Ambareesh was born into a Vokkaliga family in Doddarasinakere village of Mandya district in the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka). He was named as Malavalli Huchche Gowda Amarnath, and was the sixth of seven children to Huche Gowda and Padmamma. His grandfather was the popular violin player, Chowdiah.Ambareesh completed his schooling in Mandya before moving to Saraswathipuram in Mysore for higher studies. He was a regular street watcher and an antisocial element with a bunch of friends at Mysore near the Maharani's college.