Suman is an actor known for his work in South Indian films. He played the male lead and also character actor mostly in Telugu and Tamil. He also featured in a few Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. In a career spanning almost 4 decades, he has acted in more than 700 movies in 10 languages. He was one of the most prominent actors of Telugu cinema during the 1980s and 1990s.
Suman was born in a Tulu-speaking family in Madras of present-day Tamil Nadu. His mother, Kesari Chandra, was the Principal of the Ethiraj College for women in Chennai. His father, Susheel Chandra, worked for I.O.C. Chennai. He attended The Besant Theosophical High School, Chennai and completed a B.A. in English Literature. Suman learnt music and Sanskrit from H.A.S. Shastri.
He acted in many action and romantic movies in Telugu, including Tharangini (1982), Neti Bharatam (1983) and Sitaara (1984). Suman acted as mythological characters such as Venkateswara, Shiva, and Rama in Telugu. He won Nandi Award for Best Actor for the film Bava Bavamaridi in 1993. He returned to acting by playing the villain in the Tamil films Sivaji (2007) and Kuruvi (2008). He was cast as the main antagonist in the Malayalam movie Sagar alias Jacky (2009). He has also won the Asianet Film Honour Special Jury Award in 2009.
Suman initially started showing his interest in politics by supporting Telugu Desam Party during 1999 under the leadership of the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. In 2004, he, along with his supporters, joined Bharatiya Janata Party. He is married to Sirisha, and they have a daughter.
