Sukumar is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Sukumar worked as a mathematics and physics lecturer at the Aditya Junior college, Kakinada for nearly six years before pursuing a career in films. He began working as a writer and assisted Mohan and V. V. Vinayak. Sukumar made his directorial debut with Arya in 2004, whose success catapulted him to stardom. Sukumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu and Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer for his work in Arya. His other notable films include Jagadam (2007), Arya 2 (2009), 100% Love (2011), 1: Nenokkadine (2014), and Nannaku Prematho (2016). Sukumar is known for his complex, multi-layered screenplays which earned him the reputation of being an intelligent screenwriter. He is also known for infusing grey shades in the character sketches of the protagonists in his films. Under the banner Sukumar Writings, he made his debut as a film producer with Kumari 21F (2015), whose story and screenplay were penned by him. He received the K. V. Reddy Memorial award for his contributions to Telugu cinema in the year 2014.