Arjun Sarja

Arjun Sarja Biography

Arjun Sarja, born Srinivasa Sarja on 15 August 1962 in Madhugiri (then Mysore State, now Tumakuru district, Karnataka), is an Indian actor, director and producer who works predominantly in Tamil cinema, alongside Kannada and Telugu films and a smaller number of Malayalam and Hindi projects. He is credited as Arjun in Tamil and Telugu and as Arjun Sarja in Kannada, and has long been called the “Action King” by the media and his fans for his run of action roles.

He is the son of Kannada actor Shakti Prasad and Lakshmi, an art teacher. Inspired by Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon, he began training in karate at the age of 16 and holds a black belt. He entered films in 1981 with the Kannada film Simhada Mari Sainya, in which he appeared as a junior artiste and the director gave him the screen name Arjun. He turned director with Sevagan (1992) and has since helmed several of his own films, including the patriotic hit Jai Hind (1994).

Arjun married Niveditha in 1988; she had acted in the Kannada films Ratha Sapthami (1986) and Agni Parva (1987) under the screen name Asha Rani. They have two daughters, Aishwarya Arjun and Anjana Arjun. His elder brother Kishore Sarja, a Kannada film director, died in 2009; Kishore’s sons Chiranjeevi Sarja, who died in 2020, and Dhruva Sarja are Kannada actors. In recent years Arjun has been prominent in antagonist roles, including Leo (2023) and Vidaamuyarchi (2025).

Basic Details

• Full name: Srinivasa Sarja
• Known as: Arjun (Tamil and Telugu); Arjun Sarja (Kannada)
• Date of birth: 15 August 1962
• Birthplace: Madhugiri, Mysore State (now Tumakuru district, Karnataka), India
• Occupation: Actor, director, producer, screenwriter, distributor
• Languages on screen: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi
• Years active: 1981 – present
• Father: Shakti Prasad, Kannada actor
• Spouse: Niveditha (married 1988)
• Children: Aishwarya Arjun, Anjana Arjun

Career Highlights