Sesh, Naveen Polishetty, and Siddhu Jonnalagadda stand out among the current generation of Telugu heroes. They are not just performers but complete creative contributors who actively involve themselves in story development, screenplay, dialogues, and overall execution. In many of their films, the director’s role often feels secondary, though all three actors consistently credit the director publicly.
Adivi Sesh is widely respected as an actor-creator who prioritizes content over conventional heroism. Even when heroic moments are present, they are well within the tone and genre of the film. One of his biggest strengths is his professionalism with producers. He keeps budgets under control, avoids unnecessary or ego-driven expenses, and clearly understands what a film truly requires. He values producer feedback, is not rigid in his opinions, and maintains a collaborative approach. This cost-conscious and respectful attitude is why producers are always comfortable working with him repeatedly.
Siddhu Jonnalagadda, on the other hand, took a different route after the blockbuster success of DJ Tillu. He strongly believed that audiences wanted to see him only in that specific style. As a result, he continued with similar dialogue delivery, extended monologues, and a dominant personal mannerism, often at the cost of narrative depth. His repeated focus on romance and youth-centric appeal has begun to feel repetitive. Additionally, signing multiple films in a short span affected script refinement, leading to a series of setbacks. Among the three, Siddhu is currently facing the most struggles. His off-screen womanizer image—whether driven by film roles or gossip—has also influenced public perception. However, a positive factor is that Siddhu does not interfere with production costs and leaves financial decisions entirely to producers while ensuring output quality. This makes producers still open to collaborating with him.
Naveen Polishetty follows a completely different creative philosophy. He aims to entertain a broader audience rather than limiting himself to youth-centric storytelling. He takes considerable time to write and refine scripts, which explains the long gaps between his films. Naveen is extremely firm about his creative choices and is least concerned about production costs. He rarely compromises on what he believes is right, making the filmmaking process challenging for producers and technicians alike. While his films usually end up profitable, the journey itself is often stressful, leaving producers feeling creatively sidelined. This is why many of the same producers hesitate to work with him again, even though his track record remains clean. Still, new producers continue to line up for him, drawn by his credibility and consistent success rate.
