K. K. Senthil Kumar (Kodandapani Krishna Murthy Senthil Kumar) is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Senthil Kumar began his career as a cinematographer with the TV sitcom Amrutham and made his film debut with Aithe (2003), earning critical recognition.
Over the years, he has worked on several notable films, including Sye (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Yamadonga (2007), Arundhati (2009), Magadheera (2009), Eega (2012), Baahubali (2015), Baahubali 2 (2017), and RRR (2022). He earned various accolades, including four Filmfare Awards, two Nandi Awards and four SIIMA awards, among others.
Early and personal life K. K. Senthil Kumar ( Kodandapani Krishna Murthy Senthil Kumar ) was born and brought up in Hyderabad, into a Tamil-speaking family. He is the eldest of three siblings. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
Kumar married Ruhee Naaz on 25 June 2009, who was a Yoga instructor and headed the Hyderabad division of Bharat Thakur's Yoga classes. The couple had two sons: Ryaan Kartikeyan and Dhruva Kartikeyan. Ruhee died on 15 February 2024 at a private hospital in Hyderabad.
Career After his graduation from FTII, he joined cinematographer Sarath as an assistant cinematographer. He worked under Sarath from Premaku Velayara (1999) to Jabili (2001). He started his work as an Independent Cinematographer with the TV Series Amrutham in 2000. When Chandra Sekhar Yeleti was making his directorial debut with Aithe (2003), he took Senthil on as the cinematographer, marking his official feature-film debut.
Filmography
All films are in Telugu, unless otherwise mentioned
Year Title Notes2003 Aithe 2004 Sye 2005 Chatrapathi 2006 Ashok 2007 Yamadonga 2008 Three 2009 Arundhati Magadheera 2010 Thakita Thakita 2011 Golconda High School2012 Eega 2013 Rough 2015 Baahubali: The Beginning Also shot in Tamil2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Partially reshot in Tamil2018 Vijetha 2022 RRR 2025JuniorAlso shot in KannadaBaahubali: The EpicSwayambhu
Awards Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Magadheera (2010) at 57th Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Baahubali: The Beginning (2016) at 63rd Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2018) at 65th Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- RRR (2024) at 68th Filmfare Awards South Nandi Awards Best Cinematographer - Eega at Nandi Awards of 2012 Best Cinematographer - Baahubali: The Beginning at Nandi Awards of 2015 South Indian International Movie Awards Best Cinematographer – Telugu – Eega (2013) at 2nd SIIMA Best Cinematographer – Telugu – Baahubali: The Beginning (2016) at 5th SIIMA Best Cinematographer – Telugu – Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2018) at 7th SIIMA Best Cinematographer – Telugu – RRR at 11th SIIMA CineMAA Awards Best Cinematographer – Magadheera (2010) Best Cinematographer – Yamadonga (2008) Santosham Film Awards Best Cinematographer - Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) at 16th Santosham Film Awards
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography – RRR (2022)
References