joints hands with Kumar Vishwas for 'Aao Gaon Bachayein. The daily Guardian. 22 May 2021.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Sood, Sonu. I Am No Messiah. Penguin India. 2020. 978-0-14-345198-3.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 16170018pBibliothèque nationale de France
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Library of Congress authority file no2009157820Library of Congress
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2573055: Sonu SoodWikimedia Foundation
General reference
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Citizenship
1- IndiaPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,604 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Sonny LandhamPerson
- Sonny MallhiPerson
- Sonny MillerPerson
- Sonny ParsonsPerson
- Sonya EddyPerson
- Sonya WalgerPerson
- Soo AePerson
- Soo YongPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Sonu Sood?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.
Social work during the COVID-19 pandemic
In May 2020, during the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sood helped thousands of stranded Indian migrant workers to reach their homes by arranging buses, special trains and chartered flights for them. In July 2020 he arranged a chartered flight to bring home over 1,500 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan, flying them from Bishkek to Varanasi. His charity during the pandemic was lauded, and he was hailed as a real-life hero in India. On 25 July 2020, a video of a farmer's daughters ploughing a field, like bulls with a yoke on their shoulders, went viral over social media. Sood quickly sent the family a tractor. On 5 August 2020, he helped 101 medical students, predominantly from Tamil Nadu, who were stranded in Moscow during the lockdown, reach Chennai safely on a chartered flight arranged by him after they contacted his team for help. On his birthday he launched a website and app called Pravasi Rojgar to help migrant workers find suitable jobs amid the pandemic. On 19 February 2021, Sood launched an initiative 'Ilaaj India' platform to provide healthcare services for needy people. In December 2020 he published I Am No Messiah, autobiographical book, narrating his journey to become an actor, and narrating his social work during the pandemic. On 17 April 2021, Sonu Sood tested positive for COVID-19. He also shared a message for his fans in his post that read: "Covid – positive. Mood and spirit – super positive. Hi everyone, this is to inform you that I have tested positive this morning for COVID-19. As a part of precautions, I have already quarantined myself and taking utmost care. But don't worry this gives me ample time to solve your problems. Remember I am always there for you all." In 2021, Sood provided much-needed oxygen plants and cylinders for COVID-19 patients in India. Sood and Kumar Vishwas have supported the Aao Gaon Bachayein ("Save the Villages") campaign started by comic poet and satirist Pankaj Prasun.